Empowered parents: the role of self-efficacy in parental mediation of children’s smartphone use in the United States

This study examines how different types of self-efficacy – media competency, perceived parenting abilities, and perceived control over parental mediation practices – influence the extent to which parents mediate their children’s use of smartphones. A survey conducted with parents of young smartphone users aged 10–17 in the United States (N = 304) reveals that parents who feel confident about their own smartphone skills view themselves as good parents and believe that they have control over their parental mediation practices and are more likely to engage in parental mediation of children’s smartphone use. The findings also indicate that when parents are less confident about their smartphone skills, those with higher parenting competencies are more likely to engage in discussion-based active mediation than those with lower parenting competencies.