engleski

Parents’ and children’s perspective on rules for digital technology use in the family

Research shows that parents play an important role in mediating (guiding and monitoring) their children’s interactions with digital media. Parental mediation strategies include different forms of mediation, such as active, restrictive, co-viewing, etc., but they also include rule— making strategies and restrictions. In this study we focus on a deeper understanding of parental mediation of digital media use in children aged 4 to 8 years, by investigating both the parental and children's perception of how the rules regarding digital media use are being created and changed in the family. Data presented here are a part of a larger qualitative study conducted under research project “Digital technology in the family: patterns of behaviour and effects on child development” financed by the Croatian Science Foundation. We conducted 30 semi-structured, online research interviews with children aged 4 to 8 years and one of their parents. Interviews were transcribed and the results were analysed using thematic analysis. Results show that most families in the study do not have a specific family media plan and in most cases rules are created and changed spontaneously as new circumstances emerge. Children are well aware of these rules and in most cases feel they participated in their making. Parents are mainly concerned about different, mostly negative, consequences of their children’s digital technology use and with different rules and strategies they are trying to prevent the negative effects of digital media use onto their children. Implications for promotion of creating a family media plan for children and families are discussed.

Digital technology ; parental mediation ; rules ; family media plan

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