Study: Parents And Teens Who Connect On Social Media Enjoy Relationship Benefits
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – It's often dreaded but practically inevitable these days: a friend request from Mom or Dad.
But a new study shows that teens who are "friends" with their parents on social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram may actually feel closer in real life.
The study, which was conducted by Brigham Young University and published in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking last Thursday, involved 491 families in the Seattle area that were asked to answer a questionnaire on their social media use, feelings of connection and behaviors resulting from that.
While only half of the families were connected via social media, those teens that were linked to their parents were more likely to be kind and helpful and less likely to be aggressive or depressed, leading researchers to conclude that social networking with one's parents may contribute to strengthening real-life relationships.
So the next time your mom pops the friend question online, you may want to hit "accept."
For more info on the study, visit: http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/cyber.2012.0623?journalCode=cyber&
