Parental Monitoring Strategies and Middle Adolescents’ Information Sharing on Social Networking Sites

Abstract

This cross-sectional study examined whether associations existed between parental monitoring strategies (solicitation, control, and subversive strategies), adolescents’ perceptions of privacy invasion, their general perceived invasion, and the extent of their information sharing on social networking sites. Data from 159 Dutch adolescents (mean age = 15.7) was collected through self-report questionnaires measuring parental monitoring strategies, privacy invasion and information sharing on social networking sites. Subversive parental monitoring strategies, which were identified by Petronio (1994), emerged as a distinct parental monitoring strategy from the previously established parental monitoring strategies control and solicitation (Kerr & Stattin, 2000). Adolescents also interpreted subversive strategies as more invasive than parental solicitation and control. Parental solicitation was perceived as least invasive. Parental monitoring did not predict online information sharing. Adolescents’ general perceived invasion did not mediate an association between the different parental monitoring strategies and day-to-day and deviant information sharing of adolescents on social networking sites. In conclusion, it is important that parents are aware of the effects that their different monitoring strategies may have on adolescents’ feelings of invasion.