Amy I. Nathanson

Identifying and Explaining the Relationship Between Parental Mediation and Children's Aggression

A survey of 394 parents and children in 2nd through 6th grades was conducted to explore the relations between parental mediation of violent television and childrens generalized and TV-induced aggressive tendencies. In addition, explanations for why mediation is related to aggression were sought by exploring a number of intervening variables. It was found that parental active mediation and restrictive mediation were both negatively related to childrens generalized and TV-induced aggressive inclinations, whereas parental coviewing was positively related to childrens TV-induced aggressive tendencies. The data also revealed that parental mediation works by first influencing either how important children perceive violent TV to be or how much attention they grant this content, which, in turn, influences aggressive tendencies. Hence, parental mediation seems to socialize children into an orientation toward TV that makes them less vulnerable to negative effects.

Support for Censorship of Violent and Misogynic Rap Lyrics An Analysis of the Third-Person Effect

Recent calls for censorship of rap music have demonstrated the need to test the perceptual and especially the behavioral components of Davisons third-person effect hypothesis. The hypothesis states that people perceive media content to have a greater impact on others than on themselves (perceptual component), and that these perceptions lead people to take actions, such as censorship, to prevent the impact (behavioral component). Results of a survey of college students (N = 202) using rap lyrics as the context revealed strong support for both components of the hypothesis. Limited support was found for the social distance corollary of the perceptual component, while the knowledge corollary of the perceptual component was not supported. A new target corollary to the perceptual component was proposed; it predicts that those groups seen as likely targets of a communication will produce larger third-person perceptions than will generalized others.

Parent and Child Perspectives on the Presence and Meaning of Parental Television Mediation

A survey of 394 parents and second- through sixth-grade children was conducted to understand why parents mediate violent television and how children interpret mediation messages. The study found that parents with negative attitudes toward violent television used active and restrictive mediation and parents with positive attitudes used coviewing. According to children, restrictive mediation signaled parental disapproval of the content but active mediation and coviewing served as endorsements.

Rethinking the Social Distance Corollary Perceived Likelihood of Expsoure and the Third-Person Perception

Researchers have proposed a social distance corollary to the third-person perception to explain the common finding that as comparison groups become more different from the self or more generally described, the size of the third-person perception increases (i.e., media messages are perceived to have greater negative impact on others than self). The two studies presented here investigate whether third-person perceptions are influenced by social distance or perceived likelihood of exposure. We differentiate three ways of operationalizing social distance and examine whether perceived impact increases along each dimension of social distance. The results of our studies demonstrated that perceived likelihood of exposure was a strong predictor of perceived impact, whereas the perceived social distance of the comparison group was not. These findings indicate that previous social distance findings may actually be an artifact of inferences about how likely comparison groups are to be exposed to the media content in question.

Mediation of Children’s Television Viewing: Working Toward Conceptual Clarity and Common Understanding

Despite decades of research on parents’ or other adults’ mediation of children’s television viewing, we still have a rather limited understanding of its potential to promote positive effects and prevent negative outcomes. One reason for this is that a consensus regarding the proper conceptualization of mediation has not yet been reached. As a result, the term has been used inconsistently and produced a body of literature that is difficult to synthesize. The purpose of this paper is to review how mediation has been regarded in past work and to develop a clear conceptualization of this construct. In addition, previous research on the effects of mediation is synthesized to provide a summary of its potential to affect children’s reactions to television. Common themes, especially those relevant to explaining how mediation influences children, are identified and discussed.

Parents Versus Peers: Exploring the Significance of Peer Mediation of Antisocial Television

Although research demonstrates that parents can protect their children from harmful media effects by engaging in parental mediation, parental influences may wane when children reach adolescence and face pressures from peers. The Sullivan-Piaget thesis suggests that peers become especially important and influential during adolescence. Surprisingly, very little mass communication research has considered the role of peers in shaping media effects on adolescents. This study took a first look at peer mediation of antisocial television and found that it occurs more frequently and is more potent than parental mediation. In addition, peer mediation promotes more positive orientations toward antisocial television, which in turn leads to greater aggression. Whereas parental mediation can inhibit negative media effects, peer mediation seems to facilitate harmful outcomes. It is suggested that future research follow up on this initial study of peer mediation so that this potentially important construct can be further developed and understood.

