I care for my child: parental mediation of children’s digital consumption in India

The fast-advancing digital scenario has facilitated the prolific use of digital platforms and applications on a gamut of devices, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, smartwatches and smart televisions. Against the backdrop of high screen consumption and the prevalent use of apps aided by artificial intelligence (AI), this research on two dynamic and compelling topics, children as an audience and digital engagement that prompts parental mediation, is crucial and challenging. This qualitative study was conducted in the Nilgiris and Coimbatore districts in Tamil Nadu, Southern India. It employed in-depth interviews to first examine parents’ attitudes toward the Internet and their digital consumption, and second, how this, in turn, influences their mediation styles toward primary school children aged 8 to 10 years. The typologies of parental attitudes, the nature of digital consumption and the mediation of children’s online engagement presented in the findings could serve as a starting point for new research concerning children and their active digital media utilization. Furthermore, the study outlines the interrelationship between parents’ attitudes towards digital practices and their mediation style, which can be explored in today’s context as children navigate through various screens for content.