Parental Mediation Strategies Research Articles

Parental mediation strategies for social media use: a thematic analysis of perspectives among Indonesian parents and adolescents

ABSTRACT As social media provides opportunities but also involves risks for adolescents, some parents apply strategies to help their children adaptively use social media. Taxonomies of these strategies were primarily based on research conducted in the Global North. However, while social media use is also highly prevalent in the Global South, research on parental mediation strategies in the Global South is relatively scarce. The aim of this study is to increase our understanding of parental mediation strategies for social media use that occur in Indonesia. We conducted a qualitative study consisting of eight focus group discussions and eight semi-structured interviews (15 Indonesian parents and 30 Indonesian adolescents). The thematic analysis revealed that participating Indonesian parents typically applied a combination of specific restrictive and enabling strategies, including access restriction, interaction restriction, technical mediation, monitoring, interpretative mediation, supervision/co-use, modelling, and norm implementation. Parents reported a range of difficulties when trying to implement mediation strategies but overall, they believed that their strategies help their children to use social media more adaptively.

The association between family socio-demographic factors, parental mediation and adolescents’ digital literacy: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundDigital technology has a two-sided impact whether it is used appropriately or not. It is crucial to promote the benefits of digital technology and reduce its harms by bolstering adolescents’ digital literacy. The appropriateness of the strategies parents use to manage their children’s digital lives plays a key role. This study aims to investigate the separate effects of family socio-demographic factors and varied dimensions of parental mediation on adolescents’ digital literacy separately and simultaneously to explore the appropriate parental mediation strategies even in the absence of favorable family status.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was utilized with a sample of 1894 Chinese adolescents in junior and senior high schools (mean age = 14.01, 48.94% female), using a set of exam questions to test children’s objective digital literacy online. Family socio-demographic factors (parental marital status, economic status, and parental education levels) and varied dimensions of parental mediation were included as predictors of digital literacy. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to estimate the relation between the variables.ResultsHigher parental education levels were positively associated with adolescents’ parental mediation and digital literacy while better family economic status and parental divorce were negatively associated. Among the dimensions of parental mediation, active mediation, restrictive mediation and supervision were significantly associated with adolescents’ digital literacy, but not for co-use. Active mediation and supervision showed significant positive associations with adolescents’ digital literacy, whereas, co-use showed a significant negative association when all parental mediation dimensions were integrated into the model, The significant association between restrictive mediation and digital literacy disappeared. Parental mediation has diluted the impact of family socio-demographic factors on adolescents’ digital literacy.ConclusionsEffective interventions are needed to promote parental active mediation and supervision to help adolescents develop digital literacy and navigate the digital world, especially for adolescents who do not have highly educated parents or whose parents are divorced.

Caught between autonomy and control: How Liberian teenagers perceive and navigate parental mediation of their mobile phone use

ABSTRACT Mobile phones play a central role in the lives of teenagers living in West Africa, but to date we have limited knowledge of how these teenagers perceive and navigate parental mediation of their phone use. This is unfortunate because such knowledge could inform about the interplay between culture, parenting, and children’s media use across cultures. To broaden our understanding of parental mediation in West Africa, this study interviewed 37 Liberian teenagers about the parental mediation strategies of their parents and investigated how these teenagers respond to parental mediation. The findings reveal two main mediation strategies: restrictive mediation and monitoring. Although these strategies are also used in the Global North, Liberian parents’ authoritarian application of these strategies as reported by our participants is different. Our findings further reveal a boomerang effect, because teenagers enact novel, mobile phone practices to circumvent parental mediation. These practices and the theoretical and practical implications of the study are discussed.

Influence of parental mediation and social skills on adolescents' use of online video games for escapism: A cross-sectional study.

