Are parents aware of the danger of cyberbullying? Cross-sectional investigation of the relationship between parents' cyberbullying awareness and digital parent self-efficacy

Abstract

Purpose

This study aimed to investigate the variables that affect parents' cyberbullying awareness and digital parenting self-efficacy levels.

Methods

This study was conducted with parents (n = 9405) in Türkiye. Data were collected with the parent data collection form, the Parental Awareness and Supervision in Cyberbullying Prevention Scale (PASS-PC), and the Digital Parenting Self-Efficacy Scale (DPSES). A t-test, One-Way ANOVA, Pearson Correlation test and a simple linear regression test were used to analyses the data. The significance level was accepted as p < .05.

Results

It was determined that parents with high income levels, female, 30–35 years of age, living in the urban, with a daily internet usage time of 5.1 h or more, a daily internet and social media usage time of their child between 0 and 1 h, having one child, and monitoring their child's posts on social media accounts had higher scores on the PASS-PC and DPSES scales. A positive and moderately significant relationship was found between parental awareness in preventing cyberbullying and digital parenting self-efficacy. The level of parental awareness and control of parents in preventing cyberbullying explains 26 % of the change in the digital parenting self-efficacy level.

Conclusion

It was determined that parents with high digital parenting self-efficacy had high levels of cyberbullying awareness and control, and that the sociodemographic characteristics of parents also affected these levels.

Practice implications

Supporting parents' digital parenting skills will contribute to the prevention of cyberbullying in children and adolescents by increasing parental awareness and control.