What motivates parents to protect children from cell phone addiction?

A new study examined the role parental mediation can play in protecting children from the potential negative effects of smartphone use, comparing the perceived risk and different types of mediation and parenting styles. The study of parents of 4th-6th graders is published in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking.

Parents who reported signs of smartphone addiction were less likely to perceive the severity of the problem in their children, but were more likely to recognize the susceptibility to addiction, according to the article entitled "Parental Mediation Regarding Children's Smartphone Use: Role of Protection Motivation and Parenting Style." Coauthors Yoori Hwang, PhD, Myongji University, Inho Choi, PhD, Jung-Yoon Yum, and Se-Hoon Jeong, PhD, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea, compared factors including restrictive versus active parental mediation and the parents' perceived success of intervening in children's cell phone use.

"The uptick in smartphone use has led to more distracted parenting. It is vital for parents to be good role models for their children to protect them from the possibility of addiction," says Editor-in-Chief Brenda K. Wiederhold, PhD, MBA, BCB, BCN, Interactive Media Institute, San Diego, California and Virtual Reality Medical Institute, Brussels, Belgium.