Managing Positive and Negative Media Effects Among Adolescents: Parental Mediation Matters—But not Always

ABSTRACT

The current study examined the role of parental media mediation styles in the relationships between (1) prosocial media content and the performance of prosocial behavior and (2) antisocial media content and the performance of antisocial behavior. The results of a cross-sectional survey (N = 475; Mage = 14.6) indicated that autonomy-supportive restrictive mediation was positively related to prosocial behavior through increased prosocial media exposure, while it was also associated with less antisocial behavior through decreased antisocial media content exposure. Autonomy-supportive active mediation on the other hand strengthened the positive association between exposure to prosocial media content and the performance of prosocial behavior. However, this type of mediation did not moderate the association between exposure to antisocial media content and the performance of antisocial behavior. These results indicate that autonomy-supportive mediation styles are most effective in managing media effects, but that antisocial media content may warrant a more restrictive approach.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Tessa Claes and Arne Caluwé for their assistance in collecting the data used in this study.