The widespread use of video games among adolescents has raised concerns about their impact on psychological and social development. This study aimed to assess the effects of different types of parental mediation on adolescents' tendency to use video games to avoid negative emotions and determine the relationship between adolescents' interpersonal skills and their reliance on online video games for escapism. Participants were 452 adolescents from 15 middle and high schools. Data on sociodemographic information, gaming habits, parental control of online gaming, interpersonal skills, and reasons for playing online games were also collected. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to analyze the data, with online video game escapism as the dependent variable. Results supported the study's hypothesis that both parental mediation and adolescent interpersonal skills significantly predict the use of online video games for escapism. Higher levels of parental monitoring were associated with a lower tendency of adolescents to use video games to escape negative emotions, while parental mediation supporting autonomy showed a similar but weaker protective effect. At the same time, parental monitoring was also found to be associated with lower interpersonal skills, notably higher impulsivity, narcissism, and stress in social situations. In addition, adolescents with higher levels of impulsivity were more likely to use video games for escapism. These findings highlight the importance of balanced parental involvement and the development of adolescents' social skills to mitigate the risks of problematic online gaming. Interventions should promote effective parental mediation strategies and enhance adolescents' interpersonal skills to reduce their tendency to use video games as a coping mechanism for real-life challenges. Effective parental mediation and improved interpersonal skills are critical for promoting healthier gaming habits and reducing adolescent escapism.

Parenting in the Digital Age: Mediation Strategies as a Preventive Factor against Cyberbullying on Social Media among Saudi Parents

This study investigated the role of parental mediation strategies employed by parents in Saudi Arabia as a preventive factor against adolescents’ engagement in cyberbullying and cybervictimization within social media. It also examined the role of age, gender, and educational level of parents as moderators. Using an online survey, the sample consisted of 389 parent participants and their adolescent child, aged between 12 and 17. Results show that active, restrictive, and internet safety mediation strategies significantly predict a decrease in cyberbullying and cybervictimization, while a technical mediation strategy significantly predicts an increase. Results also show that parents’ age moderates the relation between active and internet safety mediation and adolescents’ engagement in cyberbullying. Parental gender also did not moderate the relation between parental mediation strategies and adolescents’ engagement in cyberbullying and cybervictimization, whereas parents’ educational level moderates the relation between restrictive, monitoring, and technical mediation strategies and adolescents’ engagement in cyberbullying.

Media parenting in a pandemic: Understanding U.S. Parents’ motivations for parental mediation during the COVID-19 lockdown

ABSTRACT Little is known about how parents utilized parental mediation strategies during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw an upsurge in youths’ technology use and increased family time at home. The current study surveyed the parents of 964 U.S. school-aged children for their mediation behaviors, perceptions of media risk, views about youth media use, and awareness of and reliance upon professional youth media guidelines to identify key factors influencing the use of media parenting strategies (i.e. parental mediation) during the lockdown (March – May 2020). Structural equation modeling revealed that parents’ use of professional media use guidelines and their perceived changes in media views during the lockdown were positively related to their use of active mediation, restrictive mediation, and coviewing. Further, perceptions of media risk were associated with restrictive mediation, but not other mediation types, and single parents were less likely to engage in active and restrictive mediation than parents with a partner.

The Role of Parental Mediation in the Associations Among Cyberbullying Bystanding, Depression, Subjective Health Complaints, and Self-Harm

The goal of this study was to investigate the moderating effect of parental mediation in the longitudinal associations among cyberbullying bystanding, depression, subjective health complaints, and self-harm. Participants were 1,067 seventh and eighth graders ( M age = 13.93; 50% female) from the suburbs of a large Midwestern city in the United States. Restrictive parental mediation and instructive parental mediation strategies moderated the relationships examined in this study. Increases in restrictive parental mediation strengthened the association between cyberbullying bystanding and depression, subjective health complaints, and self-harm. High instructive parental mediation weakened these associations. These findings underscore the importance of developing interventions that increase parents’ awareness of how to implement effective parental mediation strategies. Parental intervention programs that focus on parents’ role in mitigating their children’s exposure to cyberbullying and how they can help reduce the associated negative outcomes should be developed.

