Authors

• Suoninen, Annikka (Finnish Youth Research Society. Finnish Youth Research Network)

Keywords

children, digital games, internet, internet use, mass media exposure, mass media use, media literacy, mobile communication, news, reading (activity), television

Abstract

The barometer was collected as part of a research project funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture of Finland and it aimed to investigate children's media use and their relationship with the media in the year 2013. The data were collected from families that had children aged 0-8. The parents of the children responded to the survey. In the survey, media include television, the Internet, digital games, mobile phone, the radio and music, and print media. The data was collected in a manner that makes comparisons with Children's Media Barometer 2010 possible.

The respondents were asked how well they knew the media contents their children used and which media devices their children had access to at home. The respondents were asked whether their children used different media (television and films, the Internet, digital games, mobile phone, radio and music, and print media), in which format / on which device and how often, and what kind of content they accessed using each medium. Additional questions concerning digital media charted who accompanied the children when they used each medium and how often the children were accompanied by a parent when they accessed different media content.

With regard to media use in the family, the respondents were asked how often they discussed media use or media content with their children, how often they did things not related to media together with the child (e.g. went shopping, did sports, visited friends or family), and to what extent they agreed with a number of statements related to media use in the family (e.g. "Playing digital games together is a nice way to spend time with the children", "The child often asks me to stop watching TV or using the computer").

The respondents' own media use was charted by asking them how often they used used different media (television and films, the Internet, digital games, mobile phone, radio and music, and print media), in which format / on which device and how often, what kind of content they accessed using digital media, and how often they kept in contact with different people through media. Finally, the respondents were asked how often they met different people face-to-face.

Bakcground variables included the respondent's role (mother/stepmother, father/stepfather, other guardian), age, economic activity, education, major region, and type of neighbourhood of residence as well as the number of adults in the household, and ages and genders of children. In addition, there were background variables charting information on the child on whose behalf the parent responded, which included the child's year of birth, gender, and whether the child had a room of his/her own.