The aim of this study was to explore the role of technology in the dating and sexual experiences of pregnant and parenting adolescent girls placed in residential foster care. Interviews with program staff (N = 12; 50% Hispanic) and focus groups with adolescent foster youth (N = 13; 46% Hispanic) were conducted to understand how technologies (e.g., cell phone, texting, and social media) influence youth’s dating lives, including how youth navigate conflict with a dating partner in technology spaces and their experiences with cyber abuse. Both staff and youth emphasized technology as providing an outlet from the home and forum through which to meet, interact, and sustain intimate relationships, the latter including the father of (a) child(ren). Youth creatively collaborated to access technology and became involved in each other’s relationships. Staff and youth discussed divergent risk contexts, staff emphasizing the risks posed to children (e.g., taken on online dates) and youth discussing online sexual solicitations, conflict with the child(ren)’s father in public and peer-involved online spaces, and cyber abuse. Helping professionals should be trained on the centrality of technology to youth dating and provide dating health education that includes attention to technology mediums.

中文翻译：

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寄养家庭中怀孕和育儿青年的技术和约会：比较工作人员和青少年观点的混合定性方法

这项研究的目的是探讨技术在安置在寄养机构中的怀孕少女和育龄少女的约会和性经历中的作用。与计划人员（N = 12； 50％西班牙裔）和青少年寄养青年焦点小组（N = 13； 46％西班牙裔）进行了访谈，以了解技术（例如手机，短信和社交媒体）如何影响年轻人的约会生活，包括年轻人如何与技术空间中的约会对象发生冲突以及他们的网络滥用经验。员工和青年都强调，技术应为家庭和论坛提供一个渠道，让他们可以结识，互动和维持亲密关系，后者包括（一个）孩子的父亲。青年人创造性地合作获得了技术，并参与了彼此的关系。工作人员和青年讨论了不同的风险背景，工作人员强调了对孩子的风险（例如，在网上约会），青年讨论了网上性诱骗，在公共场所和与同伴有关的在线空间中与孩子的父亲发生冲突，以及网络滥用。应该对专业人士进行技术培训，以帮助青年人约会，并提供约会健康教育，其中应包括对技术媒介的关注。