Abstract :
[en] In the ubiquitous computing society, parenting ``digital natives'' presents unprecedented challenges. Parents often rely on online resources to support and guide their children in security and privacy (S\&P) related topics. However, the abundance of online resources makes it challenging for parents to find high-quality and relevant resources that align with their S&P needs. Further, the longitudinal development of parental competence and coping strategies in S\&P topics remains largely unexplored.
We conducted a formative study with 210 U.S. parents of children (M{age} = 11.73 years, SD= 3.15) to investigate the challenges parents face in educating children about online S&P topics and to inform the design of a remote intervention program (six short videos). In the main study, we evaluated this intervention’s efficacy using a 14-week longitudinal randomized controlled trial, which consisted of 201 U.S. parents, with 113 assigned to the control group and 88 to the intervention group.
We found that short videos significantly enhanced parents' security awareness and their conversation strategies. Notably, parents who initially exhibited lower levels of these measurements benefited the most from the intervention. Moreover, short videos were effective in enhancing parents' self-efficacy in protecting their children from online risks. This study provides valuable insights into various challenges parents face and respective coping strategies that could be implemented to address S\&P concerns in family settings. The design and evaluation of the intervention program serve as a foundation for future S&P researchers and educational stakeholders.
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