{"id":{"repo_id":"sask","oai_identifier":"oai:harvest.usask.ca:10388/18798"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/sask/oai:harvest.usask.ca:10388/18798","repository":{"repo_id":"sask","name":"University of Saskatchewan","base_url":"https://harvest.usask.ca/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"ADOLESCENTS’ ELECTRONIC DEVICE USE MANAGEMENT: EXPLORING PARENTS’ PERCEPTIONS, PERSPECTIVES, AND EXPERIENCES","abstract":"There are pressures on parents to navigate the nuances of personalized electronic devices in the family system (Hiniker et al., 2016; Knitter & Zemp, 2020; Modecki et al., 2022; Nielsen et al., 2019). The study explored parents’ or guardians’ perceptions and perspectives of, and experiences navigating, personal electronic device use and management for adolescents from 14 to 19 years of age in their family home. Family systems theory acknowledges families are complex social systems where the actions of one family member may have an impact on the others, such as the impact of parent behaviours toward adolescents’ screentime (Bowen, 1966). Additionally, devices may be used to differentiate the self from the family system such as privately accessing a personal device to socialize and share ideas (Schnauber-Stockmann et al., 2021). Therefore, a basic qualitative interpretive design using family systems theory (Bowen, 1966) as a lens was employed to explore parents’ perceptions, perspectives, and experiences in managing their children’s personal electronic device use. This included examining whether and how parents monitored device use, the rules they implemented, and how they conceptualized devices (i.e., useful parenting tool or an invasive distraction). Using reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2022), three primary themes were generated from the participant interview data, interpreted through a family systems theory (Bowen, 1966) lens: (1) devices as a source of connection and disconnection in the family system; (2) navigating control, autonomy, and boundaries in the digital family system; and (3) parents making sense of the psychological, developmental, and systemic impacts of device use. These themes revealed four key findings including: (1) parents described personal electronic devices as having a dual role, simultaneously supporting and disrupting relational connections; (2) parents perceived adolescent device use as offering both potential benefits and harms; (3) parents indicated that device use management approaches, or digital parenting, must be actively negotiated and adapted to meet the evolving needs of their families; and (4) device use was understood to be embedded within broader family system dynamics, contributing to a digital family system (Bowen, 1966). The study concludes with a discussion on the practical implications of the results, strengths and limitations of the study, and recommendations for future research.","abstract_html":"There are pressures on parents to navigate the nuances of personalized electronic devices in the family system (Hiniker et al., 2016; Knitter & Zemp, 2020; Modecki et al., 2022; Nielsen et al., 2019). The study explored parents’ or guardians’ perceptions and perspectives of, and experiences navigating, personal electronic device use and management for adolescents from 14 to 19 years of age in their family home. Family systems theory acknowledges families are complex social systems where the actions of one family member may have an impact on the others, such as the impact of parent behaviours toward adolescents’ screentime (Bowen, 1966). Additionally, devices may be used to differentiate the self from the family system such as privately accessing a personal device to socialize and share ideas (Schnauber-Stockmann et al., 2021). Therefore, a basic qualitative interpretive design using family systems theory (Bowen, 1966) as a lens was employed to explore parents’ perceptions, perspectives, and experiences in managing their children’s personal electronic device use. This included examining whether and how parents monitored device use, the rules they implemented, and how they conceptualized devices (i.e., useful parenting tool or an invasive distraction). Using reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2022), three primary themes were generated from the participant interview data, interpreted through a family systems theory (Bowen, 1966) lens: (1) devices as a source of connection and disconnection in the family system; (2) navigating control, autonomy, and boundaries in the digital family system; and (3) parents making sense of the psychological, developmental, and systemic impacts of device use. These themes revealed four key findings including: (1) parents described personal electronic devices as having a dual role, simultaneously supporting and disrupting relational connections; (2) parents perceived adolescent device use as offering both potential benefits and harms; (3) parents indicated that device use management approaches, or digital parenting, must be actively negotiated and adapted to meet the evolving needs of their families; and (4) device use was understood to be embedded within broader family system dynamics, contributing to a digital family system (Bowen, 1966). The study concludes with a discussion on the practical implications of the results, strengths and limitations of the study, and recommendations for future research.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Bodner, Corinne"],"institution":"University of Saskatchewan","degree_name":"Master of Education (M.Ed.)","degree_level":"Masters","degree_discipline":"School and Counselling Psychology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":["Koole, Marguerite","MacDowell, Paula","McIntyre, Laureen"],"year":2026,"date_issued":"2026-07-08","date_published":"2026-07-08","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:27:04Z","subjects":["Technology","Digital Parenting","Digital Family System","Adolescent Device Use","Family Device Management","Parental Experiences"],"languages":["en"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/10388/18798","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.committeemember","label":"Committee Member","values":["Koole, Marguerite","MacDowell, Paula","McIntyre, Laureen"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Bodner, Corinne"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2026-07-08T22:31:56Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2026-07-08"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["School and Counselling Psychology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Masters"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Education (M.Ed.)"