Influence of different parental mediation strategies on adolescents’ hedonistic smartphone use: Parent–adolescent reports

Hedonistic smartphone usage refers to smartphone activities for instant gratification and pleasure; increased hedonistic use is associated with perceived stress, problematic smartphone usage, and smartphone addiction among adolescents. Parents naturally intervene in adolescents’ screen media use through various mediation strategies, including active mediation of safety, restrictive mediation, monitoring mediation, and technical mediation, to reduce potential negative impacts and online risks. This study aims to identify the relationship between parental mediation strategies and adolescents’ hedonistic smartphone use using the data from 447 adolescents and 432 parents. This study also explores the consideration of a new mediation technique, participatory learning mediation, in the parental mediation model. Multiple regression results revealed positive and negative associations between different parental mediation strategies and adolescents’ hedonistic smartphone use, with restrictive mediation having no effect.

Problematic use of WhatsApp and adolescents: What educational role do parents play?

The goal of this study is to understand the relationship between the problematic use of WhatsApp among young adolescents and parental mediation. The rise of mobile phone use among young people is a cause for concern, especially among parents themselves. The literature suggests that parents have a certain amount of room for maneuver through different parental strategies (parental mediation) to maximize the benefits of technology and reduce its possible risks, although this has not been sufficiently analyzed in the case of problematic use of the mobile phone and its applications. This study therefore examined three different parental mediation strategies (restrictive, modeling and stimulation) and their possible impact on the problematic use of WhatsApp. The sample comprised 1,144 13- and 14-year-old students during three academic years (2015-2018) in 17 schools in 7 Spanish provinces. One of the novelties of the study was the use of adolescent voices to understand the parental mediation of their parents. The results showed a direct relationship between the level of restrictive mediation and a problematic use of WhatsApp. In addition, the number of mobile phones that students have enjoyed, as well as whether parents use their mobile phone during dinner, also has a positive relationship with the problematic use of WhatsApp. These results are useful for understanding a responsible use of the mobile phone, as well as to guide parents about the problematic use of WhatsApp among adolescents.

Smartphone Ownership, Minors’ Well-being, and Parental Mediation Strategies. An Analysis in the Context of Social Media Influencers

Although smartphone ownership among minors has become an important social phenomenon, its impact on children’s and adolescents’ well-being, as well as the mechanisms by which this might take place are not yet sufficiently well-established. To date, no research has examined the effect of smartphone ownership on the well-being of minors through the consumption of influencer-generated content, nor has it explored the effectiveness of the main prevention strategies employed by parents in this context. To fill those gaps, 800 Spanish minors (50% female) aged from 8 to 16 years old (M = 12.33, SD = 2.38) participated in a correlational study in which the ownership of electronic devices, the consumption of influencer generated content, the parasocial relationship with the influencer, and the most common parental mediation strategies were considered. The results showed a positive association between electronic device ownership and psychological discomfort, problematic usage, and imitation of dangerous behaviors. This association was mediated by the consumption of influencer-generated content and the parasocial relationship established by the minor with the influencer. Regarding preventive strategies, only active mediation was inversely related to poorer well-being indicators, however this positive effect significantly decreased when a smartphone or a similar electronic device was owned by the minor (vs. no owned). These findings contribute to the understanding of how smartphone ownership can affect the well-being of children, emphasizing the need for thoughtful consideration when deciding whether to provide smartphones to minors.

Subterfuge: a parental strategy for mediating young children’s digital media practices in Azerbaijan

ABSTRACT The present study introduces the ways in which parents mediate young children’s digital media practices in Azerbaijan, a former Soviet country. This study reveals a new parental mediation strategy – subterfuge, which refers to parents’ indirect communication about digital media restrictions with their children. With this approach, parents blame digital devices or internet connectivity for limiting children’s access. Using the strategy, parents prefer indirect interference with their children's digital practices to avoid upsetting or confronting them. The strategy is explained through parental ethnotheories – parents’ cultural beliefs and values about childrearing. The study calls for adding parental ethnotheories to research on parental mediation in digital environments. Findings presented here originated in a study involving five families with a five-year-old child through family visits and the living journals method developed specifically for this study.

