Parents vs. teachers vs. friends: comparing the roles of different socialization agents in children’s and adolescent’s online media use

Abstract

Online media is deeply embedded in the daily lives of children and adolescents, bringing both opportunities and risks. Throughout their digital journeys, young people rely on and receive guidance from their social environment. This study provides a comparative perspective on the role of different socialization agents (i.e., parents, peers, and teachers) in minors’ general usage, problematic behaviors, and digital literacy. We employ procedures of secondary data analysis using the EU Kids Online 2020 dataset. Our analyses are based on a subset of German children and adolescents aged 9 to 17 years (N = 1,044). Our results suggest that although parental mediation can protect young people from digital harms, it may also hinder the development of digital skills. In contrast, peer mediation fosters digital skills but is likewise associated with higher risk exposure. Mediation provided by teachers appears to have comparatively little direct impact on young people’s online experiences, yet it plays a supportive role when combined with other forms of mediation. We call for integrated approaches to mediation. These address socialization agents not in isolation, but in combination, harnessing the benefits of joint efforts to protect young people from online harms and to equip them with adequate digital literacy.