"Who's Watching the Kids?"

Background and Purpose:  With the ubiquitous use of technology and social networking among youth, technologically facilitated abuse has become an increasingly pervasive problem in dating relationships. The use of technology opens the door for pervasive connectivity that exponentially increases the risk for coercive and abusive behaviors, such as spreading rumors, excessive monitoring, stalking and harassment, and coercive sexting within teen dating relationships.   Research shows 25% of youth have experienced teen dating violence facilitated by the use technology (Liz Claiborne, 2007).  Adding to this problem is insufficient parental supervision, in part due to the rapid evolution and sophistication of technology. The current study explores this phenomenon relative to the prevalence and etiology of technologically facilitated abuse and coercion among middle school and high school aged youth, gender differences relative to use and abuse, and the role of parental monitoring on behavior.

Methods:  As a part of a larger Center for Disease Control and Prevention funded longitudinal study, two cohorts of middle and high school teens (N = 1,236) from school samples stratified by community “concentrated disadvantage” (publicly available crime data, census data, and school-provided academic records) were surveyed via written survey administered.  These preliminary data represent the first two years of what will be a three year longitudinal study.  The survey research took a social ecological approach to identifying potential protective factors to prevent the perpetration of intimate partner violence.  A moderated mediation analysis using structural equation modeling was employed analyzes the longitudinal nature of the study variables used to estimate the effects of both individual and family-level risk factors for teen dating violence over time.

Results:  The research examined both perpetration and victimization of various forms of abusive behaviors.  Initial data analysis at the first wave suggests that abusive and intrusive behaviors, facilitated by cell phone texting and social networking, are relatively common.  Youth reported that coercive sexually explicit picture solicitation and sharing, monitoring partners’ behaviors, and coercive password sharing and account access were the most common potentially abusive actions reported. Technologically facilitated abusive behaviors were most commonly reported as part of a broader pattern of abusive behaviors; however some difference emerged by gender of the perpetrator.   Overall, general parental supervision as well as supervision of technology use were protective factors against perpetration of technologically facilitated abusive behaviors.

Discussion and Implications:  The research indicates that technology provides a further avenue in which abusive behavior may occur.  Communication and social media technologies facilitate abuse by providing greater access, regardless of time of day or geographical location.  These technologies also allow for heightened consequences as the possibility for constant contact or wide dissemination of hurtful or humiliating images or text is possible.  The importance of parental supervision of behavior is highlighted, indicating that prevention efforts with parents may be beneficial.  These may include increased awareness of the scope of the problem of intimate partner violence as well as skill-building for parents on potential methods to discuss the risks of technology with their youth and monitor their behavior.