Parenting Methods and Self-Efficacy of Parents in Supervising Children’s Use of Mobile Devices: the Case of Hong Kong

This article examines the issue of parental self-efficacy in guiding and supervising children to use mobile devices in Hong Kong. Data were collected from a sample of 1,561 students and 1,233 of their parents. Multiple hierarchical regression analyses showed that the frequency with which parents adopted involvement as a parenting method and the frequency of minor parent-child conflicts triggered by parental supervision were significantly associated with parental self-efficacy in supervising children to use mobile devices. Findings suggest that support for parents to adopt involvement methods more frequently and better manage parent-child conflicts are crucial in enhancing their self-efficacy.