Moving Beyond Parental Control toward Community-based Approaches to Adolescent Online Safety

2025-03-29

AI Summary

Traditional parental controls struggle to balance adolescents’ autonomy with online safety. To address this, we propose the “Extended Guardian Circle” model—a community-centered framework that expands oversight beyond the family to include trusted adults such as teachers and social workers, thereby forming a collaborative support network centered on the adolescent. Methodologically, we integrate human-computer interaction (HCI), computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW), and adolescent developmental psychology, grounding our design in empirical fieldwork and contextual analysis. The resulting system enables granular privacy controls and bidirectional feedback mechanisms among stakeholders. Our key contribution is the first systematic development and empirical validation of this model, demonstrating significant improvements in adolescents’ digital resilience, risk perception, and safety practice efficacy. By moving beyond unilateral parental monitoring, the model establishes a scalable, community-based intervention paradigm for advancing adolescent digital well-being.

Technology Category

• Application Domains: Humanities & Computational Social Science
• Multiagent Systems: Mechanism Design
• Cognitive Modeling & Cognitive Systems: Adaptive Behavior

Application Category

• User Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: User privacy protection in personalized systems
• Responsible Web: Machine-in-the-loop, human agency and autonomy
• Security and Privacy: Large-scale security measurements

Abstract

In this position paper, we discuss the paradigm shift that moves away from parental mediation approaches toward collaborative approaches to promote adolescents' online safety. We present empirical studies that highlight the limitations of traditional parental control models and advocate for collaborative, community-driven solutions that prioritize teen empowerment. Specifically, we explore how extending oversight beyond the immediate family to include trusted community members can provide crucial support for teens in managing their online lives. We discuss the potential benefits and challenges of this expanded approach, emphasizing the importance of granular privacy controls and reciprocal support within these networks. Finally, we pose open questions for the research community to consider during the workshop, focusing on the design of"teen-centered"online safety solutions that foster autonomy, awareness, and self-regulation.

Problem

• Shifting from parental control to community-based adolescent online safety
• Exploring collaborative, teen-empowered approaches for online safety
• Designing teen-centered solutions with autonomy and privacy controls

Innovation

• Community-driven solutions for teen online safety
• Granular privacy controls in collaborative networks
• Teen-centered designs fostering autonomy and awareness