NEWS
NORMAN, Okla. – As many parents worry about how television, video games and the Internet are affecting their children, a team of researchers, some from the University of Oklahoma, are offering a different perspective on how families can approach digital media.
OU’s June Abbas, Ph.D., is the co-lead author of the article, “‘We were beaten down’: Parents’ concerns about children’s digital media use,” published in the Proceedings of the Association for Information Science and Technology. The article was recently recognized as one of the journal’s top-viewed articles of 2024 according to Wiley publishing company, which tracked the total visits the article received in its first 12 months.
Abbas is the Edith Kinney Gaylord Presidential Professor and Director of the School of Library and Information Studies in the Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences. She is also director of OU’s Data Scholarship Program. Her research interests include examining how libraries can have transformative impacts, and what influences young people’s interactions with technology.
Those interests came together for a research grant that Abbas, as part of a team of experts across American universities, received from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. In their grant proposal, the team committed to learning more about how parents make digital media decisions for their children – including through the 2024 study.
“We all are very passionate about children and technology and understanding how libraries can play a role in providing positive experiences for youth, but also helping parents navigate the issue of screens,” Abbas said.
For their study, the researchers visited libraries to interview parents of children aged 5–11, discussing their attitudes toward and practices surrounding their kids’ use of digital media. They found that parents mostly shared their concerns about that usage rather than its possible benefits, even though they were never specifically asked about concerns.
They also found that those negative feelings, which mainly centered on inappropriate content and behavior, were often informed by other media, news outlets, family and community members, and pediatricians. However, researchers also heard how different situations altered how parents handled use of digital media — an all-too-familiar reality for caretakers in the digital age.
“A lot of our data showed that parents would put restrictions on their children's use of screen media,” Abbas said. “But then when they went on vacation, all of that went out the window because of convenience. Giving a child an iPad when they're in the car, for example, was a way of helping their trip be a little bit easier for the family.”
By learning about these family media dynamics, the researchers were able to offer nuanced guidance to parents and experts on how digital media resources can be managed effectively while reducing the guilt that parents may feel about screen time.
“It's really important for people to not just say to their youth, for whatever reason, ‘Don't use social media’ or ‘Don't use screens,’” Abbas said. “Have those conversations with your children. Develop media practices that work for the whole family.”
Abbas noted that views are already evolving on how to handle digital media: a decade ago, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended parents allow no more than two hours of screentime for their children. Newer guidance released this past January encourages parents to take a holistic approach beyond a simple number of hours per day, such as developing a family media plan, incorporating co-viewing with children on a shared family tablet and avoiding or reducing use of screens before bedtime.
She also aims to conduct more research on the growing reality that many younger parents are digital natives, who are exploring how to model healthy behaviors for their children.
“They themselves may have a different perspective than older parents on what is appropriate use for their children,” Abbas said. “It's not about being appropriate, it's about what works best for your family.”
About the project
The study, “‘We Were Beaten Down’: Parents' Concerns about Children's Digital Media Use,” can be found in Proceedings of the Association for Information Science and Technology at https://asistdl.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pra2.1003.
About the University of Oklahoma
Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. As the state’s flagship university, OU serves the educational, cultural, economic and health care needs of the state, region and nation. For more information about the university, visit www.ou.edu.
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