A new study from the University of Surrey suggests that parents need to learn more about how social media works with its complicated systems, especially the smart computer programs it uses. These programs can influence what people see online. The study looked at how parents understand and use these systems that are important for their kids’ experiences on the internet.

The study found that how old a child is affects how their parents see the social media system. For instance, parents of very young kids who watch videos on YouTube might worry about these systems, but they often think these problems will happen later when the child is older.

Digital biases

The researchers also found that parents’ own opinions about social media can influence how they handle their children’s online activities. Even though parents believe that their own online information is different from their children’s, the study discovered that there is a lot of similarity because families share a lot of information online.

“Parents engage with so many platforms in the course of their day-to-day parenting,” the researchers explain. “We wanted to see how they make sense of and interact with the algorithms responsible for serving themselves and their children with the content on those platforms.”

Through interviews with 30 parents raising children aged 0 to 18 across England, researchers have unveiled distinct trends in how these parents perceive social media algorithms.

Four patterns

The study identifies four specific patterns that illustrate how parents comprehend these algorithms:

1. Misunderstandings: Some parents held misconceptions about how algorithms function. For instance, one parent struggled to grasp how YouTube’s recommendations for her son worked, mistakenly connecting them to his subscriptions.
2. Parked Understandings: Certain parents recognized the existence of algorithms but believed that their concerns could be postponed until their children were older, considering it a concern for the future.
3. Transactional Understandings: Some parents acknowledged the impact of algorithms as an integral aspect of contemporary life. While a few employed child filters, they felt resigned to the role algorithms played.
4. Proactive Understandings: A subset of parents took immediate measures to counter the effects of algorithms. For instance, one parent in the study actively supervised YouTube suggestions for his son to identify and address inappropriate content.

The insights gleaned from these interviews provide a nuanced understanding of parental viewpoints regarding social media algorithms and their role in shaping their children’s digital experiences.

“We want our findings to help policymakers devise strategies to promote better data and digital literacies among the adult population,” the authors conclude. “We want to shift the focus away from parental blame. We need to find ways to support parents, caregivers and families to navigate and negotiate a data-driven world.”