‘In our family, we don’t watch those things’: parents’ discursive constructions of decision-making connected with family media practices

ABSTRACT

This article examines the discursive construction of parents’ decision-making connected with screen media practices. Drawing on a dataset of 51 parent interviews conducted in 3 states in the US, the article reveals ways that parents’ narratives indicate resistance to universal recommendations about family media practices. Rather, parents position themselves as experts who rely on their family principles and knowledge of their children and household context to make the best decisions for their families. Although this resistance indicates parents’ agentive positioning in relation to dominant discourses about parenting and screen media, the article argues that parents simultaneously position themselves and others through neoliberal discourse. This discourse shifts blame away from any state or other regulatory agencies, creating pressure on all parents to regulate and monitor screen media in particular ways.

KEYWORDS:

• Screen media
• parenting
• discourse
• media practice
• decision-making

Acknowledgements

The author would like to extend her gratitude to June Abbas, Denise Agosto, and Nathan Wheeler for their contributions to the research discussed in this article.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work is partially supported by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (grant number LG-96-17-0220-17).