Digital parenting divides: The role of parental capital and digital parenting readiness in parental digital mediation

Abstract

This study investigates digital parenting divides, or how parents' strategies for regulating their children's online activities differ based on their available resources and digital parenting readiness (i.e., digital parenting self-efficacy, attitudes, and knowledge). We conducted a survey of 530 parents that reflected the composition of the U.S. population to explore how parents' resources and digital parenting readiness predict their digital mediation strategies. The results indicate that parents' economic, social, and cultural resources, as well as their digital parenting readiness, play a significant role in how they approach digital mediation. Furthermore, digital parenting readiness has emerged as an underlying mechanism explaining the relationship between parental resources and parental mediation strategies. The presence of digital parenting divides highlights the need for tailored interventions to support parents in effectively using digital mediation strategies based on their family's circumstances.