PARENTAL PURPOSES FOR USING THE INTERNET AND THEIR INFLUENCES ON PARENT-CHILD COMMUNICATION IN THE VIETNAMESE FAMILY

Abstract

Objective. The Internet is increasingly confirming its role in all areas of social life, including communication in the family. The influence of the Internet on family communication has been studied in many countries around the world, but research on this issue in the Vietnamese family has not received much attention. This study aims to explore the relationship between parents' Internet usage purposes and parent-child communication activities. Material and methods. The study was conducted in 2021, based on a survey of 113 parents aged 35-50 in Hanoi city. Three purposes of parents' Internet use are considered to explore the relationship with parent-child communication activities including contact, looking for information, and relationship establishment and maintenance. Results. The research results pointed out that the purpose for which parents use the Internet is related to the positive and negative influences of the Internet on communication activities between parents and children. Parents use the Internet to make contact, look up information, and build and maintain relationships with their children, increasing the amount of communication time and diversifying the topics they discuss. However, the ability to share with and understand children in parent-child communication seems to decline; at the same time, parents using the Internet to look for information and build relationships create increased disruption and decreased interest in communication with their children. Conclusions. These results suggest solutions and services that support effective communication between parents and children by promoting healthy Internet use. Keywords: Internet, Internet usage purpose, communication, family, Vietnam.