RF Safe

Parenting by cell phone: parental monitoring of adolescents and family relations.

Journal of youth and adolescence · 2009 · Mixed · Low evidence

← Research stream
MixedLow evidencePaper 2770

In correlational analyses, more frequent parent calls were associated with lower parent-reported truthfulness when speaking to adolescents via cell phone and with lower adolescent-reported truthfulness. In regression analyses, calls made when upset were assoc…

Study snapshot

PublicationJournal of youth and adolescence · 2009
Study typecross_sectional
Reported directionMixed
Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Cellular phones provide a means for parents to monitor and request information about whereabouts, associates, and current activities from adolescents. Simultaneously, adolescents can communicate with parents to inform them of activities and to solicit support or they can also choose to nondisclose. The frequency, duration, and nature of calls may relate to parents' and to adolescents' perceptions of truthfulness and family relationships. 196 dyads (13% father-son, 11% father-daughter, 30% mother-son, and 46% mother-daughter) completed a questionnaire indicating cell phone use, their truthfulness of activities, the nature of their calls to one another, and family relationships. The parents were, on average, 45.38 years old (SD = 6.35) and were 83% Euroamerican, 9% Asian American, 3% Latino, 3% African American, 2% Mixed ethnicity, and 1% American Indian. The adolescents were, on average, 16.25 years old (SD = 1.17) and were 77% Euroamerican, 9% Asian American, 4% Latino, 3% African American, 8% Mixed ethnicity, and .5% American Indian. Correlational analyses revealed that parents who called more frequently reported less truthfulness when speaking to their adolescents via cell phone. Greater frequency in parental calls also was associated with less adolescent-reported truthfulness. From multiple regression analyses, for parents, calls when upset were associated with less parental knowledge and poorer family relations. For adolescents, the same was true; however, adolescents who made calls seeking social support and to ask and confer with parents reported greater perceived parental knowledge and better family relationships.

Machine Enhanced Logic

AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typecross_sectional
Effect directionmixed
PopulationParent–adolescent dyads
Sample size196
ExposureNot supplied
Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

In correlational analyses, more frequent parent calls were associated with lower parent-reported truthfulness when speaking to adolescents via cell phone and with lower adolescent-reported truthfulness. In regression analyses, calls made when upset were associated with less parental knowledge and poorer family relations for both parents and adolescents, while adolescents’ calls seeking social support/asking and conferring with parents were associated with greater perceived parental knowledge and better family relationships.

Outcomes measured

  • parental monitoring/knowledge
  • truthfulness (parent- and adolescent-reported)
  • family relationships

Limitations

  • Questionnaire/self-reported measures
  • Cross-sectional/correlational design limits causal inference
View raw extracted JSON
{
  "study_type": "cross_sectional",
  "exposure": {
    "band": null,
    "source": "mobile phone",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": null
  },
  "population": "Parent–adolescent dyads",
  "sample_size": 196,
  "outcomes": [
    "parental monitoring/knowledge",
    "truthfulness (parent- and adolescent-reported)",
    "family relationships"
  ],
  "main_findings": "In correlational analyses, more frequent parent calls were associated with lower parent-reported truthfulness when speaking to adolescents via cell phone and with lower adolescent-reported truthfulness. In regression analyses, calls made when upset were associated with less parental knowledge and poorer family relations for both parents and adolescents, while adolescents’ calls seeking social support/asking and conferring with parents were associated with greater perceived parental knowledge and better family relationships.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Questionnaire/self-reported measures",
    "Cross-sectional/correlational design limits causal inference"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "cell phone",
    "mobile phone",
    "parental monitoring",
    "adolescents",
    "truthfulness",
    "family relations",
    "questionnaire",
    "correlational",
    "regression"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": []
}
AI can be wrong. Always verify against the paper.

AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.1007/s10964-008-9374-8
PubMed: 19636776

Read the original paper →

Related papers

← Back to the Research Library