• Posted February 5, 2025

Kids Consume More Mature Media When Parents Overuse Screens

Yikes! The way parents use their phones around their kids may influence how much inappropriate content kids consume.

Researchers reported Feb. 4 in the journal BMC Pediatrics that the odds of kids watching R-rated movies or playing mature-rated video games rose with higher parental screen use and inconsistent family media rules.

The study analyzed data from more than 10,000 12- and 13-year-olds who were part of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study.

“We wanted to explore parent rules and adolescents’ exposure to mature content because there’s a lack of research to guide parents of young adolescents on media use,” lead author Dr. Jason Nagata told CNN in an email. 

“While the American Academy of Pediatrics provides general recommendations for ages 5 to 18, young adolescents are at a unique developmental stage -- they’re not little kids anymore, but they’re also not fully independent teens,” Nagata, an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, added.

Parents in the study answered a 14-item questionnaire, rating their agreement with statements such as, “I try to limit how much I use a screen-based device when I am with my child” on a scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 4 (strongly agree).

Meanwhile, kids self-reported how often they watched R-rated movies and played mature-rated video games, using a 0-to-3 scale (never to all the time).

Results showed that for every unit increase in parental screen use, the likelihood of kids consuming mature content rose 11%

"Our findings suggest that parental monitoring and limiting adolescent screen time are significantly associated with lower mature video game use and R-rated movie consumption in adolescents," the study concluded.

Certain behaviors increased kids’ exposure to mature content, including frequent screen use during meals and high levels of bedroom screen time.

Experts urge parents to be mindful of their own screen habits, as kids tend to mirror what they see.

“Parents should practice what they preach,” Nagata told CNN. “If parents make a family rule to not text at the dinner table, they should follow it.”

To create a healthy digital environment, the American Academy of Pediatrics (APA) recommends that families create a set media plan with clear rules. APA suggests:

• Limiting screens at meals and before bedtime.

• Encouraging conversations about certain online content.

• Avoiding screen time as a punishment, as it can drive kids toward riskier content.

• Using screen time as a reward for balanced habits.

“This (study) offers strong encouragement for us as parents to keep on monitoring and limiting our kids’ use of screens, even when doing so is difficult and unpleasant because we get a lot of pushback from our kids,” Dr. Kara Alaimo, associate professor of communication at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey, told CNN in an email.

More information

The Mayo Clinic has more on children and screen time.

SOURCES: BMC Pediatrics, Feb. 4, 2025; CNN, media report, Feb. 4 2025