Shaping family digital literacy: investigating parental mediation practices of young children’s Internet and digital technologies use

There has been a noticeable increase in the digital devices and Internet use of children in all countries, with very young children showing particularly high usage patterns. Most children under the age of two now have an online presence or digital footprint through their parents. However, research on how parents in Malaysia mediate their young children's use of technological devices and digital media is still limited. Understanding parental mediation practices and strategies as well as their possible determining predictors are crucial because they can inform the development of relevant policies and support family digital literacy education effort. Furthermore, research to support digital literacy is the key to mitigate risks and enhance the skills of parents and children. Such research is in line with the Child Online Protection (COP) awareness and educational modules by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) as well as support the implementation of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998. This study addressed the gaps in the area by investigating parental mediation practices and strategies of dual working parents in Malaysia. In Phase I, the existing parental mediation practices, strategies, and research instruments in the current literature were reviewed. In this phase, 752 studies were initially identified after applying the PRISMA guidelines for the search, 14 of which were finally included in the review. All the studies focused on parental mediation of young children (age six and below), but eight studies concentrated more on the development and validation of parental mediation scales or measurements. The review confirms six types of parental mediation to manage and regulate children’s experiences with the Internet and digital media. Phase II involved a series of cross-sectional studies, which consisted of a pre-test (n = 30), a pilot test (n = 60), and main data collection in the form of an online survey with 340 dual working parents. Data were analysed using psychometric methods, descriptive statistics, inferential tests, and regression models. Results showed that active mediation is the most reported type of parental mediation, followed by restrictive mediation, monitoring, co-use, and technical mediation. While parental mediation strategies did not differ by parent’s and child’s gender, the child's age has a significant impact on the strategies used by parents to mediate their young children's digital devices and Internet use. In general, young children in this study are reported to spend much time using digital devices and the Internet. However, the older ones reported more usage, with male children exhibited more frequent use. Although most children are using digital devices and the Internet for below 30 minutes, 88 children have exceeded the screen time guidelines of about one hour per day for children between two to five years old. The study also found that active mediation was predicted by parent's education level, number of children, child’s age, parental attitude, and parental worry. Similarly, restrictive mediation was significantly predicted by number of children, child’s age, positive parental attitude, and parental worry. Meanwhile, co-use was significantly predicted by parent's gender and positive parental attitude. Positive parental attitude and parental worry are the only significant predictors of technical mediation, while parent's gender, positive parental attitude, and parental worry significantly predict monitoring. Building a framework for responsible use and digital competencies for parents and children, as well as enhancing their digital literacy, is an urgent task for policymakers and module developers. Also, further research targeting early childhood is needed to develop digital learning objectives in line with children stage of cognitive development. Finally, supportive actions towards digital literacy from other stakeholders, especially the industries, broadband operators, and content providers, are essential to strengthen the intervention components in parental mediation research and parenting advice