Who Speaks First? Parental Authority, Digital Visibility, and the Formation of Faith in Childhood

Abstract This paper examines how digital infrastructures reshape parental religious authority in the formation of faith during childhood. In both Christianity and Islam, early religious learning has traditionally taken place within the family, where belief is transmitted through shared practice, repetition, and relational trust. However, children increasingly encounter religious content through digital platforms structured by algorithms, metrics, and global visibility dynamics. Drawing on scholarship in digital religion, theories of algorithmic power, and the concept of digital colonialism, the paper argues that authority is not simply displaced but reorganized. Platforms do not replace parents, yet they influence which interpretations become visible, familiar, and persuasive. As exposure is shaped by recommendation systems and engagement logics, parental responsibility operates within infrastructures that remain largely beyond parental control. Through a comparative reflection on Christianity and Islam, the study proposes that the key transformation concerns sequence and mediation: who speaks first, and under what conditions religious meaning becomes plausible. Rather than framing digital religion as either beneficial or harmful, the paper highlights the gradual redistribution of authority within algorithmically structured environments.