ABSTRACT
The media landscape has changed considerably in the last decades leading to more use of electronic screens by children, paralleled by more concerns among parents about potential risks of online media and about how to manage their children's media consumption. Generally, parents can apply different effective parental mediation strategies in childrearing, like restricting media use, being actively engaged in co-using media, or empowering their children via active mediation. Screens, however, are very often used outside of the home context and on an individual basis. Therefore, parents very often also try to supervise their children's media use from nearby while doing their own chores or they rely on screens as “babysitters.” Moreover, parents also can be distracted from parenting their children when they use media for themselves. Consequences for children's development of these new ways of media use in the family are discussed.
