Abstract
This study reports on the perceptions and experiences of Brazilian parents regarding their adolescent children’s internet use. A total of 12 parents aged 29 to 49, with children around 14 years old, participated in this qualitative study by answering two interview scripts. We identified five modalities of parental mediation: rules, restriction, observation, monitoring and open communication, with the latter being considered the most positive by the parents. A main concern was the ease with which the Internet has influenced their children, leading to revised parental guidelines. Parents feel distressed and lack references as to how to adequately manage children’s internet use, demonstrating difficulty in breaking with previous patterns of both parenting and mediation.
Keywords:
parenting; internet; adolescents