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Vicarious supervision: Preventing cyberbullying through positive parent-child relationships

Cyberbullying Research
March 3, 2026(6 months ago)

As youth face various Internet-based risks while interacting online, parents need theoretically grounded, evidence-based insights on strategies to prevent their child(ren) from participating in inappropriate behaviors. An approach that can facilitate better decision-making online, rooted in social b...

AISummary

This research shows that strong parent-child relationships are one of the most effective ways to prevent cyberbullying and risky online behavior. Rather than relying solely on monitoring tools, parents who build trust and emotional connection with their kids create an environment where children make better decisions online and are more likely to come to them with problems.

As youth face various Internet-based risks while interacting online, parents need theoretically grounded, evidence-based insights on strategies to prevent their child(ren) from participating in inappropriate behaviors. An approach that can facilitate better decision-making online, rooted in social bond and attachment theory, is a concept we term vicarious supervision. This perspective emphasizes the parent-child relationships in the prevention of online misbehaviors. In particular, we argue that...