Suchergebnisse

Parents can use solicitation (asking questions) and control (disclosure rules) to obtain information about adolescents, but only if youths comply. Snooping might uncover additional information, but also strongly violates privacy expectations. Three studies of parents and adolescents examined distinctions between snooping, solicitation, and control. Differences existed in terms of factor structure and frequency (Studies 1–2), links to perceived invasion (Study 1), correlations with problematic communication, behavior, and relationships (Study 2), and parent–adolescent (dis)agreement about acceptability (Study 3). Snooping is a relatively infrequent monitoring behavior, compared to solicitation and control, but appears to be a stronger indicator of problems in adolescent and family functioning. We discuss implications regarding the necessity and appropriateness of particular parental monitoring behaviors.

Existing research shows that intrusive behavior has detrimental consequences for relationships. Surprisingly, little is known about why close relationship partners snoop. This study examined why romantic partners engage in intrusive behavior among newlywed couples in the Netherlands. As predicted, the results showed that perceiving a lack of partner disclosure is linked to intrusive behavior, and importantly, that trust moderates this link. Only when people did not trust their partner were their perceptions of partners' low disclosure associated with intrusive behavior. When people trusted their partner, perceived partner disclosure was not associated with intrusive behavior. These results help to explain why people snoop and highlight the importance of trust as a powerful protective buffer against intrusive behavior in close relationships.

AbstractMany parents attempt to limit adolescents' screen time without changing their own habits. We examined whether "whole‐family" versus "youth‐focused" restrictions differentially predict social media‐related difficulties (procrastination and problematic use), and whether adolescents' impulsive social media behaviors moderated these relationships. Among 183 Chinese early adolescents (58.5% female), whole‐family rules negatively predicted procrastination. Impulsivity moderated associations between rulemaking approaches and social media difficulties; youth‐focused rules negatively predicted procrastination and problematic use for highly impulsive adolescents, while whole‐family rules held no associations or predicted increased difficulties. For less impulsive adolescents, however, whole‐family rules negatively predicted social media difficulties and youth‐focused rules positively predicted problematic use. Results suggest that setting the implementation of screen rules should involve parental participation and consideration of individual differences.