Protective Factors in the Use of Electronic Media According to Youth and Their Parents: An Exploratory Study

Campos, Luísa; Veríssimo, Lurdes; Nobre, Bárbara; Morais, Catarina; Dias, Pedro

doi:10.3390/ijerph18073573

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Protective Factors in the Use of Electronic Media According to Youth and Their Parents: An Exploratory Study

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Faculty of Education and Psychology, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Rua Diogo Botelho, 1327, 4169-005 Porto, Portugal

Research Centre for Human Development, Rua Diogo Botelho, 1327, 4169-005 Porto, Portugal

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Academic Editor: Elena Bozzola

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(7), 3573; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18073573

Received: 20 February 2021 / Revised: 19 March 2021 / Accepted: 22 March 2021 / Published: 30 March 2021

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Media Use during Childhood and Adolescence)

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Abstract

The use of electronic media (EM) by youths has been widely described in the literature, indicating the relevance of understanding the factors that can protect against its risks. We aimed to explore the protective role of participating in extracurricular activities (ECAs) and of parental mediation in the use of EM by young people. A total of 1413 people (729 students, aged between 11 and 17 years old, and one of their parents) participated in this study. Youths who engaged in ECAs spent significantly less time per week on EM and perceived that the use of EM devices had less of a negative impact. When parents and their children presented a congruent notion of how much time youth spent on EM, parents perceived EM to have less of a negative impact on their children compared to dyads with discrepant assessments. The hierarchical regression results indicated that regardless of time spent per week on EM, engaging in ECAs was a significant predictor of perceiving a less negative impact, playing a role as a protective factor regarding the use of EM. The ubiquity of EM reinforces the importance of the focus of this study, and its results contribute to creating specific guidelines for parental education and educational policies. View Full-Text

Keywords: youth; electronic media; extracurricular activities; parental mediation; protective factors

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Campos, L.; Veríssimo, L.; Nobre, B.; Morais, C.; Dias, P. Protective Factors in the Use of Electronic Media According to Youth and Their Parents: An Exploratory Study. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 3573. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18073573

AMA Style

Campos L, Veríssimo L, Nobre B, Morais C, Dias P. Protective Factors in the Use of Electronic Media According to Youth and Their Parents: An Exploratory Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021; 18(7):3573. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18073573

Chicago/Turabian Style

Campos, Luísa, Lurdes Veríssimo, Bárbara Nobre, Catarina Morais, and Pedro Dias. 2021. "Protective Factors in the Use of Electronic Media According to Youth and Their Parents: An Exploratory Study" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18, no. 7: 3573. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18073573

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