E‐parenting literacy and early childhood development: Evidence from rural Chinese mother and grandmother caregivers

Abstract Caregivers' ability to access, engage with, and critically evaluate digital information on parenting practices (henceforth, “e‐parenting literacy”) is emerging as an increasingly important determinant of early childhood development (ECD) outcomes. Therefore, the current study provides empirical evidence of the role of e‐parenting literacy for ECD outcomes of 6‐ to 24‐month‐olds ( N = 564) in rural households in a coastal province in East‐China. The study focuses on the role of e‐parenting literacy of the two most common types of primary caregivers (i.e., persons in charge of the daily care) of young children in the study region: mother and grandmother caregivers. Empirical results show that 76% of the primary caregivers ( N = 429) are mothers, the remaining 135 primary caregivers are grandmothers. Overall, e‐parenting literacy is found to be positively and significantly associated with children's early cognitive development outcomes. Furthermore, a heterogeneity analysis shows that e‐parenting literacy is positively and significantly associated with children's early cognitive and language outcomes when the primary caregiver is a grandmother, but not when the primary caregiver is a mother. This may reflect greater heterogeneity in grandmothers' digital device use and e‐parenting literacy, while most mothers already possess adequate e‐parenting skills. Additionally, older children (i.e., 16‐ to 24‐month‐olds), who may require more advanced parenting skills than their slightly younger peers, are also found to benefit more from gains in e‐parenting literacy. This research highlights how digital inclusion can help to bridge gaps in caregiving practices and developmental opportunities of young children growing up in developing settings.