Do parental control tools fulfil family expectations for child protection? A rapid evidence review of the contexts and outcomes of use

References

• *Alelyani, T., Ghosh, A. K., Moralez, L., Guha, S., Wisniewski, P., & Meiselwitz, G. (2019). Examining parent versus child reviews of parental control apps on google play. 11th International Conference on Social Computing and Social Media, SCSM 2019, London, 11579, 3–21
   Google Scholar
• *Al-Naim, A. B., & Hasan, M. M. (2018). Investigating Saudi parents’ intention to adopt technical mediation tools to regulate children’s internet usage. International Journal of Advanced Computer Science & Applications, 9(5), 456–464.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Altarturi, H. H. M., Saadoon, M., & Anuar, N. B. (2020). Cyber parental control: A bibliometric study. Children and Youth Services Review, 116, 105134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105134
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• *Álvarez-García, D., Nunez, J. C., Gonzalez-Castro, P., Rodriguez, C., & Cerezo, R. (2019). The effect of parental control on cyber-victimization in adolescence: The mediating role of impulsivity and high-risk behaviors. Frontiers in Psychology, 10(7), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01159
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• *Anderson, M. (2016). Parents, teens and digital monitoring. Pew Research Center. http://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2016/01/PI_2016-01-07_Parents-Teens-Digital-Monitoring_FINAL.pdf
   Google Scholar
• *Badillo-Urquiola, K., Page, X., & Wisniewski, P. (2019). Risk vs. restriction: The tension between providing a sense of normalcy and keeping foster teens safe online. CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems Proceedings (CHI 2019). Glasgow, Scotland, UK.
   Google Scholar
• *Bate, F., MacNish, J., Males, S., Chova, L. G., Torres, I. C., & Martinez, A. L. (2012). Managing student distraction: Responding to problems of gaming and pornography in a Western Australian school for boys. The University of Notre Dame Australia School of Education. https://researchonline.nd.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1053&context=edu_conference
   Google Scholar
• *Benrazavi, R., Teimouri, M., & Griffiths, M. D. (2015). Utility of parental mediation model on youth’s problematic online gaming. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 13(6), 712–727. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-015-9561-2
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Bertrandias, L., Bernard, Y., & Elgaaied-Gambier, L. (2023). How using parental control software can enhance parents’ well-being: The role of product features on parental efficacy and stress. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 58(2–3), 280–300. https://doi.org/10.1177/10949968221144270
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Billinge, G., Burgess, R., & Corby, I. (2021). EU methods for Audiovisual media services Directive (AVMSD) and General data protection regulation (GDPR) compliance. Age Verification Providers Association.
   Google Scholar
• Bulger, M., Burton, P., O’Neill, B., & Staksrud, E. (2017). Where policy and practice collide: Comparing United States, South African and European Union approaches to protecting children online. New Media & Society, 19(5), 750–764. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444816686325
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Chambers, D. (2016). Changing media, homes and households: Cultures, technologies and meanings. Routledge.
   Google Scholar
• *Chandrima, R. M., Kircaburun, K., Kabir, H., Riaz, B. K., Kuss, D. J., Griffiths, M. D., & Mamun, M. A. (2020). Adolescent problematic internet use and parental mediation: A Bangladeshi structured interview study. Addictive Behaviors Reports, 12, 100288. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.abrep.2020.100288
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• *Cino, D., Mascheroni, G., & Wartella, E. (2020). “The kids hate it, but we love it!”: Parents’ reviews of circle. Media and Communication, 8(4), 208–217. https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v8i4.3247
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Clark, L. S. (2013). The parent app: Understanding families in the digital age. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199899616.001.0001
   Google Scholar
• *Cranor, L. F., Durity, A., Marsh, A., & Ur, B. (2014). Parents’ and teens’ perspectives on privacy in a technology-filled world. Symposium on Usable Privacy and Security (SOUPS), July 9–11. Menlo Park, CA.
