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College Kids and Parents Connect Online. Is This Bad? Posted: 05 Jan 2009 12:46 PM PST A new study from the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills in the United Kingdom reports that more British parents are using newer technology to stay connected with their children away at school, according to AllHeadlines. Now, my mother and I weren’t always the best of friends, but while in college I still called her every Sunday afternoon. Back then, I called her on her landline. She rarely used her cell phone and had no idea how to send or receive text messages. Things have changed in the past few years, and my mother now happily embraces her Blackberry, email and LinkedIn. But how much easier would things have been if my mother had been on an online social network when I was in college? Even text messaging with my mother would have warranted increased communication between the two of us, as I was always on my way to class (not the best time to use up daytime minutes on the mobile), studying, or out and about with friends. While my mother and I aren’t British, the study is still relevant on this side of the pond. As more mature adults from the baby boomer era adopt mobile phone applications and online social networks, it’s easier for them to relate and connect with their children that are of the age demographic which has more readily adopted such technology. Whether there’s causation to this particular correlation or just a natural consequence of technology usage across major populations, the result remains the same. And it’s most likely for the same reasons as anyone else connecting via mobile phone or online social networking–it’s passivity makes it easier for two-way communication between people. If I send my mother an email, she can write back when she has time. That way the message is still conveyed without having to wait for a time when the two of us can speak on the phone. It’s a system that works across several applications and devices, from SMS to IM, email to writing on one’s Facebook wall. But how do college-age users feel about their parents connecting with them online? I’m closer to age 30 than 21, and my mother still reprimands me for using “improper” language on Facebook photo comments. Were I still in college, I might even feel like my mother were joining Facebook just to keep an eye on me. So for those in college now, I wonder how many modify their online behavior as a result of their parents’ watchful eyes. Whether this means curbing the use of profanity or deciding not to post those beer pong photos, or merely taking advantage of privacy settings such as those instituted by Facebook for separating your professional, personal and “family” lives, it would b interesting to see a deeper study of the types of relationships manifested between parent and child on a social network.

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