Iqbal Sarosh, Zakar Rubeena, Fischer Florian
Institute of Social and Cultural Studies, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan.
Department of Public Health, Institute of Social and Cultural Studies, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan.
BMC Public Health. 2021 Feb 8;21(1):317. doi: 10.1186/s12889-021-10349-z.
The internet has become the most widely used medium among teenagers, who spend much of their time online, which raises parental concerns. Notwithstanding teens' increased internet use and exposure to online risks, little is yet known about parental internet mediation in local settings. The present research aimed to assess the various dimensions of parental mediation to regulate teens' use of the internet and their predictors.
A cross-sectional survey was conducted in the district of Lahore, Pakistan, among mothers/female caregivers of teens (aged 13-19 years). Only women were interviewed because they are more frequently engaged as primary caregivers than fathers or male caregivers. Furthermore, only qualified and working mothers from the top two professions among women, i.e. academia and medicine, were interviewed. A stratified random sampling technique was adopted, and 347 mothers were interviewed using face-to-face interviews at 11 universities and 11 hospitals/medical colleges. Data were entered and analysed using descriptive, bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses.
The findings highlighted that more than 65% of respondents applied highly active mediation of internet safety, around 60% used highly active co-use mediation and more than 56% applied restrictive mediation. In addition, 36% of respondents monitored and 15.3% technically mediated to regulate their teens' use of the internet. The results of the multivariate logistic regression revealed that the majority of respondents were more inclined to adopt active internet safety mediation if they had teens aged 16-19 years, with medium internet addiction, possessed good digital skills, felt confident about their teens' coping appraisal to perform online protection, and considered their teens to have high self-esteem and resilience.
This research found that parental internet mediation is a multifaceted concept used to regulate teens' online activity and enhance a resilient approach to reduce the risks associated with use of the internet. The researchers recommend developing parental guidelines, e-safety resource material, local support networks and community programmes to educate parents, teachers and teens in order to raise awareness and promote resilient pathways amongst teens.
互联网已成为青少年中使用最广泛的媒介，他们花费大量时间上网，这引发了家长的担忧。尽管青少年上网时间增加且面临网络风险，但在当地环境中，关于家长网络干预的情况仍知之甚少。本研究旨在评估家长干预的各个维度，以规范青少年的网络使用及其预测因素。
在巴基斯坦拉合尔地区对青少年（13 - 19岁）的母亲/女性照顾者进行了横断面调查。仅对女性进行访谈，因为她们比父亲或男性照顾者更常作为主要照顾者。此外，仅对女性中排名前两位职业（即学术界和医学领域）的合格在职母亲进行访谈。采用分层随机抽样技术，在11所大学和11所医院/医学院通过面对面访谈对347位母亲进行了调查。数据通过描述性、双变量和多变量逻辑回归分析进行录入和分析。
研究结果表明，超过65%的受访者对网络安全进行高度积极的干预，约60%的人对共同使用网络进行高度积极的干预，超过56%的人进行限制性干预。此外，36%的受访者进行监控，15.3%的人通过技术手段进行干预以规范青少年的网络使用。多变量逻辑回归结果显示，如果受访者有16 - 19岁的青少年、青少年有中度网络成瘾、受访者具备良好的数字技能、对青少年进行在线保护的应对评估有信心，并且认为青少年有较高的自尊和适应能力，那么大多数受访者更倾向于采取积极的网络安全干预措施。
本研究发现，家长网络干预是一个多方面的概念，用于规范青少年的在线活动，并增强一种有弹性的方法来降低与互联网使用相关的风险。研究人员建议制定家长指南、电子安全资源材料、当地支持网络和社区项目，以教育家长、教师和青少年，从而提高认识并促进青少年形成有弹性的应对方式。
