Children’s media socialisation: parental concerns and mediation in Iran

ABSTRACT

Children’s media socialisation, parental concerns, and mediation styles have been studied mainly in the US and Europe. The present research aims to extend media socialisation theory by investigating children’s media behaviour and parental concerns and mediation styles in Iran, and then to compare the findings with the research based on parents in Western countries. Based on in-depth interviews with parents from Iran, we put forth propositions and a media socialisation model. We find that parental concerns and behaviour are influenced by their cultural practices and expectations, government regulations, and media dominant in the local region.

KEYWORDS:

• Media consumption
• Iran
• socialisation
• children
• Middle East
• consumer culture theory

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the first author’s mother for her help during the data collection. The authors would also wish to thank Dr. Russell Belk for his invaluable comments.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Melika Kordrostami

Melika Kordrostami is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at California State University, San Bernardino. She completed her Ph.D. in Marketing at Iowa State University. Her research projects deal with advertising, female portrayals, branding, and emotion regulation.

Akshaya Vijayalakshmi

Akshaya Vijayalakshmi is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, India. She completed her Ph.D. in Marketing at Iowa State University, U.S.A. Her research papers have appeared in Journal of Marketing Communications and Journal of Consumer Affairs.

Russell N. Laczniak

Russell N. Laczniak completed his Ph.D. at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His primary research interest deals with parent and children interaction regarding media. Dr. Laczniak formerly served as editor of the Journal of Advertising and was president and treasurer of the American Academy of Advertising. His publications have appeared in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Advertising, Journal of Advertising Research, Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, Journal of Consumer Affairs, and others.