The paradox of remote protection: digital surveillance and intergenerational conflict in Pakistani transnational families

Introduction This article examines the emotional and relational impact of transnational fatherhood within Pakistani families, focusing on the deep-seated gendered anxieties experienced by migrant fathers and the resultant emotional burden on their adolescent children (sons and daughters). While migration provides essential economic remittances, it disrupts the traditional patriarchal role of fathers as both providers and moral custodians, leading to familial strain. Methods Employing a qualitative, multi-perspectival approach, the study conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 30 migrant fathers residing in Italy and their 29 adolescent children in Punjab, Pakistan. Results Thematic analysis revealed a “paradox of remote protection,” where fathers’ fears—specifically regarding sons’ conduct, negative peer influence, and the protection of daughters’ modesty in the digital age—drive digital communication into a tool of surveillance and control rather than connection. Discussion This hierarchical, transactional mode of interaction exacerbates intergenerational disconnects, creating profound emotional and instrumental voids felt by both parents and children. The findings underscore the invisible emotional labor performed by left-behind adolescents and highlight the critical clash between rigid patriarchal expectations and the growing autonomy and globally-influenced realities of youth in transnational family spaces. This research calls for nuanced interventions addressing fathers’ anxieties and supporting authentic emotional exchange across geographical divides.