– And Parents

Worry is part of a parent’s job description, and technology has given parents more cause for concern.

Two recent surveys looked at smartphone and online use among tweens and teens. One found that most parents are worried about inappropriate use of phones. The second study was more reassuring, finding that most kids aren’t engaging in activities that are among their parents’ worst fears.

A survey of more than 1,000 parents of children ages 8-17 by Qualtrics, a software technology company, found that 30 percent of parents fear kids may be using online dating apps and almost 40 percent believe their kids are sexting. Some 43 percent are certain their children have viewed inappropriate content online and half of them believe their teenage drivers text while driving.

To curb this behavior, half of the parents have put filters on online content, 64 percent keep track of the amount of time their kids spend on smartphones and 73 percent monitor the content their children access.

Most of the parents said kids should not have smartphones before age 12, but some 75 percent of parents believe technology has had a positive effect on their children’s education.

Meanwhile, researchers at Duke University looked at parental fears about cellphones and social media, and found there’s mostly nothing to worry about.

“Each generation worries about how young people are using their time,” said Candice Odgers, associate professor in Duke’s Sanford School of Public Policy and associate director of the Duke Center for Child and Family Policy. “We see young people constantly on their phones and assume ill effects, but much of the research to date tells a more positive story.”

What kids do online resembles their offline life, the researchers found, after reviewing numerous studies of technology use. Teens use phones and other technology to stay connected to friends, and very few are in contact with strangers. Parents should be more concerned about adolescents who do not have friends in their offline lives, because they are more likely to have issues with online use.

The researchers did find two other areas for concern – the ease with which kids can become victims of cyberbullying and kids not getting enough sleep. Four in five tweens and teens report sleeping with their phone nearby and many used phones late into the evening.

The study, published online in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science, says more research is needed to determine the effects of technology use among younger kids, and the effects of media multitasking on academic performance.
 – Amanda Miller Allen