Parental Approval, Active Mediation, and Adolescent Online Social Behavior: Differences by Parent-Child Gender Pairs

Abstract

Adolescents across the globe spend a significant amount of time engaging in online social behavior (OSB). Parents play an important role in influencing adolescent online behavior, however, there is limited understanding about what influences parent’s management of their children’s online behavior. The current study was designed to examine the complex associations between parents’ attitudes about OSB, active parental mediation of adolescent’s online behavior, and adolescent OSB using a diverse U.S. sample. Further, whether these associations are moderated by parent-child gender was examined. Results add insight into how, and under what circumstances fathers and mothers differentially monitor their adolescents’ online behavior and what that means for adolescents’ actual online behavior. Results also provide a preliminary understanding of the role parents’ approval of OSB plays in adolescent OSB and how this association is moderated by parent-child gender. This research helps lay the groundwork for developing strategies targeted toward shaping and/or changing parents’ attitudes about their sons’ and daughters’ OSB in ways that support mediation strategies and responsible adolescent OSB.