'WE'RE JUST CATCHING CRUISE': EXPLORING TEENAGERS' PERCEPTION OF PARENTAL MEDIATION OF SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE

In the digital age, adolescents and children access social media as much as adults and this has necessitated parental mediation to mitigate risks and maximise opportunities arising from their interaction on digital media. Though there are several studies on parental mediation strategies in Nigeria, scholars have called for perceptions and response of teenagers to parental mediation to be incorporated in the Nigerian context. The objective of the study is to find out teenagers’ views on their parents’ mediation practices regarding their social media usage. In-depth interview was conducted with 12 teenagers in Lokoja between the ages of 15 to 17 years, who are social media users and have received parental mediation. The study used the parental mediation theory to lend credence to the work. The findings of the study showed teenagers perceive the strategies positively in the sense that it engenders self-regulation and proactiveness. On the other hand, they expressed dislike to restriction and parents’ perception of their social media content. The study concluded that though teenagers may have some negative disposition to mediation strategies, parental mediation is perceived to be beneficial in guiding against addiction to social media and self-regulation. The study recommended that a balanced combination of parental mediation strategies should be encouraged and teenagers should remain responsive to parental mediation.