This study aimed to test the possible moderating role of parents’ emotional stability on the relationship between parent distraction with technology and child social competence during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data used in the study were collected in May 2020 when extensive restrictive measures, labeled as lockdown, were present in Croatia. Data on technoference in parenting, parents’ problematic phone tendencies, and child social competence were collected using an online questionnaire from parents (n = 281) of children aged 3 to 14 years. The results show a significant negative effect of overall technoference in parenting on child social competence. This negative effect was significantly moderated by parents’ emotional stability, as expected. Medium and high levels of parents’ emotional stability buffer the negative effect of low technoference in parenting on child social competence. Results imply technoference in parenting negatively affects child development, but the emotional stability of parents can be a protective factor.

This study aimed to examine the associations between parents’ smartphone use during conversations with children, children’s emotional and behavioral reactions to parents’ smartphone use, and children’s well-being. This study was conducted on a sample of 284 children (aged 10 to 15 years, with a mean age of 12.23 in 2021; 40.2% boys). The data come from a four-wave longitudinal study (2021–2023) within the project D.E.C.I.D.E. Children reported how often their parents use smartphones during conversations with them (second wave), their emotions and behaviors related to parents’ smartphone use (third wave), and their subjective well-being (fourth wave). A proposed model was tested in which the frequency of parents’ smartphone use during parent–child conversations was a predictor, different children’s emotional and behavioral reactions to parents’ smartphone use were mediators, and children’s well-being was the criterion. The results showed that more frequent parents’ smartphone use is associated with more frequent children’s experiences of anger and sadness in situations when parents use smartphones while with children, which is linked to lower children’s well-being. More frequent parents’ smartphone use is associated with more giving up on seeking parents’ attention among children, which is related to lower well-being.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the direct effects of job autonomy and co-worker support on job satisfaction, and the mediational role of work–family conflict (WFC) in the relationship between these job resources and job satisfaction in men and women. Design/methodology/approach: A cross-sectional design was used. Participants ( n =653) completed the WFC scale (Netemeyer et al. , 1996), the job autonomy scale (Costigan et al. , 2003), a scale of co-worker support (Sloan, 2012) and a new short multidimensional scale of job satisfaction. Findings: Higher job autonomy and co-worker support contribute positively to job satisfaction in women and men. Co-worker support has an indirect effect on job satisfaction via WFC in women, but not in men. The WFC did not mediate the relationship between job autonomy and satisfaction in men and women. Originality/value: This paper contributes to the research on the effects of job resources on WFC and job satisfaction, and on gender differences in the relationship between work and family.

Research examining the relations among adolescent’s problematic smartphone use, parent–adolescent conflicts about smartphone use, family communication, and adolescent communication skills is scarce. Thus, the study empirically examined a model of the direct and indirect effects of adolescents’ problematic smartphone use on adolescent communication skills via family communication and parent–adolescent conflicts about smartphone use. The data used for the creation of this paper came from a sample of 284 adolescents (59.4% girls), aged 10 to 15, who participated in a four-wave longitudinal study (2021–2023) examining the effects of smartphone use on well-being and development. Adolescents rated their problematic smartphone use (wave 1), conflicts with parents about their smartphone use (wave 2), family communication (wave 3), and communication skills (wave 4). There was no support for the direct effect of problematic smartphone use on communication skills. Our path analysis showed a significant indirect effect of problematic smartphone use on communication skills via family communication. Our analysis also showed a significant direct effect of problematic smartphone use on conflicts between parents and adolescents about the time spent using smartphones and balancing activities with smartphone use. The findings of this study imply that excessive and extensive smartphone use may pose a risk factor for frequent parent–adolescent conflicts, poor family communication, and poor adolescent communication skills.

This research explores children’s and parents’ perceptions of parental mediation strategies of children’s digital technology (DT) use. The sample consists of 31 parents and 30 children (ages 9 to 14; average age is 11) who participated in focus groups. The results of focus groups with parents and children showed that they recognize four similar types of strategies with slight differences. Children often do not recognize clear rules about DT use. Active mediation is perceived by children as co-use, while parents usually talk about the consequences of DT use and highlight balancing with other activities. Without a prepared media plan, parents describe mediation as “a struggle.” The findings point to mediation being “a dynamic process” with children as active agents.