A Randomized Controlled Trial of Parent‐Targeted Interventions to Boost Youth Mode Adoption on Chinese Short‐Form Video Apps

ABSTRACT Based on a randomized controlled trial (RCT), this study assesses the impact of parent‐targeted interventions on the adoption intention and implementation rates of Youth Mode in children's short‐form video applications in China. The intervention combines informational leaflets and instructional videos, aiming to enhance parental awareness and operational capabilities. Data were collected by interviewing 331 parents through a face‐to‐face survey conducted in 2022 in rural China. The results show that our intervention had significant positive effects on parents' intention and implementation of Youth Mode, indicating that parents are the important external factors that drive the effectiveness of existing digital intervention tools. These positive effects are more pronounced among mothers, parents above‐primary education, and those whose children possess personal phones. This study pioneers the proposal to activate existing digital interventions with parental mediation, establishing a critical external accountability mechanism. Visual‐guided tutorials, mother‐friendly design and seamless segregation between adult and child usage contexts should be considered in future digital intervention tools.