De relatie tussen gezamenlijk mediagebruik van ouders en kinderen en het gezinsfunctioneren, en voorspellers van dit gezamenlijke mediagebruik.

Abstract

Family functioning is integral to the well-being and development of youth and can be influenced by the shared activities between parents and children. With the advent of digital media, there has been a noticeable increase in media co-use between parents and children, yet its impact on family functioning remains unclear. Addressing this ambiguity, this study explored the relationship between media co-use of parents and children and family functioning, considering the age of the parents and children, and family composition. Data from the ‘Digital Family Project,’ encompassing 403 children (53.8% girls, Mage = 13,51, SDage = 2.15) and 396 parents (58.1% females, Mage = 46.59, SDAge = 5.29) from 248 families were analyzed quantitatively using SPSS and the PROCESS-macro. While some hypotheses related to the parents' age and family composition were not confirmed, the results indicate a positive relationship between media co-use and family functioning. They also reveal a negative relationship between the child’s age and media co-use, with an indirect negative effect on family functioning. Even though the study has limitations and involves predominantly higher-educated parents, it doesn’t imply that there is no negative relationship between media co-use and family functioning. Therefore, encouraging media co-use among parents and children might be worthwhile. However, further research is required to understand more about the direction of the relationship between media co-use and family functioning, especially regarding families with older children.