Surveying Parental Mediation: Connections, Challenges and Questions for Media Literacy

Abstract

This paper examines three strategies of parental mediationcoviewing, restrictive mediation, and active media- tionin order to make connections, challenge, and raise questions for media literacy. Coviewing, whether it is intentional practice, or whether it functions to promote media literacy, is explored. Restrictive mediation, how it connects to protectionism, and whether restriction serves as a form of media literacy is raised. Lastly, active mediation and whether it relates to an inquiry model of media literacy is discussed. The paper concludes with suggestions for future research on parental mediation and media literacy in the hopes of advancing parent media education.