Page 422 - Kaleidoscope Academic Conference Proceedings 2024

2024 ITU Kaleidoscope Academic Conference

and co-viewing mediation (parents accompany their children often having multiple gadgets and allowing children to set
when using smart devices (Huang et al., 2023; Shin & Lee, their own screen time rules, a common approach among
2017). parents of teenagers. Conversely, limiters impose strict
restrictions on device use due to concerns about negative
Understanding parental practices in navigating this digital impacts on social development, attention span, and overall
landscape is crucial, especially in Kerala, India, where digital health, typically seen in parents of preschoolers. Mentors
technologies are becoming more and more incorporated into strike a balance by guiding and moderating technology use.
daily life. Research on the interaction between Digital They engage in discussions about online safety and connect
Parenting Styles (DPS) and Digital Parental Mediation with their children through technology, a style frequently
(DPM) strategies in Kerala's distinct cultural and adopted by parents of elementary school-aged children.
socioeconomic context is still lacking, despite the rising
importance of digital parenting. Through this investigation, Academics have investigated a variety of facets of digital
we want to shed light on the intricacies of digital parenting parenting, from the efficiency of theoretical models in
in Kerala and open the door to customized strategies that forecasting parental conduct to the particular methods
enable parents to provide their children with pleasant digital parents employ to control their children’s internet usage.
experiences in this unique cultural setting. Hence the study These studies emphasize the intricacy of digital parenting,
aims to investigate the relationship between digital parental which is impacted by the digital gap, cultural settings, and
mediation strategies and digital parenting styles among parental attitudes, among other things.
parents of school children in Kerala. Young et al. (2024) found that the Health Belief Model was
useful in predicting inactivity because of perceived barriers
2. LITERATURE REVIEW when they used health behavior theories in parental
mediation. They determined perceived obstacles and
Digital technology has significantly altered family dynamics, facilitators as important effects using a combination of
particularly in how parents monitor and control their methodologies. According to research by Akungu et al.
children's internet usage (Wang et al., 2023; Navarro et al., (2024), parental support lowers teenage compulsive Internet
2022). This shift has spurred extensive research into the usage (CIU), whereas concern and supervision raise it. This
effects of various parental mediation techniques on study emphasized the significance of CIU in inciting parental
children's behavior and overall well-being (Dedkova & concern and monitoring, based on the perspectives of
Mýlek, 2022; Alkan et al., 2021). adolescents. Karimullah (2023) highlighted how the digital
divide affects family interactions and urged parents to
Parental mediation is defined as the strategies adopted by supervise their children well. Parental mediation techniques
parents to regulate, discuss, and monitor children’s media have a variety of consequences on children's well-being and
use (Sciacca et al., 2022; Livingstone & Helsper, 2008; internet usage, according to research by Rudnova et al.
Warren, 2001). Valkenburg et al. (1999) identified three (2023). Geršičáková et al. (2023) observed a disparity
primary approaches: active mediation, restrictive mediation, between perceived and real knowledge, highlighting parents'
and co-using. Active mediation involves addressing underestimating of children's internet hazards. In their
concerns about media content, answering questions, research of technology's effects on teenagers, Benvenuti et
clarifying appropriateness, and encouraging constructive al. (2023) noted both beneficial and detrimental alterations.
use, such as teaching social media safety. Restrictive According to Huang et al. (2023), the best method for
mediation entails setting guidelines for media use without limiting teenage smartphone usage is collaborative parental
providing justifications, such as time limits or restrictions on use for learning. According to Chen et al. (2023), active
online interactions. Co-using refers to sharing media mediation is linked to decreased cyberbullying. In Croatia,
experiences without active conversation, such as playing a children's agency and active mediation were highlighted by
game together, which is more challenging with smaller, Topić et al. (2023). According to Karsay et al. (2022), active
private digital devices (Sciacca et al., 2022; Livingstone & mediation promotes well-being and decreases smartphone
Helsper, 2008). use while in bed. Cultural impacts on trends in parental
mediation throughout Europe were noticed by Kalmus et al.
Digital parenting refers to the methods and efforts used by (2022). Roth-Ebner (2022) highlighted parents' conflicted
parents to monitor, encourage, and control their children's feelings about their children’s media usage. According to
online and offline behavior (Benedetto & Ingrassia, 2020). Sciacca et al. (2022), parental concerns about internet
In addition to these mediation strategies, Samuel (2015) hazards are associated with active mediation. Gender
identified three distinct digital parenting styles: enablers, disparities and unique parental mediation techniques were
limiters, and mentors. Enablers permit free device usage,
observed by Nagy et al. (2022). Aljasir and Alsebaei (2022)

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