The Protective Role of Parental Media Monitoring Style from Early to Late Adolescence

Keywords

Parental media monitoring, Parental mediation, Media use, Parenting styles

Abstract

The goal of the current study was to examine the protective role that maternal media monitoring might have for adolescents. This was done by considering whether styles of media monitoring either directly reduced media use, or whether they buffered the associations between aggressive media use and adolescents’ prosocial behavior, aggression, and delinquency. Participants were 681 adolescents from two cities in the United States (51% female; 73% white), and their mothers, who provided data at two different time points, 2 years apart (when adolescents were roughly ages 13 and 15). Mixture modeling results revealed that mothers used four different styles of media monitoring made up of combinations of active and restrictive monitoring as well as forms of co-use. Styles that included active monitoring and connective co-use (i.e., engaging in media with the intent to connect with children) were directly associated with less media use, and moderated links between adolescents’ media use and behavioral outcomes concurrently but not longitudinally. The discussion was focused on the strength of considering multiple strategies of media monitoring together, and how this approach can inform future research in the area of parental media monitoring.

Original Publication Citation

Padilla-Walker, L. M., , Coyne, S. M., *Kroff, S. L., & *Memmott-Elison, M.K (in press). The protective role of parental media monitoring style from early to late adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence.

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2018-2

Permanent URL

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/5161

Publisher

Journal of Youth and Adolescence

Language

English

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Family Life

University Standing at Time of Publication

Full Professor

Link to Full Text

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