Mobile Intimacies in the Usa Among Refugee and Recent Immigrant Teens and Their Parents

Abstract

Drawing upon semi-structured interviews and open-ended surveys with adolescents who have moved to the USA in the past twelve years, this article explores the nuanced ways in which expectations of authority and autonomy structure mobile phone use in migrant and refugee families. It finds that contrary to reports of US parents who fear that mobile phone rules and restrictions undermine intimacy, refugee families may view restriction as an expression of intimacy because it is related to cultural expectations. Moreover, the article points out that whereas mobile communication almost always provides access to autonomy among white middle class families, these media only sometimes provide access to autonomy among refugee families.