J. Mitchell Vaterlaus

Snapchat is more personal

Snapchat is a social media platform that allows users to send images, videos, and text with a specified amount of time for the receiver(s) to view the content before it becomes permanently inaccessible to the receiver. Using focus group methodology and in-depth interviews, the current study sought to understand young adult (18-23 years old; nź=ź34) perceptions of how Snapchat behaviors influenced their interpersonal relationships (family, friends, and romantic). Young adults indicated that Snapchat served as a double-edged sword-a communication modality that could lead to relational challenges, but also facilitate more congruent communication within young adult interpersonal relationships. Young adults report perceived influence of Snapchat on relationships.Snapchat perceived to facilitate both positive and negative relational interactions.Snapchat use reserved for closest relationships, not strangers.

College student cyberbullying on social networking sites

The majority of research on cyberbullying has been conducted with middle school and high school students and has not focused on specific technology platforms. The current study investigated college student experiences with cyberbullying on Social Networking Sites (SNS). College students (N?=?196) from a northwestern university shared their conceptualizations of what cyberbullying looked like on SNS. Some college students (19%) reported that they had been bullied on SNS and 46% indicating that they had witnessed cyberbullying on SNS. The majority (61%) of college students who witnessed cyberbullying on SNS did nothing to intervene. College students were also asked about their perceived responsibility when they witnessed cyberbullying on SNS. Two diverging themes emerged that indicated some college students believed their responsibility to intervene was circumstantial, while others believed there is a constant clear level of responsibility for college student cyberbullying bystanders on SNS. Explored college student cyberbullying experiences on Social Networking Sites (SNS).19% of college students reported having been bullied on SNS.46% of college students reported having been bystanders to cyberbullying on SNS.Majority of bystanders did not engage when they witnessed cyberbullying.

“They Always Ask What I'm Doing and Who I'm Talking to”: Parental Mediation of Adolescent Interactive Technology Use

Burgeoning technology provides instant access to information and communication. Responsible adults are concerned about the material accessed by adolescent technology users. From an ecological systems lens, using a mixed-methods design, the current study identified adolescent and parent perceptions of parental mediation of adolescent interactive technology use (i.e., cell phones, Internet). Eighty adolescents (16–18 years of age) and their parents (n = 113) participated in the study that identified generational differences in perceptions of parental mediation, techniques for mediating interactive technology (i.e., monitoring data and usage, active mediation, rules, restriction), and adolescent perceptions of the process of parental mediation. We used the results to propose principles for parental mediation of adolescent interactive technology use and provide directions for future research.

A foster care alumna’s past and present technological experience: A feminist case study approach

Research on technology use and access among youth raised in non-traditional family structures indicates that the youth’s experiences are different from individuals raised in traditional family structures. Foster care represents a non-traditional family structure that warrants research attention in terms of technology. Using a multicultural feminist framework, the present study explores the past and present technological experience of a woman (30 years old) who was raised in the foster care system. The results are presented as a case study documenting her technological experience in foster care, as she transitioned out of the foster care system, and as she has taken on the roles of wife and mother. Results indicated that the participant had limited access to technology while in the foster care system, and this limited technology access related to her current use and perceptions of technology. Directions for future research are provided.

“At a Certain Age It’s Not Appropriate to Monitor One’s Child” Perceptions of Parental Mediation of Emerging Adult Interactive Technology Use

Little is known about the role parental mediation plays in emerging adult technology use. As such, the current exploratory study was designed to identify the prevalence of parental mediation during this developmental period, ascertain how parents mediate, and understand the reasons parents elect not to mediate. Eighty-two unmarried college participants and 76 of their parents participated in this descriptive qualitative study. A majority of emerging adults and parents reported that parents did not mediate their child’s interactive technology. Reasons for not monitoring revolved around parental trust, child maturity, and parental priorities. For those who reported parental mediation, monitoring content and usage was the mediation technique most frequently implemented.