Protective Effects of Parental Monitoring of Children’s Media Use: A Prospective Study

IMPORTANCE Children spend more time with electronic media than they do in any other activity, aside from sleep. Many of the negative effects that stem from media exposure may be reduced by parental monitoring of childrens media use; however, there lacks a clear understanding of the mechanisms and extent of these protective effects. OBJECTIVE To determine the prospective effects of parental monitoring of childrens media on physical, social, and academic outcomes. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Prospective cohort design. Data were collected by in-home and in-school surveys in 2 communities in Iowa and Minnesota, where 1323 third- (n = 430), fourth- (n = 446), and fifth- (n = 423) grade students participated. A primary caregiver and teachers also provided data about the student. INTERVENTIONS Participants in the current study were recruited to participate in a social ecological model-based obesity prevention program. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Body mass index, average weekly sleep, school performance, prosocial behavior, and aggressive behavior. RESULTS Structural equation modeling revealed that parental monitoring of childrens media influences childrens sleep, school performance, and prosocial and aggressive behaviors and that these effects are mediated through total screen time and exposure to media violence. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Parental monitoring of media has protective effects on a wide variety of academic, social, and physical child outcomes. Pediatricians and physicians are uniquely positioned to provide scientifically based recommendations to families; encouraging parents to monitor childrens media carefully can have a wide range of health benefits for children.

Perceived Media Influence and Efficacy as Predictors of Caregivers' Protective Behaviors

A survey of 265 caregivers of 2nd through 8th graders was conducted to understand active mediation, restrictive mediation, and support for censorship. Active mediation and support for censorship occurred more frequently with violent television than with sexual television. Caregivers believed that other children were more likely to be affected by harmful content. Their use of protective behaviors depended on perceived threat for their own and other children, and perceptions of self-and response efficacy. When high threat perceptions were paired with efficacy assessments, caregivers used active mediation. When high threat perceptions overrode efficacy assessments, caregivers used restrictive mediation or supported censorship.

Children of the Net: An Empirical Exploration Into the Evaluation of Internet Content

During a typical online search, users are faced with literally thousands of information sources as well as unsolicited information such as advertising. Judging the legitimacy of information presented and focusing on needed content can be difficult for children. Thus, the current study examines how children evaluate information online. Manipulating the presence of a source, advertising, and dynamism to understand information recall and credibility perceptions, this project initiates a needed research agenda aimed at children and their Internet experiences. Results demonstrate that content such as source, advertising, and dynamism do influence credibility perceptions and recall.

Media and the Family: Reflections and Future Directions

As scholars working in the area of children and media, we know that children are susceptible to both positive and negative media effects. The truth is, children are susceptible to the effects of many things in their environment. Children’s brains and bodies undergo tremendous growth, thereby increasing their chances of being affected by numerous influences, from environmental pollutants to sports injuries to foreign language instruction. It is not surprising that children are at an increased likelihood of experiencing media effects as well. But unlike some other influences, parents play a critical role in shaping how children experience media effects. Parents not only provide access to media, but also influence how their children respond to media content. Moreover, despite increasing reliance on mobile media, most media are still consumed in the home environment (Common Sense Media, 2013), thereby increasing the relevance of caregivers to scholars’ understanding of media effects on children. As a result, it is important to consider the family context when discussing the effects of media on children. I am pleased to see this special issue of the Journal of Children and Media devoted to the topic of Media and the Family. The media do affect children, but the influence of parents is even stronger. Parents can both reduce and exacerbate media effects on their children. It is important to examine the role that parents play in children’s exposure to media, attitudes toward media, and responses to media. In this commentary, I encourage scholars working in this area to think of the role of parents or caregivers in three distinct ways. Specifically, I propose that scholars regard parents as: (1) creators of their children’s media environments; (2) mediators of their children’s media consumption; and (3) representatives of diverse groups whose family structures and parenting practices influence children.