Foster Families, the Internet, & Social Media: Parents' Approaches to Supervision and Safety

Background and Purpose: Technology and the use of social media are becoming more of a necessity to function in our society.  Approximately 77% of Americans have internet access in their homes, and many children are using computers to do homework, play games, and communicate using e-mail and chat capabilities. Children with previous abuse experiences are more likely to be targets of inappropriate online relationships (Wolak et al., 2006). The epidemic of cyberbullying may also disproportionately affect foster youth (Vacca & Kamer-Vida, 2012). A PEW study using a nationally representative sample reports 94% of parents have conversations with their teens about appropriate online behaviors (Lenhart et al., 2011) and teens surveyed reported the more their parents were involved in online life, the more likely they were to have previously discussed online safety. Parents charged with caring for foster children may face an extra burden when protecting children online, due to the additional need for confidentiality and complex relationships with friends and family. This study seeks to increase our understanding of foster parents’ approaches to assisting and protecting children in their care as it relates to media and technology.  

Methods: A link to an online survey was sent through email to a list of foster care providers in a southwestern state. Participants were asked specific questions related to technology, monitoring approaches, and knowledge of social media and the internet. Descriptive analyses of foster parents (N=655) were conducted to determine the proportion of foster parents who have internet monitoring software, whether they believe it to be effective, access and monitoring of social media sites, and parents’ approaches to assisting the children in their care with media, technology, and internet usage. Parents were also given the opportunity to provide additional approaches to supervising children on the internet. An analysis of these responses was conducted to determine themes in the responses provided by 106 foster parents.

Results: The majority of participants reported using filtering software (64%), however not all who used software believed it was effective. The most common approaches parents used were setting certain online spaces completely off-limits (35%), as well as providing specific home rules and enforcing these rules (54.9%). Many parents (48%) were online ‘friends’ with the foster children in their care. Other means of protecting children included using advanced software, placing restrictions on usage, placing computers in an open area, and having the youth disclose their password.   

Implications: Study findings indicate that parents are aware of potential dangers related to technology and they are actively seeking ways to protect children online. Because foster children may have an increased risk compared with others, foster families may benefit from additional training and resources to ensure safe use of the internet and cell phones. Future research should explore the unique online experiences of this population.