Parental perceptions of control: A study of parental mediation of children's Internet use at home

This dissertation is a study of parental mediation of children's Internet usage at home. The purpose of this study is to determine the extent to which and how parents of school-age children in the United States are monitoring and controlling their children's Internet access and usage and these parents' perceptions of the influence of the Internet on family communication in their homes. The results suggested that parents are indeed monitoring their children's Internet usage at home and are engaging in three different mediation styles. The dissertation is divided into five chapters. Chapter 1 provides an overall rationale and purpose of the study. Chapter 2 provides a review of relevant, scholarly literature over media gatekeeping in general and highlights potential comparisons between parental television mediation and parental Internet mediation. Chapter 3 outlines the quantitative methodology employed in the study. Chapter 4 presents the results of the survey research and highlights significant findings. Chapter 5 provides a thorough discussion of the findings and presents implications for a variety of constituents.