Not all digital media use is equal: parental involvement moderates the association between children's digital media use and parental stress.

INTRODUCTION

Digital media has become increasingly integrated into children's daily lives. Although parents are often concerned about their children's excessive use of digital media, digital devices may also be used as a coping strategy for parents experiencing stress. Furthermore, parental involvement in children's digital media use has been found to be associated with parental stress. The present study examined the moderating role of parental involvement in the association between parental stress and children's digital media use.

METHODS

A total of 674 parents of preschool children aged 3 to 6 years in China participated in this study. Parents reported their levels of parenting stress, their involvement in children's digital media use, and their children's digital media use.

RESULTS

Results indicated that the positive association between parental stress and screen time was weaker at higher levels of parental involvement. Similarly, the positive association between parental stress and children's use of mobile digital devices, particularly smartphones, was weaker at higher levels of parental involvement. In contrast, no significant moderation pattern was observed for traditional media use, such as television. Emerging digital devices, including smart speakers, virtual reality devices, and smartwatches, showed a distinct pattern. At high levels of parental involvement, children's use of emerging digital devices was positively associated with parental stress, whereas at low levels of parental involvement, this association was negative. Furthermore, parental involvement did not significantly moderate the associations between different media-use purposes and parental stress.