Predictors of the regulation of children's television and video viewing as reported by highly educated mothers

This study examines predictors of parental regulation of children's television and video viewing as reported by a sample of highly educated mothers. These 174 mothers of children in grades 3 to 5 completed 6 questionnaires, which were received and returned by mail. The results showed that parental authority patterns and parents' attitude toward television and videos accounted for a significant proportion of the variation in parental regulation. Attitudes toward television accounted for a larger percentage of the variation in the dependent variable than did parenting style. Parents' attitude toward television and video programming was also significantly negatively correlated with parental regulation of children's television viewing; parental rules and expectations were not significantly correlated with regulation. The interrelations of these variables with each other and with parents' education, maternal employment, parental marital status, child-care arrangements, children's after-school activities, and the home television environment were also explored. This study further demonstrated the strength of the relation between parental socioeconomic status and children's television viewing.