Do parental control tools fulfil family expectations for child protection? A rapid evidence review of the contexts and outcomes of use

ABSTRACT Among the parental mediation strategies promoted by policymakers to ensure children’s safety in a digital age is the use of parental control tools. A rapid evidence review was conducted to identify which families use parental controls and why, and the outcomes of such use, beneficial or otherwise. Of 1,656 articles returned by a keyword search of five research databases, the full text of 40 studies was coded to answer the research questions. The available research revealed that the use of parental controls depends on the age of the parents and children, their digital skills, parental involvement, and the motivation to reduce exposure to online risk. However, the consequences of use were mixed, with evidence of parental controls having both beneficial and adverse outcomes, limiting other outcomes or simply having no outcomes. While the review found little support for advocating parental controls as a stand-alone strategy, parents valued them when embedded in a broader approach to parental mediation and parent – child relations. The conclusions highlight the importance of a child-centred approach that holistically evaluates the potential of parental controls.

Parenting the TikTok algorithm: An algorithm awareness as process approach to online risks and opportunities

Teens inhabit an algorithmically curated digital world. Thus, algorithm awareness has emerged as a critical digital skill for parents of teens to mitigate online risks and maximize online opportunities. This study explores how parents’ algorithm awareness of the TikTok “For You” feed relates to perceived online risks and opportunities as well as parental mediation strategies. A survey of U.S. parents found that greater algorithm awareness on TikTok was associated with more negative attitudes about the TikTok algorithm via the mediator of perceived TikTok risks. Parents with negative attitudes about algorithms on TikTok were more likely to prohibit their teenager from using TikTok, but algorithm awareness and attitudes were unassociated with other parental mediation strategies. This study contributes to research on digital parenting practices, suggesting that (a) perceptions of risks, not opportunities, frame the algorithm awareness process for parents and (b) algorithm awareness may operate differently than other digital skills.

Digital parenting divides: the role of parental capital and digital parenting readiness in parental digital mediation

Abstract This study investigates digital parenting divides, or how parents' strategies for regulating their children’s online activities differ based on their available resources and digital parenting readiness (i.e., digital parenting self-efficacy, attitudes, and knowledge). We conducted a survey of 530 parents that reflected the composition of the U.S. population to explore how parents’ resources and digital parenting readiness predict their digital mediation strategies. The results indicate that parents’ economic, social, and cultural resources, as well as their digital parenting readiness, play a significant role in how they approach digital mediation. Furthermore, digital parenting readiness has emerged as an underlying mechanism explaining the relationship between parental resources and parental mediation strategies. The presence of digital parenting divides highlights the need for tailored interventions to support parents in effectively using digital mediation strategies based on their family’s circumstances.

An Investigation of the Parental Mediation Situations of Preschool Children’s Parents

Developments in information and communication technologies caused an increase in the possession of digital tools and facilitated their use. The use of digital tools, especially the internet, now starts below the age of two. In this sense, during early childhood, parents have a great responsibility as they are primarily responsible for their children’s “digital exposure.” They need mediation strategies to determine their children’s use of digital tools. This study aims to examine the parental mediation situations of the parents of preschool children. This study, conducted as a survey model, adapted the Parental Mediation Scale to the preschool level as a data collection tool. The participants of the study consisted of 108 parents of preschool children. The results of the study determined that the parental role (mother‒father) and educational status of parents affected parental mediation strategies; whereas, the number of children, internet usage experience, income status, and the age of the parents or children did not affect said strategies. The qualitative analysis indicated that the parents have many concerns about the social‒emotional and physical problems that may occur due to internet use in children from an early age. It is among the other qualitative results that parents prefer more direct intervention techniques and technical solutions to protect their children from the risks of the internet. As a result of the research, this study presents suggestions to parents and researchers for future studies on children’s conscious use of digital tools.

Feasibility and Early Outcomes of a Parent Training Intervention to Engage Parents in Children's Media Education.

