Call Home? Mobile Phones and Contacts With Mother in 24 Countries

This article explores how the diffusion of mobile phones is associated with communication between adult children and their mothers. The article analyzes 2001 International Social Survey Program data from 24 countries (N = 12,313) combined with the country-level data on the prevalence of mobile phones. Net of individual-level predictors and country wealth, adult children who resided in countries with high prevalence of mobile phones contacted their mothers more frequently. High prevalence of mobile phones was also associated with larger differences in maternal contact by gender and smaller differences by education. These findings suggest that any impact of new communication technology on intergenerational relations is complex.