Shaping Early Adolescents’ Digital Media Use: Diversity in Philosophies, Approaches, and Links with Psychosocial Outcomes

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Abstract

Many youth acquire personal smartphones and social media accounts in early adolescence, making this a crucial time for developing healthy digital media use habits. Parents often worry about risks of these technologies (e.g., cyberbullying, privacy, distraction, “addiction”), and attempt to influence children’s media use through discussion, monitoring, modeling, and restriction. However, parents are often confused about which approaches can best suit the specific needs and characteristics of their own families. This symposium addresses diverse approaches to encouraging early adolescents’ (10-14 years) healthy digital media habits, with special focus on how both parents’ own media use behaviors and youths’ individual characteristics might predict desirable outcomes.

Papers 1 and 2 examine parents’ multi-pronged approaches to promoting healthy digital media behaviors, with particular focus on open communication and dialogue. Papers 2 and 3 investigate whether parents should “practice what they preach”, by engaging in the same media use behaviors they encourage for adolescents. Papers 3 and 4 consider youth characteristics associated with higher risk for problematic behavior, and how these individual differences might interact with specific parental strategies to predict youth outcomes.

This international symposium incorporates qualitative and quantitative methods, and both parent and youth perspectives, to address adults’ attempts to shape early adolescents’ digital media habits. Presentations and discussion will emphasize how parents can be active participants in children’s media use, rather than merely gatekeepers. Instead of a “one-size-fits-all” approach, the diversity in both youth characteristics and parenting philosophies suggest that mediation efforts must be tailored to a family’s individual circumstances.

Sub Unit

• Technology, Media & Child Development

Chair

• Skyler T. Hawk, Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)

Individual Presentations

• Parent-Child Communication to Prevent Cyberbullying: Perspective Taking, Parental Monitoring, and Rule-Negotiation - Presenting Author: Jennifer L. Doty, University of Florida; Non-Presenting Author: Emily L. Helfrich, University of Florida; Non-Presenting Author: Yi-Wen Su, California State University, East Bay; Non-Presenting Author: Jacqlyn L. Yourell, University of Florida; Non-Presenting Author: Joy Gabrielli, University of Florida

• Adults’ Influence on Early Adolescents’ Digital Privacy Practices - Presenting Author: Stephanie M Reich, University of California - Irvine; Non-Presenting Author: Allison Starks, University of California - Irvine; Non-Presenting Author: Nicholas Santer, University of California, Santa Cruz; Non-Presenting Author: Adriana Maria Manago, University of California - Santa Cruz

• Rules for Me, or Rules for “We”? Youth-Focused Versus Whole-Family Rules for Screen Use in Mainland Chinese Families - Presenting Author: Skyler T. Hawk, Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK); Non-Presenting Author: Yan Zhang, Shenzhen University

• Technology Behaviors, Parent Involvement, and Health Outcomes in Adolescents: A Latent Class Analysis - Presenting Author: Kole Binger, University of Wisconsin; Non-Presenting Author: Qianqian Zhao, University of Wisconsin; Non-Presenting Author: Jens Eickhoff, University of Wisconsin; Non-Presenting Author: Megan A. Moreno, University of Wisconsin - Madison