Authoritative Parenting Moderates the Association Between Social Media Use and Self-Esteem in Young Adults
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
Summer 2025
Abstract
Research has suggested that social media use has psychological risks and benefits in adolescents and young adults (see Reid & Weigle, 2014, for an overview). The contradictory results suggest that the link between social media use and psychological outcomes could depend on moderating variables. This study examined whether self-perceived parenting style could be one of these moderators. As part of a more extensive study, young adult college students (N = 338, Mage = 19.21 years, SD = 1.72 years) completed questionnaires assessing perceived parenting styles, social media intensity (e.g., felt need to check social media), and self-esteem. The study found that authoritative parenting (i.e., warm parents who set reasonable demands on their children) predicts increased self-esteem for college students who report feeling immersed in Instagram (β = .13, p = .013) and X (β = .17, p = .002) but not Facebook (β = .03, p = .529). Surprisingly, permissive and authoritarian parenting did not moderate any association between social media immersion and self-esteem. The study was limited by using only three primary social media platforms and potential bias as a result of using self-reported surveys. Future directions are discussed.
Publication
Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research
Publisher
Psi Chi
Volume
30
Issue
2
Pages
129-141
Department
College of Arts and Sciences
Peer Reviewed
1
Recommended Citation
Adams, L. D., & Cooper, P. (2025). Authoritative parenting moderates the association between social media use and self-esteem in young adults. Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research, 30(2), 129–141. https://doi.org/10.24839/2325-7342.JN30.2.129
Comments
Lauren D. Adams '24, a Lynn University alumni, co-authored the article and built on her undergraduate research project.