The role of parental control apps and parental knowledge in adolescents' sleep-related screen use: A nationwide study

Background: Previous studies have shown significant associations between screen-based device (SBD) use and adverse sleep outcomes among children and adolescents. Although parenting factors may play a protective role, no quantitative studies have specifically examined the association between parental technical mediation and adolescents’ SBD use around sleep. Aims The present study investigated the main and interaction effects of parental technical mediation and parental knowledge on adolescents’ SBD use before sleep and after awakening, separately for school and non-school days. 

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among adolescents in Gibraltar (total N = 2472; final eligible sample N = 1743; 51.15% female; mean age = 14.21 years, SD = 1.91), assessing adolescent and family background characteristics, SBD use patterns, sleep-related SBD use, and parental technical mediation and knowledge. 

Results: Structural equation modelling indicated that, on school days, the presence of parental control apps on all devices was weakly ( β = .19) associated with a longer interval between stopping SBD use and going to sleep. On school days, a significant interaction also emerged ( β = .19) where the presence of parental control apps was associated with a longer delay in post-wake SBD use, but only when parental knowledge was high ( B = 0.37, p < .001). No significant main or interaction effects were observed for non-school days. 

Conclusions: The observed modest associations between parental technical mediation and adolescents’ sleep-related SBD use were consistent with prior research on parental mediation strategies. The findings further suggest that the potential effects of parental technical mediation may be context-dependent and operate in interaction with broader family-related factors when addressing adolescent SBD use around sleep.