<p>Mobile phones have profoundly reshaped the dynamics of family gatherings, transforming the traditional requirement of physical attendance into a modern compulsion of proximity. Within this setting, ritual co-presence exposes tensions between personal media habits and collective social expectations, offering a window into new patterns of communication in domestic life. This study draws on participatory observation and imaginary interactive interviews conducted among 36 multi-generational families during the Chinese Spring Festival, a key occasion of reunion. The qualitative data were coded and analyzed to identify major patterns of mobile-mediated interaction within family gatherings. Four communication modes emerged: alternative communication, facilitating communication, blocking communication, and rebuilding engagement. These modes reveal how mobile phones simultaneously sustain and fragment intergenerational bonds. The findings further show that phubbing—the act of neglecting others in favor of phone use—functions as a situated symbol whose behavioral contagion generates a spiral of non-communication. By examining how families negotiate co-presence and emotional connection in a mediatized domestic sphere, this study highlights the boundary conditions of face-to-face interaction in contemporary society.</p>