Parent and Child Technoference and socioemotional behavioral outcomes: A nationally representative study of 10-to 20-year-Old adolescents

Technoference has been defined as interruptions to social interactions because of technology. Previous research has examined technoference in parent-child relationships, but little research has been conducted examining the influence of technoference on parent-adolescent relationships. Previous researchers have shown that parental technoference in parent-child relationships is related to increased negative behaviors by children. The current study examined the effect of adolescents' perceptions of their own and their parents technoference on adolescent positive and negative behaviors, including anxiety, depression, cyberbullying, prosocial behavior, and civic engagement, as mediated through adolescent perceptions of parental warmth. Teens perceptions of their parents technoference was related to increased anxiety, depression, cyberbullying, and prosocial behaviors, as mediated through parental warmth. Interestingly, adolescent technoference was not related to perceived parental warmth, but was related to increased cyberbullying, anxiety, depression, and decreased prosocial behavior and civic engagement. Implications of technoference in a parent-adolescent context are discussed.