An exploratory study of time spent with interactive technology and body mass among young adults

Explored connection between young adult BMI and time spent on interactive technology.We used technology time as independent variable and BMI as dependent variable.Young adult access to interactive technology was not related to BMI.Time with video chat, social networking, and email higher among obese young adults. Young adulthood (18-25years old) is a risky time period for the development of obesity and is an understudied population in terms of identifying weight-related determinates. Previous research has identified correlations between Body Mass Index (BMI) and sedentary behaviors, including television, among children and adolescents. Young adults have an affinity for interactive technologies (i.e., email, cell phones, social networking and video chat), but at present no studies have investigated the association between BMI and interactive technologies. A major contribution from this study was the conceptualization of time spent with interactive technology as the dependent variable and Body Mass Index and the independent variable. Young adults (N=802) reported their height, weight, and weekly time spent with interactive technology. Obese participants reported significantly more time spent with email, social networking, video chat, and total technology time than their non-obese peers. It is proposed that obese young adults use interactive technologies more frequently than non-obese young adults because interactive technologies facilitate unobtrusive interactions and a mechanism to control social interactions.

Early adolescent Body Mass Index and the constructed environment

Previous research has shown that macro-level environmental features such as access to walking trails and recreational facilities are correlated with adolescent weight. Additionally, a handful of studies have documented relationships between micro-level environmental features, such as the presence (or absence) of a television in the bedroom, and adolescent weight. In this exploratory study we focus exclusively on features of the micro-level environment by examining objects that are found within adolescent personal bedrooms in relation to the adolescent occupants Body Mass Index score (BMI). Participants were 234 early adolescents (eighth graders and ninth graders) who lived with both biological parents and who had their own private bedroom. Discriminant analyses were used to identify the bedrooms belonging to adolescents with below and above average BMI using objects contained within the micro-level environment as discriminating variables. Bedrooms belonging to adolescents with above average BMI were more likely to contain objects associated with sedentary behavior (e.g., magazines, electronic games, dolls), whereas the bedrooms belonging to the average and below average BMI adolescents were more likely to contain objects that reflect past physical activity (e.g., trophies, souvenirs, pictures of places that they had visited). If causal connections between micro-environmental variables and adolescent BMI can be established in future longitudinal research, environmental manipulations may affect adolescent BMI.

“Reliving my Childhood Dream of being a Pokémon Trainer”: An Exploratory Study of College Student Uses and Gratifications Related to Pokémon Go

ABSTRACT Pokémon Go is an interactive mobile game that was launched in July 2016. The current exploratory study recruited college students (n = 278) who currently played, no longer played, or had never played Pokémon Go to understand their lived experiences with this game and determine differences in perceived behavioral outcomes of playing between current and past players. The research team implemented a Uses and Gratifications (U&G) theoretical framework and qualitative research design. Three themes were identified through qualitative content analysis and included: (a) limitations to playing Pokémon Go, (b) motivations for playing Pokémon Go, and (c) social consequences of playing Pokémon Go. Results are discussed in connection with U&G.

Family Life Education Methodology: An Evaluation of a University Family Life Education Course

There are few published evaluative studies on the educational preparation of Family Life Educators. This research used principles of good practice in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) in evaluation of an undergraduate Family Life Education (FLE) methods course that provided students applied experiences completing low-, medium-, and high-dosage FLE projects. Undergraduate students (n = 29) reported perceived educational outcomes from completing the FLE methods course. Researchers derived results from a qualitative priority analysis and included quantitative results for triangulation purposes. Students reported significant increases in their knowledge regarding FLE through course participation. They also reported learning processes related to collaboration in FLE, skills for planning and implementing FLE, and knowledge regarding low-, medium-, and high-dosage FLE. Discussion focuses on results in terms of consistency with learning objectives and instructional theory.

A Place for Technology in Parent Education: An Exploratory Study of Parent Perceptions

ABSTRACT The current study sought to identify what parents would perceive to be helpful in terms of including technology topics in parent education programs, rather than assuming what would be best for parents. Parents were recruited for participation from a western state in the United States between 2012 and 2013. A qualitative approach was used to analyze parental responses (N = 168) regarding what topics/areas would be beneficial if they attended an educational offering relating to teens and technology. Parents indicated they wanted specific direction and skills relating to the practice of implementing parental mediation, and information about staying current with the technology trends. Other findings focused on the difficulty of getting parents to commit to such education.