Date of Award
12-2026
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School
Psychology
Committee Chair
Dr. Bonnie Nicholson
Committee Chair School
Psychology
Committee Member 2
Dr. Emily Yowell
Committee Member 2 School
Psychology
Committee Member 3
Dr. Eric Dahlen
Committee Member 3 School
Psychology
Committee Member 4
Dr. Austen Anderson
Abstract
The majority of adolescents and young adults use social media (Chaddock, 2024; Coyne et al., 2013). Parents are faced with the challenge of considering the role social media may play in their children’s lives (Valkenburg et al., 2013). Using self-determination theory as a framework (Deci & Ryan, 2000), we investigated psychological needs as one mechanism connecting parental social media mediation strategies with well-being and emotional distress in a sample of young adults. Participants were 244 undergraduate students who completed online questionnaires. The results highlighted that controlling styles of parental social media mediation have an association with emotional distress. Psychological needs satisfaction mediated the relationship between restrictive social media mediation and relevant mental health outcomes. Results of this study expand the literature on the applicability of the self-determination theory to understanding parental social media mediation and associated outcomes in emerging adults. Parents may be advised to adopt less controlling approaches to managing social media use in favor of approaches which address autonomy and promote needs satisfaction in emerging adults.
Copyright
2026, Benjamin Dolowich
Recommended Citation
Dolowich, Benjamin A., ""Please Put The Phone Down!": Self-Determination Theory Applied to Parental Social Media Mediation" (2026). Dissertations. 2502.
https://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations/2502