This study examines the intergenerational transformation of childhood in Türkiye by analyzing the experiences of grandparents, parents, and young adults. Grounded in the sociology of childhood, the research conceptualizes childhood as a socio-historical construction shaped by shifting economic and cultural conditions. Employing a qualitative design centered on Collective Memory Work and cross-generational comparison, data were generated through interviews and visual narratives produced by university students. The analysis focuses on five dimensions: space, play, emotions, education, and family relationships. Findings reveal a fundamental shift from rural, community-centered, and embodied childhoods toward urban, individualized, and digitally mediated forms. This transition is marked by the domestication of space and the evolution of play from productive labor to individualized cognitive activities. Ultimately, the study highlights a “modern childhood paradox”—characterized by increased agency and visibility alongside heightened emotional isolation—offering a critical perspective on postdigital childhood and cultural continuity in Türkiye.
Kaya et al. (Mon,) studied this question.