Parental Mediation of Children's Television and Video Game use in Germany: Active and Embedded in Family Processes

In a survey study, 158 dyads of German parents and their 9 to 12-year-old children reported on their television and video game (VG) consumption, parental mediation strategies, and family climate. Parents also reported their beliefs concerning media effects. We found that mediation strategies differ from acknowledged media usage conceptions in that parents play a more active role than previously assumed. Restrictive mediation comprises rules and restrictions, but also parents’ educative explanations that media do not reflect reality. Patronizing mediation includes shared media consumption, but also parents commenting on media contents. Pointing out and emphasizing socio-emotional features in the media (e.g., empathy) characterize active-emotional co-use (AEC). Regression analyses revealed that parental fear of negative media effects predicted both AEC and restrictive mediation. Children and parents’ congruent perceptions of family interactions predicted AEC and patronizing VG mediation. Overall, positive ratings of family interactions were associated with children using media less frequently.

“On average, children watched TV for about 93 min (SD = 75.61) on weekdays and 145 min (SD = 62.13) on weekends. VGs were played significantly less. On average, children played 35 min (SD = 50.83) on weekdays, t(157) = 11.96, p < 0.001, d = 0.95, and 61 min (SD = 64.74), t(157) = 13.44, p < 0.001, d = 1.08, on weekends. This difference was not due to children’s greater enthusiasm for watching TV (M = 3.17, SD = 0.53) than playing VGs (M = 2.90, SD = 0.71), t(157) = – 1.67, p > 0.05.” Violetta K. Shaan & André Melzer, 2015, page 63. Parents were more concerned about the negative effects of the media than the positive ones. Additionally, more negative effects were expected from playing video games than from watching TV. Also, watching T V was expected to have greater positive effects. “Overall, results indicated that parents who shared their child’s perception of family interactions at home (and, thus, showed a high degree of concordance) invested more in AEC (active emotional co-use) and patronizing VG mediation. In contrast, low concordance between parents and children predicted more restrictive and patronizing TV mediation.” Violetta K. Shaan & André Melzer, 2015, page 66, 67. Even though the concordance (shared traits and beliefs between a child and their parents) was added as the final step in the regression analysis, it was the highest predictor (30.1%) of parental mediation types (AEC, active emotional co-use; PM, patronizing mediation; RM, restrictive mediation). Active emotional Co-use and patronizing mediation were both sensitive to the media type, but restrictive mediation was not. Restrictive mediation was more prevalent than the other two types of mediation. Not optimal family climates showed a positive relation with higher media use in children. A more optimal family climate “spending time together with the child” showed a negative relation with media use.