RODITELJSKE PRAKSE MEDIJACIJE DEČJEUPOTREBE MEDIJA U DIGITALNOM OKRUŽENJU

Abstract

The paper explores the perceptions of parents of upper-grade primary school pupils regarding their children’s media habits, the content to which they are exposed, and the effects of media. The study emphasizes parental mediation strategies as mechanisms of protection, guidance, and socialization. The aim is to examine how parents understand their role in shaping children’s media practices, with a focus on protection from inappropriate content, the educational function of media, and the selection of mediation strategies. The theoretical framework of the paper is grounded in an examination of the challenges of the contemporary media environment, characterised by increased media use, technological change, and the transformation of traditional media. In this context, parents’ mediating role between media content and children’s experience is crucial for media socialization. The concept of media literacy is positioned as a key framework for understanding the relationship between children and media, while the three strategies of parental mediation (active mediation, restrictive mediation, and co-use) indicate that parental involvement encompasses not only the settings of boundaries but also active participation in the interpretation of media content. Special attention is devoted to contemporary “screen cultureˮ, in which television remains a significant medium within the family environment, yet its use is increasingly interwined with online platforms, reshaping children’s media socialization patterns. The research was conducted using a combination of a survey (118 parents from one city and one village school) and focus groups with parents from both schools (8 participants in the village school and 10 in the city school). The quantitative component allowed for testing the hypotheses, while the focus groups provided a deeper understanding of attitudes and context, with both approaches complementing each other in the analysis of parental mediation. The findings indicate that most children consume media equally on weekdays and weekends (82.2% of parental responses), most frequently children’s programs (44.1%), followed by programs about animals and nature (39%). The majority of parents (89%) believe that children are often exposed to inappropriate content and that time spent with media should be limited. More than half of the parents (56.7%) agree that television programming contributes to children’s better understanding of the world. Qualitative findings indicate that parents strive to act as a key mediators through dialogue, personal example, and behavioral modeling, but face practical limitations (lack of time and children’s technological superiority) as well as limited institutional support. Attitudes towards media are ambivalent: while their educational potential is recognized, parents also emphasize the risks associated with harmful content and the negative impact of media on children’s socialization. The results point to the importance of improving parents’ media literacy and developing integrated approaches to media education.