Trust in the Digital Home: Media Parenting Profiles, Digital Parental Awareness and Implications for Child and Family Social Work

ABSTRACT Digital transformations increasingly shape children's everyday lives, positioning parents as key mediators of digital risk, opportunity and trust within the family context. In early childhood, where children cannot independently regulate digital environments, parental media practices are critical for fostering digital resilience and risk prevention. This study identified profile‐based patterns of media parenting and examined their association with digital parental awareness. The sample consisted of 264 parents of children aged 6–10 years. Data were collected using the Media Parenting Scale (MEPA‐20) and the Digital Parental Awareness Scale (DPAS). Hierarchical cluster analysis (Ward method) was conducted based on media parenting subdimensions, and the number of clusters was determined using silhouette, elbow and gap statistics. The following three profiles emerged: high‐risk (low guidance), moderate guidance and protective (high guidance). One‐way ANOVA results showed significant differences across all dimensions of digital parental awareness. Parents in the protective profile demonstrated higher awareness of risk prevention and efficient use, whereas those in the high‐risk profile reported higher levels of negative modelling and digital neglect. Findings suggest that effective media parenting requires conscious and active guidance beyond restrictive control and has implications for strengthening trust and resilience in digitally mediated child and family contexts.