The Robinhood Effect: Parents' Perceptions of Their Sons' Investing Activities.

Teens investing in the stock market is a growing phenomenon. However, without an extensive amount of formal education on investing, teens may not understand the associated risks. Using consumer socialization theory as the conceptual basis, this qualitative study examined parents' perceptions of their teenage sons' investing activities. Data were collected via 19 semistructured interviews with parents of boys aged 12–21 years who were interested or engaged in investing. The findings reveal several important insights regarding parents' perspectives on how their sons gained interest in and learned about investing; how parents conveyed information about investing to their sons; and their perceived benefits and drawbacks of their sons' investing activities. The findings thus have important implications for parents and their sons, as well as financial investment firms and public policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]