THE Role of Social Media and Parenting Styles as Determinants of Deviant Behaviours of Adolescents in Secondary Schools Within Kaduna Metropolis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63084/cognexus.v2i2.298Keywords:
social media, parenting styles, deviant behaviours, adolescents, secondary schoolsAbstract
This study investigated the individual and combined predictive roles of social media usage and parenting styles in relation to deviant behaviours among secondary school adolescents in Kaduna Metropolis, Nigeria. A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was employed. Using multistage sampling, 400 senior secondary school students aged 13 to 17 years were selected from public and private schools across Kaduna North and Kaduna South Local Government Areas. Data were collected using validated instruments comprising the Social Media Scale, Parenting Styles Inventory, and Deviant Behaviours Scale. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, simple linear regression, and multiple linear regression at a 0.05 level of significance. Social media usage significantly and positively predicted deviant behaviours, t(398) = 6.52, p < .001, F(1, 398) = 42.51, p < .001, R² = .097, accounting for approximately 9.7% of the variance. Parenting styles also significantly and negatively predicted deviant behaviours, t(398) = −5.83, p < .001, F(1, 398) = 33.99, p < .001, R² = .079, explaining approximately 7.9% of the variance, with authoritative parenting associated with lower deviance and authoritarian, permissive, and neglectful parenting associated with higher deviance. The combined model yielded the strongest predictive power, F(2, 397) = 403.02, p < .001, R = .819, R² = .670, with both variables jointly accounting for approximately 67.0% of the variance in deviant behaviours. No significant interaction effect was found, ΔR² = .01, ΔF(1, 396) = 1.24, p = .27, indicating additive rather than multiplicative combined effects. The findings underscore the need for dual-focused interventions that simultaneously promote authoritative parenting practices and equip families with digital literacy skills. Schools should integrate digital citizenship education into curricula and strengthen counselling services. Policymakers should develop comprehensive frameworks for adolescent online safety and parental digital education programmes. This study provides empirical evidence from an under-researched northern Nigerian context and demonstrates the combined predictive power of social media and parenting styles in relation to adolescent deviance.
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