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["University of Saskatchewan"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Technology","Digital Parenting","Digital Family System","Adolescent Device Use","Family Device Management","Parental Experiences"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/10388/18798"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["There are pressures on parents to navigate the nuances of personalized electronic devices in the family system (Hiniker et al., 2016; Knitter & Zemp, 2020; Modecki et al., 2022; Nielsen et al., 2019). The study explored parents’ or guardians’ perceptions and perspectives of, and experiences navigating, personal electronic device use and management for adolescents from 14 to 19 years of age in their family home. Family systems theory acknowledges families are complex social systems where the actions of one family member may have an impact on the others, such as the impact of parent behaviours toward adolescents’ screentime (Bowen, 1966). Additionally, devices may be used to differentiate the self from the family system such as privately accessing a personal device to socialize and share ideas (Schnauber-Stockmann et al., 2021). Therefore, a basic qualitative interpretive design using family systems theory (Bowen, 1966) as a lens was employed to explore parents’ perceptions, perspectives, and experiences in managing their children’s personal electronic device use. This included examining whether and how parents monitored device use, the rules they implemented, and how they conceptualized devices (i.e., useful parenting tool or an invasive distraction). Using reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2022), three primary themes were generated from the participant interview data, interpreted through a family systems theory (Bowen, 1966) lens: (1) devices as a source of connection and disconnection in the family system; (2) navigating control, autonomy, and boundaries in the digital family system; and (3) parents making sense of the psychological, developmental, and systemic impacts of device use. These themes revealed four key findings including: (1) parents described personal electronic devices as having a dual role, simultaneously supporting and disrupting relational connections; (2) parents perceived adolescent device use as offering both potential benefits and harms; (3) parents indicated that device use management approaches, or digital parenting, must be actively negotiated and adapted to meet the evolving needs of their families; and (4) device use was understood to be embedded within broader family system dynamics, contributing to a digital family system (Bowen, 1966). The study concludes with a discussion on the practical implications of the results, strengths and limitations of the study, and recommendations for future research."]},{"key":"dc:format.mimetype","label":"Dc Format Mimetype","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["ADOLESCENTS’ ELECTRONIC DEVICE USE MANAGEMENT: EXPLORING PARENTS’ PERCEPTIONS, PERSPECTIVES, AND EXPERIENCES"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.committeemember":["Koole, Marguerite","MacDowell, Paula","McIntyre, Laureen"],"dc:creator":["Bodner, Corinne"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2026-07-08T22:31:56Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2026-07-08"],"dc:description.abstract":["There are pressures on parents to navigate the nuances of personalized electronic devices in the family system (Hiniker et al., 2016; Knitter & Zemp, 2020; Modecki et al., 2022; Nielsen et al., 2019). The study explored parents’ or guardians’ perceptions and perspectives of, and experiences navigating, personal electronic device use and management for adolescents from 14 to 19 years of age in their family home. Family systems theory acknowledges families are complex social systems where the actions of one family member may have an impact on the others, such as the impact of parent behaviours toward adolescents’ screentime (Bowen, 1966). Additionally, devices may be used to differentiate the self from the family system such as privately accessing a personal device to socialize and share ideas (Schnauber-Stockmann et al., 2021). Therefore, a basic qualitative interpretive design using family systems theory (Bowen, 1966) as a lens was employed to explore parents’ perceptions, perspectives, and experiences in managing their children’s personal electronic device use. This included examining whether and how parents monitored device use, the rules they implemented, and how they conceptualized devices (i.e., useful parenting tool or an invasive distraction). Using reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2022), three primary themes were generated from the participant interview data, interpreted through a family systems theory (Bowen, 1966) lens: (1) devices as a source of connection and disconnection in the family system; (2) navigating control, autonomy, and boundaries in the digital family system; and (3) parents making sense of the psychological, developmental, and systemic impacts of device use. These themes revealed four key findings including: (1) parents described personal electronic devices as having a dual role, simultaneously supporting and disrupting relational connections; (2) parents perceived adolescent device use as offering both potential benefits and harms; (3) parents indicated that device use management approaches, or digital parenting, must be actively negotiated and adapted to meet the evolving needs of their families; and (4) device use was understood to be embedded within broader family system dynamics, contributing to a digital family system (Bowen, 1966). The study concludes with a discussion on the practical implications of the results, strengths and limitations of the study, and recommendations for future research."],"dc:format.mimetype":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/10388/18798"],"dc:language.iso":["en"],"dc:subject":["Technology","Digital Parenting","Digital Family System","Adolescent Device Use","Family Device Management","Parental Experiences"],"dc:title":["ADOLESCENTS’ ELECTRONIC DEVICE USE MANAGEMENT: EXPLORING PARENTS’ PERCEPTIONS, PERSPECTIVES, AND EXPERIENCES"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["School and Counselling Psychology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Masters"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Education (M.Ed.)"],"thesis:institution_name":["University of Saskatchewan"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:27:04Z"}