Parenting Teenage Social Media Users: Perceptions and Permissions as the Pandemic Began

Abstract

Teens are frequent social media users, and although teens often strive for autonomy their social media use may nonetheless be supported or prohibited by their parents. This paper uses an online survey to explore how parents perceived and navigated their teen's use of social media during the early months of the pandemic. Overall, parents reported high rates of use and effective use for themselves and their teens, with parents generally supportive of teen social media use despite recognizing the potential for negative consequences and fears that their teens might be either victim or instigator of negative social media activities. Parent social media oversight most often involved interacting with teens or observing them with their awareness rather than placing direct restrictions or using monitoring software. During the early months of the pandemic, when about half of all teens were less engaged in school and social activities, parents reported that teens were generally happy, and that social media was important to their happiness. Parents tended to monitor their teens the same as they had previously, but about one-fifth reported becoming less restrictive, particularly where online time was concerned. There were some differences based on age and gender.