   Google Scholar
• Elsaesser, C., Russell, B., McCauley Ohannessian, C., & Patton, D. (2017). Parenting in a digital age: A review of parents’ role in preventing adolescent cyberbullying. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 35, 62–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2017.06.004
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• *Erickson, L. B., Wisniewski, P., Xu, H., Carroll, J. M., Rosson, M. B., & Perkins, D. F. (2016). The boundaries between: Parental involvement in a teen’s online world. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology 67, 1384–1403. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.23450
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• FOSI (Family Online Safety Institute). (2021). Managing the narrative: Young people’s use of online safety tools. 2021 research report. FOSI. https://global-uploads.webflow.com/5f47b99bcd1b0e76b7a78b88/618d32fb1c370900fcd08ab0_FOSI%20Research%20Report%202021.pdf
   Google Scholar
• *Fuertes, W., Quimbiulco, K., Galárraga, F., García-Dorado, J. L. (2015a). On the development of advanced parental control tools. 1st International Conference on Software Security and Assurance (ICSSA), 1–6. Suwon, Korea (South). https://doi.org/10.1109/ICSSA.2015.011
   Google Scholar
• *Gallego, F., Malamud, O., & Pop-Eleches, C. (2020). Parental monitoring and children’s internet use: The role of information, control, and cues. Journal of Public Economics, 188, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2020.104208
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Geržičáková, M., Dedkova, L., & Mýlek, V. (2023). What do parents know about children’s risky online experiences? The role of parental mediation strategies. Computers in Human Behavior, 141, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2022.107626
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• *Ghosh, A. K., Badillo-Urquiola, K., Guha, S., LaViola, J. J., & Wisniewski, P. J. (2018). Safety vs. surveillance: What children have to say about mobile apps for parental control. Proceedings of the 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI ’18), Paper 124, 1–14. New York, USA. http://www.eecs.ucf.edu/~jjl/pubs/pn1838-ghoshA.pdf
   Google Scholar
• *Ghosh, A. K., Badillo-Urquiola, K., Rosson, M. B., Xu, H., Carroll, J. M., & Wisniewski, P. J. (2018). A matter of control or safety? Examining parental use of technical monitoring apps on teens’ mobile devices. Proceedings of the 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI ’18), Paper 194, 1–14. New York, USA. https://doi.org/10.1145/3173574.3173768
   Google Scholar
• *Ghosh, A. K., Hughes, C. E., & Wisniewski, P. J. (2020). Circle of trust: A new approach to mobile online safety for gamilies. Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 20), 1–14. New York, USA. https://doi.org/10.1145/3313831.3376747
   Google Scholar
• *Ghosh, A. K., & Wisniewski, P. (2016). Understanding user reviews of adolescent mobile safety apps: A thematic analysis. Proceedings of the 2016 ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) International Conference on Supporting Group Work (GROUP 16), 417–420. New York, USA. https://doi.org/10.1145/2957276.2996283
   Google Scholar
• *Hartikainen, H., Iivari, N., & Kinnula, M. (2016). Should we design for control, trust or involvement? A discourses survey about children’s online safety. Proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children (IDC 16), 367–378. New York, USA. https://doi.org/10.1145/2930674.2930680
   Google Scholar
• Hartmann, M. (2005). The discourse of the perfect future: Young people and new technologies. In R. Silverstone (Ed.), Media, technology and everyday life in Europe (pp. 141–158). Ashgate.
