Determinants of Parental Guidance of Children's Television Viewing for a Special Subgroup: Mass Media Scholars

This study examines the level and nature of parental guidance regarding television exercised by mass media scholars. It also focuses on the relationship of that guidance to beliefs the scholars hold about the effects of television, to characteristics of their scholarship, and to basic demographic information. Disciplines Broadcast and Video Studies | Communication | Mass Communication Comments At the time of publication, author Joseph Turow was affiliated with Purdue University. Currently, he is a faculty member in the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. This journal article is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/asc_papers/393 Determinants of Parental Guidance of Children's Television Viewing for a Special Subgroup: Mass Media Scholars Carl Bybee, Danny Robinson and Joseph Turow This study examines the level and nature of parental guidance regarding television exercised by mass media scholars. It also focuses on the relationship of that guidance to beliefs the scholars hold about the effects of television, to characteristics of their scholarship, and to basic demographic information. Since the rise of commercial television in the United States during the early 1950s, a good deal of criticism and fear has been voiced regarding the medium's harmful influence on children. In recent years, industry officials and some regulators have tended to place increasing emphasis on parental responsibility in guiding their children's viewing, and researchers have begun to explore the benefits of such guidance. However, research exploring the actual incidence, nature and predictors of parental involvement in child viewing throughout society is lacking. If public policy is to turn from media regulation to encouraging active parental (or other) guidance, systematic questions must be raised regarding the nature of such guidance, the circumstances under which it is likely to occur and its ultimate effectiveness in shaping children's viewing behavior or mediating the impact of that viewing behavior. The first two issues are the concern of the present investigation which focuses on the parental activities of mass media scholars. One might argue that individuals who would be among the least likely to need encouragement for involving themselves in their children's television activities would be mass media scholars—academics with an active interest in the mass media. Aside from being familiar with the literature on "antisocial" as well as "prosocial" effects of television, many of them participate in classroom and public discussions about the medium on a regular basis. It seems likely that this knowledge and concern would be translated into an active involvement with their children's viewing. If media scholars do tend to guide their children, the extent to which they do, and the manner in which they do, might suggest upper limits to possible modes of parental intervention in child viewing behavior. If those most knowledgeable about and interested in the mass media are not likely to guide their children's behavior, then one may ask how realistic it is to expect that parental mediation can influence the effects of television in the public at large. At the same time, mass media scholars' guidance activities are important to study because of the potential for this group to exert opinion leadership in the larger society on the television guidance issue. At the minimum, this subgroup provides an opportunity to initiate a comprehensive look at key guidance issues. Consequently, the present investigation examines the level and nature of parental guidance regarding television exercised by mass media scholars as well as the relationship of that guidance to beliefs the scholars hold about the effects of television, to characteristics of their scholarship, and to family demographic information. The findings suggest the existence of specific dimensions of guidance, carry with them implications for social policy, and suggest new avenues for research.