A Longitudinal Study of the Moderating Effects of Three Types of Mediation on Children’s YouTube Viewing Time and Content Exposure

This longitudinal study examined whether restrictive mediation, active mediation, and co-viewing moderated longitudinal associations in children’s (ages 4–6) YouTube viewing time and educational content exposure over one year based on parent reports (N = 289). Restrictive mediation and co-viewing significantly moderated longitudinal associations in viewing time, whereas active mediation did not. For educational content exposure, all three forms of parental mediation demonstrated significant moderating effects. Overall, the findings suggest that parental mediation plays an important role in shaping both children’s YouTube viewing behaviors and educational content exposure over time.