   Google Scholar
• Hartung, P. (2020). Children’s rights-by-design: A new standard for data use by tech companies. UNICEF. http://www.unicef.org/globalinsight/reports/childrens-rights-design-new-standard-data-use-tech-companies
   Google Scholar
• *Hashish, Y., Bunt, A., & Young, J. E. (2014). Involving children in content control: A collaborative and education-oriented content filtering approach. Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 14), 1797–1806. Toronto, ON. https://doi.org/10.1145/2556288.2557128
   Google Scholar
• *Hundlani, K., Chiasson, S., & Hamind, L. (2017). No passwords needed: The iterative design of a parent–child authentication mechanism. Mobile HCI 2017, 4–7 September. https://chorus.scs.carleton.ca/wp-content/papercite-data/pdf/hundlani2017kindersurf-mobilehci.pdf
   Google Scholar
• ITU (International Telecommunication Union). (2020). Guidelines for parents and educators on child online protection 2020. International Telecommunication Union Development Sector. http://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-s/opb/gen/S-GEN-COP.EDUC-2020-PDF-E.pdf
   Google Scholar
• *Ko, M., Choi, S., Yang, S., Lee, J., & Lee, U. (2015). FamiLync: Facilitating participatory parental mediation of adolescents’ smartphone use. Proceedings of the 2015 ACM International Joint Conference on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing (UbiComp 15), 867–878. New York, USA.
   Google Scholar
• *Law, D. M., Shapka, J. D., & Olson, B. F. (2010). To control or not to control? Parenting behaviours and adolescent online aggression. Computers in Human Behavior, 26(6), 1651–1656. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2010.06.013
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Lievens, E., Livingstone, S., McLaughlin, S., O’Neill, B., & Verdoodt, V. (2018). Children’s rights and digital technologies. In T. Liefaard & U. Kilkelly (Eds.), International children’s rights law (pp. 487–513). Springer. http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/84871
   Google Scholar
• Livingstone, S. (2013). Online risk, harm and vulnerability: Reflections on the evidence base for child internet safety policy. ZER: Journal of Communication Studies, 18(35), 13–28. http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/62278
   Google Scholar
• Livingstone, S., & Blum-Ross, A. (2020). Parenting for a digital future: How hopes and fears about technology shape children’s lives. Oxford University Press.
   Google Scholar
• Livingstone, S., Ólafsson, K., Helsper, E. J., Lupiáñez-Villanueva, F., Veltri, G. A., & Folkvord, F. (2017). Maximising opportunities and minimising risks for children online: The role of digital skills in emerging strategies of parental mediation. Journal of Communication, 67(1), 82–105. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcom.12277
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Livingstone, S., & Stoilova, M. (2021). The 4Cs: Classifying online risk to children. Leibniz-Institut für Medienforschung. https://doi.org/10.21241/ssoar.71817
   Google Scholar
• Lupton, D., Pink, S., & Horst, H. (2021). Living in, with and beyond the ‘smart home’. Convergence, 27(5), 1147–1154. https://doi.org/10.1177/13548565211052736
   Google Scholar
• *Martínez, G., Casado, M. Á., & Garitaonandia, C. (2020). Online parental mediation strategies in family contexts of Spain. Comunicar, 28(65), 65–73. https://doi.org/10.3916/C65-2020-06
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Mauk, M. (2021). Think of the parents: Parental controls in digital TV and family implications. In D. Holloway, M. Willson, K. Murcia, C. Archer, & F. Stocco (Eds.), Young children’s rights in a digital world: Play, design and practice (pp. 81–92). Springer International Publishing.
   Google Scholar
• Mauk, M. (2022). Parenting and the algorithm: A perspective on parental controls and guilt amid digital media. In M. Ito, R. Cross, K. Dinakar, & C. Odgers (Eds.), Algorithmic rights and protections for children (pp. 35–42). MIT Publishing.
   Google Scholar
• McGinn, M. (2022, January 26). An age-based guide to parental controls and internet safety for kids. Verizon News Center. http://www.verizon.com/about/parenting/age-based-guide-parental-controls-and-internet-safety-kids
   Google Scholar
• *McNally, B., Kumar, P., Hordatt, C., Mauriello, M. L., Naik, S., Norooz, L., Shorter, A., Golub, E., & Druin, A. (2018). Co-designing mobile online safety applications with children. Proceedings of the 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 18), 1–9. Montréal, QC, Canada.
