Parental mediation and rulemaking for adolescent use of television and VCRs

Abstract

As videocassette recorder penetration surpasses three‐quarters of all US television homes with children, little is known about parental mediation and rulemaking patterns for adolescent viewing. Regression analyses of a sample of 7th and 10th graders reveal that child variables such as gender, age, media use and school grades play an important role in predicting mediation and rulemaking, as do parental resource variables. Specifically, television viewing mediation is negatively predicted by child media ownership and child age. Parents were more likely to set VCR‐use rules for males than females. Higher degrees of academic performance predict more television and VCR use mediation.