New research shows how parents’ own screen use may impact their children’s screen habits—including increasing their exposure to mature content.
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Boy using smartphone alongside father in room at night
gettyThe U.S. Motion Picture Association helps parents limit the amount of violence and sexual content their kids see by requiring a guardian to accompany children under 17 when attending R-rated movies. But those same parents may inadvertently be driving their young children to view mature content in other ways if they aren’t mindful of their own screen use, a recent study finds.
The research was compiled using the data of more than ten thousand 12- and 13-year-old kids in the United States and found that parent screen use in front of their children significantly increases the likelihood that their kids will watch R-rated movies, view other mature content online, or play mature video games. Ditto for children who are allowed screen use at mealtimes and in bedrooms, the study shows.
