Parents’ differential attitudes toward children’s media use by race and anxiety about children’s futures

Guided by the Differential Susceptibility to Media Effects model, we examined the relations between parents’ anxiety over their children’s futures and their attitudes toward playful media for children and media featuring principles of direct instruction, as moderated by parent race ( N = 600, quota sampled for race, children ages 3–7). Research has demonstrated that parents’ anxiety surrounding their children’s futures influences their attitudes toward different curricular programs as well as their children’s media use. Here, we apply this research to attitudes toward children’s application (app) use. We consider both media that is playful, allowing for children to explore their own ideas in an open-ended environment, as well as media aligned with principles of direct instruction, which provides explicit presentation of information, has right and wrong answers, and does not encourage exploration. Further, research has demonstrated that racially and ethnically minoritized (REM) parents may experience greater anxiety surrounding their children (relative to white parents) due to structural systems of racism. Results demonstrate no relation between parents’ anxiety about their children’s futures and their difference in attitudes toward direct instruction media and playful media. Further, race did not moderate this relation, demonstrating a lack of support for one potential reason (parent anxiety) for past findings that show differential parent attitudes toward media by race. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.