Children's Facebook Usage: Parental Awareness, Attitudes and Behavior

Abstract

The study aims to focus on parental awareness, attitudes and behavior regarding children's use of the world's largest social network - Facebook. Data were obtained from 195 Israeli parents, Jews and Arabs whose children are above and under the age of 13 (official age to start registration to Facebook). Analyses included variance analyses, correlations, and regressions.

The results indicated that parents have moderate to low levels of awareness, involvement, and monitoring in their children's Facebook usage. However significant differences were found between mothers and fathers, as mothers expressed less positive attitudes toward Facebook and greater need for guidance than fathers. Arab parents expressed higher levels of monitoring and of need for guidance than Jews.

Our findings highlight the need for usage regulation and for guidance for parents in order to help them direct their children toward safe and responsible use of the internet.