Parental mediation and problematic media use among U.S. children with disabilities and their non-disabled siblings during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT During the COVID-19 pandemic, caregivers of disabled children have faced adverse conditions complicating their media use management (i.e., parental mediation). Disabled children and non-disabled children in a household may also have distinct cognitive, emotional, and physical needs requiring different parental mediation strategies. In this exploratory study, we surveyed U.S. parents (N = 123) with a disabled and non-disabled child between the ages of 5 and 13 to explore child differences in average hours spent watching media and playing games, problematic media use, and parental mediation during the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic (Spring 2020–Spring 2021). Results suggest higher problematic media use for children with disabilities compared to their siblings without disabilities during the pandemic, with rates of problematic use primarily increasing or staying the same for both, but significantly more parental mediation of children without disabilities compared to those with disabilities. In the wake of the pandemic and spikes in children’s media use, screen time advice from health providers to households with both disabled and non-disabled children requires unique considerations to support healthy child media use. IMPACT SUMMARY Prior State of Knowledge: Media have offered young people important opportunities for learning, entertainment, and social connection during the COVID-19 pandemic, but parents also have concerns about overuse and negative effects. Novel Contributions: We surveyed parents of school-age siblings with and without disabilities to compare media use patterns, problematic media use, and parental mediation. We found higher rates of problematic media use among disabled children, but more parental mediation of non-disabled children. Practical Implications: Practitioners who provide screen media guidance to households with both disabled and non-disabled children should consider these families’ unique considerations and circumstances, including how siblings mutually influence one another’s media use, as well as their parents’ overall caregiving practices.