The Role of Parents’ Social Media Use in Digital Safety Awareness and Its Implications for Children’s Learning Environment

Abstract

As people of all ages increasingly use social media platforms (SMP) for various purposes, this study investigates how these platforms influence social media addiction (SMA) among parents. Each SMP has different features. The reasons why parents use these platforms, as well as the ways in which they use them, may vary. This study investigates which SMP influence SMA among parents, and the effect of these platforms on parents' awareness of digital data security (DDSA). Path analysis was conducted to examine the direct and indirect relationships among the identified SMP (YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, X, WhatsApp, and Snapchat), SMA, and DDSA. The analysis revealed that parents' use of Pinterest, X, and Snapchat significantly affected their DDSA: Snapchat had a negative effect, whereas Pinterest and X had positive effects. Parents' use of Snapchat, Pinterest, WhatsApp, and TikTok was found not to significantly affect SMA, while SMA was significantly and positively affected by the use of Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X. Conversely, it was found that parents' DDSA significantly and negatively affected SMA. These findings have important implications for children's digital learning environments and parental involvement in technology-supported learning. The findings have been used to provide recommendations to help parents adopt healthier social media (SM) habits and safer digital practices.