engleski

The relation of parental mediation of children’s digital media use, parental digital skills and parents’ education with preschool children’s digital skills

The aim of this paper was to examine the relation of parental mediation of children’s digital media use, parents’ education level and digital skills with preschool children’s digital skills. Participants in the study were 97 parents (81 mothers) of preschool children (mean age 6.5 years). Parents completed a questionnaire containing scales assessing their own and their children’s behaviours, habits and skills related with digital technology and questions on parents’ and family’s sociodemographic characteristics. Parental mediation of children’s use of digital media was assessed using a Parental mediation scale, constructed for the purpose of the study based on previous research (Nikken & Jansz, 2013 ; Nikken & Schols, 2015). Parental and children’s digital skills were assessed using separate scales prepared for this research on which parents gave estimates regarding their own and their child’s proficiency in different digital skills. The results show that parental mediation of children’s digital media use is positively related with children’s digital skills. Some parental characteristics, such as their education level and their own digital skills are significantly negatively related with both the frequency of parental mediation of children’s digital media use and children’s digital skills. Results of a regression analysis show that parental mediation of children’s digital media use is the only significant positive predictor of children’s digital skills. These results point to the importance of parental mediation as well as their education and personal digital skills, in relation to development of children’s digital skills.

parental mediation, digital media, digital skills, preschool age

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