A Qualitative Inquiry into the Contextualized Parental Mediation Practices of Young Children’s Digital Media Use at Home

Abstract

Technologies are increasingly adopted and used by young children at home. Parents play an important role in shaping their media use, keeping certain possibilities open for children to play, learn, and socialize while limiting others. Nevertheless, the literature on parental mediation of young children’s media use is scant. In this article, we describe a qualitative, mixed-method study involving 24 parents and 36 children aged 3 to 9, and focus on the contextual factors that shape (transitions between) parental mediation practices. The results point to the emergence of new manifestations of parental mediation and provide evidence of their dynamic, often paradoxical nature. In particular, the insights on distant mediation, various buddy styles, and participatory learning, as well as the value of a wholeness approach for understanding children’s conditions for media engagement, suggest new prospects for parental mediation literature.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Bieke Zaman

Bieke Zaman (Ph.D., KU Leuven, Belgium) is an assistant professor at iMinds-CUO/IMS, KU Leuven, Belgium. Her research focuses on the uses, experiences, and practices of digital media in families with young children.

Marije Nouwen

Marije Nouwen (M.A., KU Leuven, Belgium) is a researcher at the Centre for User Experience Research, KU Leuven, iMinds, Belgium. Her research interests include children and digital media, and ethnography in HCI.

Jeroen Vanattenhoven

Jeroen Vanattenhoven (M.A., Group T, Belgium) is a senior researcher at the Centre for User Experience Research, KU Leuven, iMinds, Belgium. His research activities focus on Smart TV and Second Screen experiences.

Evelien de Ferrerre

Evelien de Ferrerre (M.A., KU Leuven, Belgium) is a doctoral candidate at the Leuven School for Mass Communication Research, Belgium. Her research interests include media psychology and sociology, in particular mediation in families and mediatization in organizations.

Jan Van Looy

Jan Van Looy (Ph.D., KU Leuven, Belgium) is an assistant professor at iMinds-MICT-Ghent University, Belgium. His research focuses on the use and experience of digital games and immersive media.