Online Parental Mediation: Associations of Family Members’ Characteristics to Individual Engagement in Active Mediation and Monitoring
Publication details
| Year: | 2020 |
| DOI: | 10.1177/0192513x19888255 |
| Issued: | 2019 |
| Language: | English |
| Volume: | 41 |
| Issue: | 8 |
| Start Page: | 1112 |
| End Page: | 1136 |
| Editors: | |
| Authors: | Dědková L.; Smahel D. |
| Type: | Journal article |
| Journal: | Journal of Family Issues |
| Publisher: | SAGE Publications |
| Topics: | Social mediation; Literacy and skills; Internet usage, practices and engagement |
| Sample: | An online survey of Czech parents was conducted in cooperation with international online security company, KasperkyLab, in August 2016. The participants were recruited through a survey management company, Toluna, which contacted members of their existing panel. Eligibility criteria included being an adult and living with at least one child within the age range of 5 to 17. Toluna used quotas to arrive at the proportional distribution of the sample in terms of the gender of the respondents. The final sample comprised of 238 respondents (parents from households in which both parental figures were present) aged 21-69 (M = 41.26, SD = 7.62; 53.4% females) with children aged 5-17 (M = 10.82, SD = 3.67; 54.6% females) |
| Implications For Stakeholders About: | Researchers |
Abstract
This study focuses on two strategies for online parental mediation: active mediation (sharing and discussing activities with children) and monitoring (checking the children’s internet activity after use). Previous studies have shown the importance of respondents’ and children’s characteristics regarding mediation strategies. Using a socioecological model of parenting, this study also considers the characteristics of the other parent in the family. An online survey was conducted of Czech parents of children who are 5 to 17 years old. The results for active meditation show that respondents’ and partners’ characteristics (gender, internet skills, and ability to help children with online problems) play a role, while the children’s characteristics (age, gender and online activities) do not. A different pattern was found for monitoring: the children’s and the respondents’ characteristics predicted monitoring, but the partners’ characteristics did not. The study shows that the socioecological perspective can be effectively applied to online mediation.
Outcome
"The results for active meditation show that respondents’ and partners’ characteristics (gender, internet skills, and ability to help children with online problems) play a role, while the children’s characteristics (age, gender and online activities) do not. A different pattern was found for monitoring: the children’s and the respondents’ characteristics predicted monitoring, but the partners’ characteristics did not." (Dedkova & Smahel, 2019, p. 1112)
"Study used "Belsky’s (1984) socioecological model of parenting to determine the agents that should affect online parental mediation, and analyzed the predictors of active mediation and monitoring. In line with theoretical expectations, the study supports the assumption that the three subsystems suggested by Belsky play a role in parental mediation, and that parental mediation can, in this aspect, indeed be considered to be specific parenting." (Dedkova & Smahel, 2019, p. 1127)