Date of Award

Spring 5-2015

Document Type

Undergraduate Honors Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts in Psychology

Department

Psychological Sciences

Advisor

Dr. Patricia Kowalski

Abstract

There are conflicting research findings and evidence about the value of technology in children’s development. Although the short- and long-term effects are still being investigated, the overall trend is that the contributions of technology to children’s development depend on numerous factors. Among these factors are whether children’s caregivers make informed choices about technology use, whether they monitor children’s technology use, and whether they successfully minimize technology’s overuse. Through the use of a Qualtrics survey, this study investigated parent’s knowledge of the media use recommendations of the 2013 American Academy of Pediatrics Policy Statement regarding children’s screen media use, parent’s beliefs about the effects such screen media have on children’s development, and children’s use of screen media. The participants were parents of children attending a university preschool and private preschool. It was expected that parents would demonstrate little knowledge of the media use recommendations. It was also expected that parent’s knowledge of the recommendations and their beliefs about the effects of screen media would predict whether they monitor their children’s access to screen time. Results showed the majority of parents knew the recommendations and restricted their children’s media viewing to less than the recommended amount. Some parents did not restrict their children’s media viewing despite knowing the recommendations. Parent’s belief of the impact of television on children’s development and parent’s use of television as a “babysitter” predicted the amount of television they allowed their children to watch. There is a need for continued education of parents about children’s media use recommendations.

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