Parental Behaviors and Involvement in Children’s Digital Activities among Israeli Jewish and Arab Families during the COVID-19 Lockdown

Research Findings: The study explored everyday parenting behaviors and their relations to parents’ involvement in their children’s digital activities during the COVID-19 lockdown, among Israeli Jewish and Arab parents of young children. We studied parents’ behaviors through the prism of the Parenting Pentagon Model (PPM), which integrates five constructs of daily parenting behaviors that are beneficial for children’s development: Partnership between the caretakers, Parental Leadership, Love Behaviors, Encouraging Independence, and Adherence to Rules. Participants, 487 parents (290 Jewish and 197 Arab) of children (2-to-8-years-old) answered questionnaires. Findings showed that both Jewish and Arab parents reported that Love behaviors were most frequent during the lockdown, followed by Leadership. Encouragement of Independence, adherence to Rules and Partnership were less frequent. Additionally, the more parents behaved beneficially in their daily life (according to PPM), the more they were involved in their child’s digital activities, beyond family background (child’s age, parent’s education, and family’s size). Practice or Policy: The results can assist in planning support programs for parents during times of crisis. Parental guidance regarding beneficial parenting and advantageous involvement in children’s digital activities may be more helpful than restrictions and warnings regarding the risk of young children’s exposure to digital activities and screens.