The importance of parents in mediating adolescents' Internet use is documented by many studies in the literature. Very few, however, regard interventions to support parents in this role. We wanted to assess the feasibility and the early outcomes of an Internet-based parent educational group course aimed to support parents in adolescents' media education. The intervention was conducted with two different groups of parents (N = 20, 75% women; mean age = 46.9 y; SD = 6.3) at different time-points. The intervention included five sessions, during which information about parental mediation strategies was provided and practical exercises based on the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) approach were proposed. The intervention generated greater awareness, openness and flexibility and increased parental familiarity with technological devices. Overall, the proposed web-based and group-based parent training model has shown good feasibility and promising early outcomes in supporting parents as Internet mediators.

A qualitative study on parental mediation of rural‐to‐urban migrant children's smartphone use in China: Concerns, strategies and challenges

AbstractThis study explores parental mediation of smartphone use by rural‐to‐urban migrant children in China. A total of 16 migrant parents participated in semi‐structured interviews. Reflexive thematic analysis is conducted to analyse the transcribed interviews. Findings indicate that migrant parents are highly concerned about the harmful impact of smartphone use on their children. Three parental mediation strategies mentioned in previous studies are confirmed, that is, restriction mediation, monitoring and active mediation, whereas a new mediation strategy, namely, activity substitution, is identified in this study. This study finds that the parents use a combination of different strategies for parental mediation. Furthermore, four themes identify the challenges in parental mediation: Lack of time, skills and helper for parenting and father's absence, inconsistency between parents' restrictive mediation and own overuse practices, the adverse effect of COVID‐19 and the need for professional help. Finally, implications for social work practice are discussed.

Parental mediation and preferences for regulation regarding children's digital media use: role of protection motivation and theory of planned behaviour

ABSTRACT The rapid growth of technology, such as smart devices, screens, and social media, has made parenting more complicated than it already is. The risks and harmful effects of digital media on children have forced parents to engage in several types of digital media mediation strategies. Applying the protection motivation theory and theory of planned behaviour in understanding the parental mediation strategy, this study explores parents’ perception of their own responsibilities and the development of appropriate policies and legislation to curve the risk of digital media in their children's lives. An online survey of 331 parents was conducted. The data was analyzed using structured equation modeling. Findings reveal that the fundamental variables of protection motivation theory and the theory of planned behaviour are mostly held to explain the psychological and external-environmental factors that impact parents’ digital media mediation strategy. This study also deduces that parents who apply restrictive and active mediation strategies prefer both governmental regulation and parent responsibility. In contrast, the parents who apply distant mediation prefer just government regulation. Policymakers can use the findings of this study to advance policies that help parents in managing their children's digital media use.

The Interactive Effects of Parental Mediation Strategies in Preventing Cyberbullying on Social Media.

Applying the parental mediation theory, this study investigates the main effects and interactive effects of three parental social media strategies, ie, active mediation, restrictive mediation, and non-intrusive inspection, on cyberbullying among teenagers. A matched child-parent survey was conducted with 642 secondary-school students aged 13-18 and their parents in China. The results showed that active mediation was negatively associated with both cyberbullying victimization and perpetration. Restrictive mediation was not significantly associated with cyberbullying. Non-intrusive inspection was positively associated with cyberbullying perpetration but not associated with cyberbullying victimization. Moreover, the two-way interaction between active and restrictive mediation as well as the three-way interaction between the three parental mediation strategies significantly affected cyberbullying perpetration and victimization. Specifically, the combination of high-level active mediation and non-intrusive inspection with low-level restrictive mediation was the most effective strategy for preventing cyberbullying. This finding significantly contributes to the parental mediation literature and provide theoretical guidelines for parental intervention to prevent cyberbullying among teenager.

A Qualitative Analysis of Parental Mediation of Children’s Digital Technology Use in Croatia

ABSTRACT This research explores children’s and parents’ perceptions of parental mediation strategies of children’s digital technology (DT) use. The sample consists of 31 parents and 30 children (ages 9 to 14; average age is 11) who participated in focus groups. The results of focus groups with parents and children showed that they recognize four similar types of strategies with slight differences. Children often do not recognize clear rules about DT use. Active mediation is perceived by children as co-use, while parents usually talk about the consequences of DT use and highlight balancing with other activities. Without a prepared media plan, parents describe mediation as “a struggle.” The findings point to mediation being “a dynamic process” with children as active agents.