   Google Scholar
• Milosevic, T., Livingstone, S. (2018). Protecting children online? Cyberbullying policies of social media companies. The MIT Press. https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/9780262037099.001.0001
   Google Scholar
• *Miltuze, A., Sebre, S. B., & Martinsone, B. (2020). Consistent and appropriate parental restrictions mitigating against children’s compulsive internet use: A one-year longitudinal study. Technology, Knowledge & Learning, 26(4), 883–895. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-020-09472-4
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Modecki, K. L., Goldberg, R. E., Wisniewski, P., & Orben, A. (2022). What is digital parenting? A systematic review of past measurement and blueprint for the future. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 17(6), 1673–1691. https://doi.org/10.1177/17456916211072458
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Moher, D., Shamseer, L., Clarke, M., Ghersi, D., Liberati, A., Petticrew, M., Shekelle, P., Stewart, L. A., & Group, P.-P. (2015). Preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis protocols (PRISMA-P) 2015 statement. Systematic Reviews, 4(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.1186/2046-4053-4-1
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Nichols, S., & Selim, N. (2022). Digitally mediated parenting: A review of the literature. Societies, 12(2), 60. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc12020060
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• *Noll, J. G., Shenk, C. E., Barnes, J. E., & Haralson, K. J. (2013). Association of maltreatment with high-risk internet behaviors and offline encounters. Pediatrics, 131(2), E510–E517. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2012-1281
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• *Nouwen, M., JafariNaimi, N., & Zaman, B. (2017). Parental controls: Reimagining technologies for parent–child interaction. Proceedings of 15th European Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work – Exploratory Papers, 2017, 18–34. European Society for Socially Embedded Technologies (EUSSET). https://dl.eusset.eu/server/api/core/bitstreams/87965281-4650-463f-bf51-de31eb7ea6fd/content
   Google Scholar
• *Nouwen, M., Van Mechelen, M., & Zaman, B. (2015b). A value sensitive design approach to parental software for young children. Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children (IDC 15), 363–366. New York, USA. https://doi.org/10.1145/2771839.2771917
   Google Scholar
• *Ofcom, & Yonder. (2021). User experience of potential online harms within video sharing platforms. Ofcom. http://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0024/216492/yonder-report-experience-of-potential-harms-vsps.pdf
   Google Scholar
• O’Neill, B., Dreyer, S., & Dinh, T. (2020). The Third Better Internet for Kids Policy Map: Implementing the European Strategy for a Better Internet for Children in European Member States. https://www.betterinternetforkids.eu/bikmap
   Google Scholar
• *Pavan Kumar Attavar, S., & Rani, P. (2018). How children under 10 years access and use digital devices at home and what parents feel about it: Insights from India. Global Media Journal: Indian Edition, 10(1), 1–25. .
   Google Scholar
• Perspective Economics and DCMS (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport). (2021). The UK Safety Tech Sector: 2021 Analysis. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/989753/UK_Safety_Tech_Analysis_2021_-_Final_-_190521.pdf
   Google Scholar
• *Pons-Salvador, G., Zubieta-Mendez, X., & Frias-Navarro, D. (2018). Internet use by children aged six to nine: Parents’ beliefs and knowledge about risk prevention. Child Indicators Research, 11(6), 1983–2000. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-018-9529-4
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• *Przybylski, A., & Nash, V. (2018). Internet filtering and adolescent exposure to online sexual material. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 21(7), 405–410. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2017.0466
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• *Seo, H., & Lee, C. S. (2017). Emotion matters: What happens between young children and parents in a touchscreen world. International Journal of Communication, 11, 561–580. https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/viewFile/4233/1919
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• *Shapka, J. D., & Law, D. M. (2013). Does one size fit all? Ethnic differences in parenting behaviors and motivations for adolescent engagement in cyberbullying. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 42(5), 723–738. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-013-9928-2
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Silverstone, R., & Hirsch, E. (1992). Consuming technologies: Media and information in domestic spaces. Routledge.
