ABSTRACT
This study tested a model for predicting parental mediation of teenagers’ exposure to personalized advertising and the preceding online data collection. Data was collected through a survey of 354 parents of teenagers and analyzed using structural equation modeling. The model showed that parents are more inclined to engage in parental mediation when they have greater levels of concern and self-efficacy. Parental concerns were higher when parents perceived personalized advertising as inappropriate. While privacy literacy predicted more self-efficacy, perceptions of inappropriateness predicted lower self-efficacy. Disliking of personalized advertising only had a direct negative relationship with active parental mediation.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Additional information
Funding
Notes on contributors
Sanne Holvoet
Sanne Holvoet (Ph.D, Ghent University) is a researcher at the Department of Communication Sciences at Ghent University. Her research focuses on teenagers’ and teenagers parents’ engagement with online data collection in a commercial context and the subsequent personalized advertising.
Ini Vanwesenbeeck
Ini Vanwesenbeeck (Ph.D., Antwerp University) is a assistant professor at the Department of Communication and Cognition at Tilburg University. Her research is mainly situated in the domains of cyberpsychology and children, influencer marketing and science communication.
Liselot Hudders
Liselot Hudders (Ph.D., Ghent University) is Associate Professor at the Department of Communication Sciences at Ghent University. She conducts research on digital and responsible advertising with a focus on a minor audience.
Laura Herrewijn
Laura Herrewijn (Ph.D., Antwerp University) is a postdoctoral researcher at AP University of Applied Sciences and Arts Antwerp. Her research focuses on virtual and their potential for the integration of persuasive communication, along with consumer behavior. In this context, she is interested in both effectiveness and ethical questions.