Longitudinal Associations of Perceived Media Parenting with Adolescent Mental Health: Mediation by Social Efficacy and Online Risk

Abstract

Concerns have been rising about links between digital media use and mental health problems among adolescents. Media parenting has been identified as a critical strategy to reducing risk. Although research has found relationships between online risk behaviors such as cyberbullying and overuse to reduced social skills, depression, and anxiety, few studies have examined the protective mechanisms whereby media parenting may promote emotional, psychological, and social well-being. Based on past research, we hypothesized that social efficacy and online risk would mediate the relationship between media parenting and early adolescents’ mental health. We recruited parents of 10–14-year-old children nationally via Qualtrics; parents referred their children in fall 2019. The analytic sample included 129 early adolescents who completed the second (spring 2020) or third wave (spring 2021). We conducted path analyses to test the hypotheses. Social efficacy at wave 2 mediated the relationship between active media parenting at wave 1 and youth mental health at wave 3. Restrictive media parenting at wave 1 predicted reductions in online risk taking at wave 2 but was not related to mental health at wave 3. Results imply more than one media parenting strategy may be important to promote healthy online use and mental health.