Associations between media parenting practices and early adolescent consumption of R-rated movies and mature-rated video games.

Objective: To assess whether specific parent media practices are associated with the consumption of R-rated (restricted) movies and mature-rated video game use in early adolescents.

Methods: Data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study (N = 10,054, 12-13 years, Year 3, 2019-2021) were analyzed. Ordinal logistic regression models were used to assess associations among media parenting practices and R-rated movies or mature-rated video game use, adjusting for potential confounders.

Results: Parental allowance of bedroom screen use (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.44, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.36-1.53), family mealtime screen use (AOR 1.19, 95% CI 1.13-1.25), and parent screen use (AOR 1.11, 95% CI 1.03-1.20) were positively associated with watching R-rated movies. Parental allowance of bedroom screen use (AOR 1.44, 95% CI 1.36-1.52), family mealtime screen use (AOR 1.26, 95% CI 1.19-1.32), and parent screen use (AOR 1.11, 95% CI 1.02-1.20) were positively associated with playing mature-rated video games. Greater parental monitoring and limiting of screen time were negatively associated with watching R-rated movies (AOR 0.81, 95% CI 0.77-0.85 and AOR 0.73, 95% CI 0.68-0.79 respectively) and playing mature-rated video games (AOR 0.81, 95% CI 0.77-0.86 and AOR 0.72, 95% CI 0.67-0.77). Restricting screen time as a punishment for misbehavior was linked to a higher odds of watching R-rated movies (AOR 1.06, 95% CI 1.01-1.11) and playing mature-rated video games (AOR 1.12, 95% CI 1.07-1.17) while offering screen time to reward for good behavior was negatively associated with watching R-rated movies (AOR 0.95, 95% CI 0.90-0.99).

Conclusions: Media parenting practices such as monitoring or limiting screen use are significantly associated with playing mature-rated video games and watching R-rated movies. Punitive measures, such as restricting screen time as a punishment are slightly associated with increased engagement with such content. These findings highlight the importance of intentional and thoughtful parental strategies in managing children's media consumption effectively.