Parental Mediation: Guiding Children's Media Consumption

In today’s culture, there is a prevalence of media. It has taken many forms, from older formats like radio and television and magazine to more modern formats like video games and internet videos. The forms of media are constantly changing, as are the forms of content on that media. This prevalence presents a necessity for parents to control, in some form, the content their children watch. This concept is known as parental mediation, defined as the “strategies that parents employ to guide [a] child’s media use” (Nikkelen, Vossen, Piotrowski, & Valkenburg, 2016, p.659). The act of mediation is an essential part of parenting in the modern era. By looking at the various techniques of mediation and acknowledging their effects, parents will be better prepared for the inevitable time when the topic needs to be addressed with their children.

The same principles of parental mediation discussed then have been applied to the new forms of media that have emerged since. Researchers have generally agreed on three types of mediation: active, restrictive, and co-viewing. Active mediation takes place when parents discuss the material. Restrictive mediation takes place when parents disallow the consuming of media. Co-viewing takes place when the parents and children consume the media together (Mong-Shan, 2007). In his 2007 article, Mong-Shan further defines these types of mediation. He talks of what he describes as valence. Valence is the way the message is conveyed; it can be communicated positively, negatively, or neutrally. This means the parents agree with the content (positive), criticize the content (negative), or take no position one way or the other