TELEVISION:
According to parents, 99% of youth watched TV; and the majority of parents (75-86%) had household rules about TV use.
| Television household rules – Parent respondent | Wave 1 (n=1,570) |
Wave 2 (n=1,195) |
Wave 3 (n=1,150) |
| Child can only watch certain types of shows | 68% | 62% | 58% |
| Child cannot watch TV until household chores or homework are complete | 59% | 53% | 47% |
| Child has to ask permission before watching TV | — | 15% | 12% |
| Child can only watch TV for a certain number of hours per day | 38% | 31% | 30% |
| Child can only watch certain shows when parent is not in the room | 7% | 7% | 8% |
| Parent has other TV household rule(s) | 29% | 18% | 18% |
| Parent does not have any rules about TV | 14% | 19% | 25% |
As shown in the table above, content is a major concern for caregivers. The most common rule related to television was having certain shows that youth were not allowed to watch.
In addition to being the most common rule, the most notable decrease in TV household rules was also having certain shows that youth were not allowed to watch.
The percentage of parents who reported that their child does not have TV household rules increased with age, and these rates within age tended to be consistent over time (see Figure below).
Similar to games, over half of parents who had rules for their child about television almost always enforced these rules.
| Enforce TV household rules – Parent respondent | Wave 1 (n=1,364) |
Wave 2 (n=966) |
Wave 3 (n=876) |
| Almost always | 61% | 58% | 56% |
| Often | 24% | 26% | 26% |
| Sometimes | 13% | 13% | 14% |
| Almost never | 3% | 4% | 3% |
Parents were less likely to report almost always enforcing their rules about television compared to the Internet and games; nonetheless, the vast majority reported doing so, with an additional quarter of parents saying they ‘often’ did.
Due to space limitations in the survey, youth were not asked about TV-related household rules.
SECTION 2: CO-USE AND DISCUSSIONS
INTERNET:
Most parents used the Internet with their child at least someof the time.
| Use the Internet with my child – Parent respondent | Wave 1 (n=1,581) |
Wave 2 (n=1,195) |
Wave 3 (n=1,150) |
| Almost always | 12% | 11% | 9% |
| Often | 32% | 24% | 22% |
| Sometimes | 45% | 51% | 52% |
| Almost never | 11% | 14% | 16% |
Co-use of media helps parents understand how their children are using and experiencing the Internet. Few parents said they almost always or almost never used the Internet with their children. Much more commonly, parents said they sometimes or often did.
As the cohort aged the frequency of co-use seemed to decrease over time (see Figure below).
Parents are equally likely (1 in every 3) to report that they often, sometimes, or almost always talked to their child about the things they see on the Internet.
It’s not enough to simply co-use; parents also need to talk with their children about their children’s online experiences. Research about the effects of violent television on behavior suggests that children whose parents talk to them about the violence are less negatively affected than children whose parents watch violent television with them without comment. It also gives the two an opportunity to discuss these things within the context of the parent’s personal values.
| Discuss the things my child sees on the Internet – Parent respondent | Wave 1 (n=1,581) |
Wave 2 (n=1,195) |
Wave 3 (n=1,150) |
| Almost always | 32% | 31% | 28% |
| Often | 33% | 34% | 33% |
| Sometimes | 29% | 29% | 34% |
| Almost never | 6% | 6% | 4% |
Data in the above table suggests that parents were almost evenly split about how frequently they talked to their children about things they saw online: about a third said they almost always did, a third said they often did, and a third said they sometimes did. Very few said they almost never did. Unlike Internet co-use, these rates were relatively stable over time.
VIDEO, COMPUTER, OR INTERNET GAMES:
Parents rarely played video, computer, and Internet games with their child.
| Game-related activities with child – Parent respondent | Wave 1 (n=1,504) |
Wave 2 (n=1,098) |
Wave 3 (n=1,070) |
| Play video, computer, and Internet games with my child | |||
| Almost always | 6% | 10% | 8% |
| Often | 16% | 16% | 15% |
| Sometimes | 38% | 38% | 38% |
| Almost never | 40% | 36% | 40% |
| Discuss the things my child sees while playing video, computer, and Internet games | |||
| Almost always | 20% | 17% | 17% |
| Often | 29% | 26% | 22% |
| Sometimes | 35% | 40% | 40% |
| Almost never | 17% | 17% | 20% |
Unlike the Internet, parents commonly reported almost never playing games with their children. Similar percentages said that they sometimes did; fewer said they often or almost always did. Even as youth got older, the rates stayed relatively stable.
Similarly, more parents reported almost never talking to their children about things they see in games compared to the Internet. Nonetheless, 3 in every 5 parents said that they sometimes or often discussed the game content with their children, suggesting that the majority of parents are concerned about the content youth are being exposed to in games.
In contrast, 26-35% of youth who play video, computer, and Internet games reported that their parents almost never talk to them about the things they see on the games they play.
| Game-related activities with child – Child respondent | Wave 1 (n=1,481) |
Wave 2 (n=1,124) |
Wave 3 (n=1,059) |
| Parent discusses the things child sees while playing video, computer, and Internet games | |||
| Almost always | 12% | 10% | 12% |
| Often | 20% | 19% | 15% |
| Sometimes | 42% | 39% | 38% |
| Almost never | 26% | 33% | 35% |
Youth agree that most parents sometimes talk to them about the things they see in games. Fewer youth say that their parents almost always or often do however, and more say that their parents almost never talk to them about their game experience.
These inconsistencies may be because youth were less likely to remember the discussions, or because parents over-reported these discussions because they felt like they should be having them with their children.
TELEVISION:
More than 7 of every 10 parents whose children watch TV often or almost always watched TV with their child.
| TV-related activities with child – Parent respondent | Wave 1 (n=1,570) |
Wave 2 (n=1,185) |
Wave 3 (n=1,138) |
| Watch TV with my child | |||
| Almost always | 26% | 23% | 20% |
| Often | 44% | 48% | 48% |
| Sometimes | 26% | 26% | 29% |
| Almost never | 3% | 3% | 3% |
| Discuss the things my child sees on TV | |||
| Almost always | 30% | 26% | 26% |
| Often | 37% | 39% | 35% |
| Sometimes | 28% | 29% | 34% |
| Almost never | 5% | 6% | 6% |
Parents were much more likely to watch TV with their child than to games with them. While only about 1 of every 5 parents often or almost always played games with their child across time, about 7 of every 10 parents often or almost always watched TV with their child.
Parents also were more likely to discuss with their child the things they saw on TV than the
things they saw in video, computer, and Internet games. Across time, 39%-49% of parents reported that they often or almost always discussed the things their child sees in computerized games, whereas 61%-67% of parents often or almost always had these discussions regarding TV.
Due to space limitations in the survey, youth were not asked about co-viewing experiences related to TV.