Elsevier

Computers in Human Behavior

Volume 90, January 2019, Pages 170-180
Computers in Human Behavior

Full length article
The impacts of motivational framing of technology restrictions on adolescent concealment: Evidence from a preregistered experimental study

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2018.08.053Get rights and content

Highlights

  • A representative sample of 1000 adolescents from within Britain was collected.

  • An experiment presented three motivational frames for restricting technology use.

  • Controlling frames elicited reactance and undermined perceived trustworthiness.

  • Autonomy-support increased perceptions of being trusted and lowered reactance.

  • Reactance increased concealment from parents, and trust discouraged concealment.

Abstract

Caregivers employ a range of motivational strategies to help regulate and protect adolescents using connective technologies. The present study explored a new conceptual model informed by self-determination theory (Deci and Ryan, 2000, Ryan and Deci, 2000) with a representative sample of 1000 adolescents recruited nationwide within Britain, and using a confirmatory, pre-registered and open science methodology. In this experimental study we compared controlling (pressuring, coercive, or punitive) styles of restricting technology with neutral, and autonomy-supportive (empathic, choice-promoting) styles of restricting to predict adolescents' concealing their technology use from caregivers. We further tested two mechanisms which might explain the links of condition and concealment: perceiving caregivers to be trusting, and experiencing reactance or the desire to do the opposite of what was instructed. Findings are discussed in terms of the role of regulation styles on interpersonal outcomes and adolescent development, and implications for technology use policy and recommendations to caregivers and teachers.

Section snippets

The impacts of motivational framing of technology restrictions on adolescent concealment: evidence from a preregistered experimental study

One of the key challenges of preparing adolescents for adulthood is the task of setting rules and boundaries that balance risks of harm against burgeoning opportunities for personal and social development. This undertaking is made more complex in the digital age as access to ever changing technologies present young people with novel prospects and pitfalls which caregivers never faced themselves (Eynon & Malmberg, 2011). In terms of opportunities, Internet-based apps enable young people to

Participants and procedure

The sample was comprised of 1000 British adolescents from England, Scotland and Wales (519 aged 14 years; 481 aged 15 years). This age range focuses on middle adolescence, a developmental period in which youngsters are particularly sensitive to dynamics related to independence and autonomy (Soenens et al., 2007), and tend to exhibit behavioral problems when in non-supportive conditions (e.g., Kaltiala-Heino et al., 2010, Wills et al., 1996).

Half of respondents were male (n = 486; 48.6%) and the

Preliminary analyses

Correlations are presented in Table 2. Adolescents' age and gender did not relate to outcomes of interest in this study, though 15-year old participants reported their mothers were more supportive of autonomy, in general. Perceiving mothers as being more autonomy supportive in general also related to lower reports of concealing from the mother in the vignettes, and linked to lower rates of reactance and more perceived trustworthiness in the vignettes. Across conditions, all three outcomes

Discussion

The goal in this study was to provide a robust empirical test of the idea that motivational framing of rules can impact how adolescents respond to technology restrictions. Findings from our confirmatory experiment with a large and representative sample of 14–15 year olds showed that motivational strategies for restricting adolescent technology use predicted the extent to which adolescents expected they would conceal technology use. The study and our findings relied on a preregistered design

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