Out of control?

Author(s)
Desiree Schmuck, Anja Stevic, Jörg Matthes, Kathrin Karsay
Abstract

As a consequence of children’s nearly ubiquitous smartphone use, many parents experience resignation or frustration due to a perceived loss of control over their child’s excessive smartphone activities. This perceived lack of control may not only increase children’s risk of exposure to online harassment but also affect the relationship between parents and children—both crucial influence factors for children’s self-esteem. We tested these relationships using a two-wave panel study of children between 10 and 14 years (NT2 = 384) and one of their parents. Findings revealed that parental lack of control over their child’s smartphone use increased the risk of children becoming victims of online harassment and decreased children’s perceived parental support over time. However, while lower perceived parental control decreased children’s self-esteem over time, exposure to online harassment did not. We discuss implications of these findings for intervention and prevention of parental lack of control over children’s smartphone use.

Organisation(s)
Department of Communication
External organisation(s)
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
Journal
New Media and Society
Volume
25
Pages
199-219
No. of pages
21
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448211011452
Publication date
2021
Peer reviewed
Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
508014 Journalism, 508007 Communication science
Keywords
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Communication, Sociology and Political Science
Portal url
https://ucris.univie.ac.at/portal/en/publications/out-of-control(df251998-bab5-40d1-96b0-db6a4713f13c).html