Children’s Internet Addiction, Family-to-Work Conflict, and Job Outcomes: A Study of Parent–Child Dyads

Abstract

This paper examines the role of parenting behaviors in influencing children’s Internet addiction and the consequences of children’s Internet addiction on parents’ job outcomes. First, we draw on attachment theory to theorize that five parenting behaviors (i.e., parental control, monitoring, unstructured time, dissuasion, and rationalization) affect children’s Internet addiction and their effects are moderated by the children’s views of parent–child attachment. Second, we draw on research on the work–family interface to theorize that children’s Internet addiction affects parents’ job outcomes (i.e., job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and work exhaustion) and the effects are mediated by family-to-work conflict. We tested our hypotheses using an integrated research approach that includes quantitative and qualitative data. We conducted an online survey to collect quantitative responses from 776 parent–child dyads. The results of our model showed that the effects of parenting behaviors on children’s Internet addiction, except for dissuasion, were moderated by the children’s views of parent–child attachment. Also, family-to-work conflict mediated the effects of children’s Internet addiction on parents’ job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and work exhaustion. We collected qualitative data via interviews from 50 parents to cross-validate the results from the quantitative study.

Missing Out on Life: Parental Perceptions of Children’s Mobile Technology Use

“…Guided by existing literature on parental mediation of children's technology usage [7], [17], answers to Q1 were analyzed with the help of a deductively derived coding scheme [40], which consists of six mediation strategies. The responses were first coded by the authors of the study, and an independent coder was subsequently trained to ensure the reliability of the coding.…”

“…In the mobile technology use context, technical mediation emerges as an additional form of parental regulation [7], [17]. This strategy involves the use of technical controls to monitor children's use of digital technologies, allowing parents to put restrictions on both the time children spend with the device and the content they are exposed to, as well as to track children's online behavior and physical movement offline.…”

“…This strategy involves the use of technical controls to monitor children's use of digital technologies, allowing parents to put restrictions on both the time children spend with the device and the content they are exposed to, as well as to track children's online behavior and physical movement offline. Furthermore, Venkatesh et al [17] point out parental monitoring/supervision, defined as surveillance of the child, and unstructured time, defined as providing freedom and opportunities for responsible behavior, as parenting behaviors influencing children's technology usage.…”

“…We expand existing insights into children as users of technology. This age segment represents an increasingly important, yet vulnerable group of technology users, which current IS research has now started to study as a user group [17]. This way, this study provides a basis for future investigations of children's use of technology, effectiveness of parental strategies, as well as interventions to reduce potential harms of early technology exposure.…”

“…In light of these differences, understanding parental perspectives on children's smartphone and tablet use is important. Additionally, parenting behaviors are critical determinants of children's excessive use of technology [17] and, in general, affect child development outcomes [18].…”