Mediation of Children's Televiewing

Abstract

The authors review the literature on televiewing mediation from a family-systems perspective. Three types of mediation—restrictive, evaluative, and unfocused—are defined. Four prominent factors influencing mediation are identified and discussed: family structure variables, parent variables, child variables, and television accessibility. Factors that influence televiewing mediation are discussed. The question “Should parents mediate?” is addressed and two courses of action for mediation are presented.