Susan Solecki
Drexel University, USA
Title: An exploratory study on parental monitoring of adolescent cell phone use
Biography
Biography: Susan Solecki
Abstract
Research shows that exposure to violence in the media contributes to “aggressive behavior, desensitization to violence, nightmares, and fear of being harmed” in children (American Academy of Pediatrics [AAP], 2001, p.1222). The accessibility and magnitude of variable electronic device usage adds to a growing concern for potential harm for children from media exposure (Solecki, McLaughlin, and Goldschmidt, 2014). The education of parents to monitor and limit cell phone use may be a protective mechanism for their adolescents. The purpose of this study is to better understand parents’ knowledge and attitudes toward online safety, the self-reported parental monitoring behaviors of adolescent cell phone use, and identify any gaps in parental knowledge related to risk reduction associated with media exposure by adolescents. This study also explores how the parent-adolescent relationship influences the monitoring process and its outcomes. This qualitative study included 20 semi-structured interviews of parents who discussed their monitoring experiences related to their adolescents’ cell phone use. This study’s findings indicate many parents’ lack of understanding, technical skills, and participation with their children’s online lives are creating a disconnection between parents and their technologically savvy teenagers. The findings identify psychosocial determinants of health that are barriers to parental knowledge of reducing risk associated with adolescent’s media exposure. Finally, this study’s findings illustrate that the monitoring process and the outcomes of the monitoring process are influenced by the parent-adolescent relationship.