Technointerventionism: External Sources of Influence Shaping Parental Attitudes and Practices in Early Childhood Media Use

This dissertation explores how external sources of advice influence parental decision-making regarding screen media use for preschool-aged children (aged 2 to 5). While the literature on child- screen media effects continues to expand, few studies have examined where parents turn when uncertain about screen-related decisions. Parents remain a critical, yet under-examined variable in the broader discourse around childhood media effects. Grounded in Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory (EST), this study maps external sources of advice across four ecological dimensions: microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, and macrosystem. Through a large national survey of primary caregivers (N = 2,072), this study addresses three research questions: Which external sources of advice are parents most likely to rely on when making screen-related decisions? How are these sources associated with screen- related interventions? And, how is advice reliance linked to screen-related behavioral outcomes in children? Findings from this study suggest that parents most frequently rely on expert advice from within the mesosystem, such as a child’s doctor, teacher, or childcare provider. These sources are also associated with the most interventions and behavior issues. In contrast, microsystem reliance, particularly from co-parents, is associated with fewer behavior issues. Exosystem sources, such as universities and nonprofits, yield mixed results: while parents value their national credibility and evidence-based guidance, they often find the advice difficult to interpret and apply meaningfully to their child. Macrosystem sources, such as news, movies, and TV are the least relied upon, and reliance on these sources is associated with fewer interventions and more screen enablement. Parents who turn to mass media are more likely to permit increased screen use as a pacification tool, reflecting their own screen habits and contributing to notable behavior issues when screens are inconsistently managed. By adapting EST to center the parent in the model, this study provides a baseline for future research and a more nuanced understanding of how parental advice seeking may support or limit desired development outcomes in early childhood.