   Google Scholar
• SIP-Bench, III. (2018). Benchmarking of parental control tools for the online protection of children – final report. Publications Office. https://doi.org/10.2759/80227
   Google Scholar
• Šmahel, D., Machackova, H., Mascheroni, G., Dedkova, L., Staksrud, E., Ólafsson, K., Livingstone, S., & Hasebrink, U. (2020). EU Kids online 2020: Survey results from 19 countries. EU Kids Online. https://eprints.lse.ac.uk/103294
   Google Scholar
• Smirnova, S., Livingstone, S., & Stoilova, M. (2021). Understanding of user needs and problems: A rapid evidence review of age assurance and parental controls. euConsent. http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/112559
   Google Scholar
• Smirnova, S., Stoilova, M., & Livingstone, S. (2021). Age assurance and parental control tools in everyday life: A rapid evidence review methodology. London School of Economics and Political Science. https://osf.io/mdgk8
   Google Scholar
• *Soldatova, G. U., Rasskazova, E. I., & Chigarkova, S. V. (2020). Digital socialization of adolescents in the Russian Federation: Parental mediation, online risks, and digital competence. Psychology in Russia: State of the Art, 13(4), 191–206. https://doi.org/10.11621/pir.2020.0413
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• *Sonck, N., Nikken, P., & de Haan, J. (2013). Determinants of internet mediation: A comparison of the reports by Dutch parents and children. Journal of Children and Media, 7(1), 96–113. https://doi.org/10.1080/17482798.2012.739806
   Google Scholar
• Staksrud, E. (2016). Children in the online world: Risk, regulation, rights. Routledge.
   Google Scholar
• Third, A., Collin, P., Walsh, L., & Black, R. (2019). Control shift: Young people in digital society. Palgrave Macmillan UK. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-57369-8
   Google Scholar
• *Tomczyk, L., Ryk, A., & Prokop, J. (2018). Digital piracy among adolescents – scale and conditions. In New trends and research challenges in pedagogy and andragogy (NTRCPA18). Charles University in Prague.*The 40 studies included in the evidence review.
   Google Scholar
• UNICEF. (2021). Child protection: Digital opportunities, challenges and innovations across the region. UNICEF Europe and Central Asia Regional Office. www.unicef.org/eca/media/14386/file
   Google Scholar
• UNICEF and ITU (International Telecommunication Union). (2020). Guidelines for Industry on Child Online Protection 2020. http://www.unicef.org/media/90796/file/ITU-COP-guidelines%20for%20industry-2020.pdf
   Google Scholar
• UN (United Nations) Committee on the rights of the child (2021). General Comment 25 on Children’s Rights in Relation to the Digital Environment (CRC/C/GC/25). www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/CRC/Pages/GCChildrensRightsRelationDigitalEnvironment.aspx
   Google Scholar
• *Vaala, S. E., & Bleakley, A. (2015). Monitoring, mediating, and modeling: Parental influence on adolescent computer and internet use in the United States. Journal of Children and Media, 9(1), 40–57. https://doi.org/10.1080/17482798.2015.997103
   Google Scholar
• Vickery, J. R. (2017). Worried about the wrong things: Youth, risk, and opportunity in the digital world. The MIT Press.
   Google Scholar
• Wareham, J. (2022, January 19). 92% of top parental control apps wrongly block LGBTQ and sex-ed sites. Forbes. http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiewareham/2022/01/19/92-of-top-parental-control-apps-wrongly-block-lgbtq-and-sex-ed-sites/?sh=67e8f1307844
   Google Scholar
• *Wisniewski, P., Jia, H., Xu, H., Rosson, M. B., & Carroll, J. (2015). ‘Preventative’ vs. ‘reactive’: How parental mediation influences teens’ social media privacy behaviors. Proceedings of the 18th ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work & Social Computing (CSCW 15), 302–316. New York, USA.
   Google Scholar
• *Wisniewski, P. J., Xu, H., Rosson, M. B., & Carroll, J. M. (2014). Adolescent online safety: The ‘moral’ of the story. Proceedings of the 17th ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work & Social Computing (CSCW 14), 1258–1271. Baltimore, MD, USA.
   Google Scholar