• International Journal of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.261-268
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• 2024

This study focused on social connection apps and support among various measures to prevent 'killing and abandonment of infants', which has recently become a social issue. The research method attempted to show the necessity of a social-linked app by analyzing the contents of 12 cases with peculiarities in the infant murder process in the judgment after 2021. Infanticide mothers were found to be economically and socially vulnerable, and they killed infants to continue their lives. Focusing on the mind of human respect rather than the judicial meaning of punishing crime, the development of social connection apps and support services that allow both mothers and infants to be healthy and socially protected were proposed. The first is a great transformation of economic support and awareness for pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting. Second, it is necessary to develop a confidentiality counseling and information app that can comprehensively support medical directions and social welfare in consideration of the health status of the fetus and women and the socio-economic situation. Third, it is proposed to promote the use of the Internet such as joint childcare facilities of social communities, child protection institutions, and adoption systems. The government should investigate the reasons for not being able to register birth, the root causes of killing and abandonment of infants, and come up with practical plans and policies for them.

• Journal of Korean Library and Information Science Society
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.21-48
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• 2021

Today, with countless health information being accessible through online and offline, the public has been able to explore health-related information in various ways. The current study focuses on the information-seeking behavior of the mothers who actively explore information related to the health of their healthy infants (aged between 0 and 3 years). The researcher had conducted in-depth interviews of 24 American, Korean, and Korean immigrant mothers living in the United States, and then analyzed the sequential order of the information sources that they have used to search for the health-related information about their children. The current research highlights that the mothers' information-seeking pathways and searched topics tended to differ in accordance with their child(ren)'s health conditions (e.g., ill vs. healthy). For instance, regarding the information sources used, more diverse health information sources (e.g., public libraries, government health agencies, daycare teachers) were used when their child(ren) was not ill. In addition, when a child was ill, mothers were likely to focus on information about specific diseases or symptoms first, whereas when the child was healthy, they used to explore information on various health topics such as growth and development, nutrition and diets, parenting, and so on. Based on the results, implications for the information professionals are discussed when designing and providing health-related information services to mothers of healthy infants and toddlers.