How does maternal technoference change across early childhood, and how might these changes relate to children's digital behaviors? This 7-year longitudinal study (2017-2024) followed 500 U.S. mothers (Mage = 30.34 at Wave 1; 75.7% White) and their children (6 months to 6.5 years; 47% female) to examine growth in maternal technoference and its association with children's problematic media use (PMU), using maternal questionnaire reports. Latent growth curve analyses showed a slight overall increase in maternal technoference across early childhood (S = 0.02, p < .001). Higher initial technoference was linked to greater PMU at age 6.5 (β = 0.48, p < .001). Findings highlight how early media parenting patterns may shape children's long-term digital behaviors.
Ashby et al. (Fri,) studied this question.