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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Commun.
Sec. Media Governance and the Public Sphere
Volume 9 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fcomm.2024.1521814

Online Risks and Parental Mediation in Social Media Usage Among Kids: A Quantitative Study in Rawalpindi City

Provisionally accepted
Sana Ali Sana Ali 1,2*Dr.Enaam Youssef Dr.Enaam Youssef 3,4,5*Saqib Riaz Saqib Riaz 1Mahra Al Malek Mahra Al Malek 3,5
  • 1 Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad, Pakistan
  • 2 Birmingham City University, Birmingham, United Kingdom
  • 3 Ajman University, Ajman, Ajman, United Arab Emirates
  • 4 Ain Shams University, Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
  • 5 Humanities and Social Sciences Research Center, Ajman University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    This research investigates different aspects of online media usage among children and the dynamics surrounding it. It aims to determine the patterns of online media consumption among children and comprehend their perceptions concerning exposure to inappropriate content online. This research is supported by the Parental Mediation Theory and quantitative design to examine children's online experiences. Data gathered from 346 respondents revealed that the respondents indicated high-level engagement in online media, mainly for surfing and instant messaging, with daily usage varying from 1 to 3 hours and some exceeding five hours. Respondents have personal accounts on more than four social networking sites, with Facebook being the principal platform. Concerning vulnerability to online indecent content, respondents emphasized examples of accidental exposure during online activities, i.e., surfing and instant messaging, mostly occurring at home and school. The frequency of exposure was usually categorized as occurring four or more times, leading to possible risks and hazards to children's well-being. The study further highlighted children's perceptions of parental mediation in online media use. Therefore, this study emphasizes the importance of programs empowering parents with the knowledge and abilities to handle and manage their children's online media activities adeptly. Also, maintaining a balance between using the educational benefits of online media and protecting children from possible risks becomes crucial, highlighting parents' significant role in this critical domain. Finally, this research proposed some implications, and limitations are discussed accordingly.

    Keywords: parental mediation, Accidental Exposure to Indecent Content, Children; Quantitative Design, Pakistan, survey method

    Received: 04 Nov 2024; Accepted: 16 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Ali, Youssef, Riaz and Al Malek. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Sana Ali, Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad, Pakistan
    Dr.Enaam Youssef, Ajman University, Ajman, Ajman, United Arab Emirates

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.