The mediator role of problem media use in the relationship between digital parenting and children's emotional and behavioral difficulties

The current research aims to investigate the correlation between emotional and behavioural difficulties faced by school-age children and parents' digital parenting awareness concerning their children's problematic media use. The study involved a total of 471 parents having children aged between 6-12 years. Participants completed an online survey containing the "Demographic Information Form" devised by the researcher, as well as the "Digital Parenting Awareness Scale" (DPA), the "Problematic Media Use Scale" (PMAS) and the "Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire" (SDQ) specifically designed for parents. Once the data were organised, correlation analysis and SPSS PROCESS instrumental variable analysis were employed to analyse the research findings. Descriptive statistics were presented in the form of frequency and percentage distributions. Based on the findings, it can be inferred that as parents develop their digital parenting skills to safeguard their children from digital risks and promote responsible use of digital technologies, children's problematic media behaviour decreases, resulting in increased control over their internet and device usage and mitigating the likelihood of negative outcomes. A significant correlation was found between emotional and behavioural issues in school-aged children and their parents' digital parenting skills, as well as the children's problematic use of media. More specifically, the research uncovered that an increase in the children's problematic media use was linked to an increase in emotional and behavioural problems. Based on current research, it is evident that parents who fail to act as suitable role models in the use of technology and lack the ability to guide their child's use of it may cause their child to suffer from various emotional and behavioural difficulties. Consequently, enhancing parents' digital parenting skills to ensure their children's apt usage of technology and safeguarding them from potential risks can mitigate the emotional and behavioural concerns that are likely to arise. The study findings are elaborated within the context of existing literature.