Charlee Sciulli

Abstract: Parenting approach consistently has a positive or negative effect on children’s growth and development. This idea has been addressed by various studies conducted at national or international levels; however, very few studies describe the connection between parenting style and children’s social media use within a specific, local community.  Parents with children between the ages of five and twelve were the target population for this study due to the lack of research for this specific, crucial period of adolescence. Parents filled out a two-part survey. Part one contains questions about their children's media use, and part two being about how parents guide and teach their children. This was done in order to determine if a correlation exists between parenting style and children’s social media usage. A number of statistical analysis strategies determined that this correlation is weak and not statistically significant, suggesting that there may be additional factors contributing to children’s media use beyond parenting approach alone, due to its limited effect. Future research is required to find the factors that contribute to this correlation, rather than just parenting style. Additionally, increasing awareness of the effects of early social media exposure may help parents better guide their children’s digital experiences and foster healthier relationships and brighter futures.

Key words: parenting styles, social media, youth, behavior, attitudes