The Role of Parental Mediation in Mitigating Violent Television Programmes for Children in Ogba community of Lagos state.

The Role of Parental Mediation in Mitigating Violent Television Programmes for Children in Ogba Community of Lagos State

WELLINGTON, Ngozi, Chioma Njoku, Nwambam Maduka, Chinyere Mbaka, AKINTARO Mobolaji Grace, Owoeye, Titilope Julianah

Mountain Top University, Nigeria

DOI: https://doi.org/10.51244/IJRSI.2025.12020084

Received: 06 February 2025; Accepted: 14 February 2025; Published: 21 March 2025

ABSTRACT

Television has a profound influence on children’s socialization, learning and behaviour, often linked to the internalization of violence and anti-social norms. This study examines parental mediation practices aimed at reducing the negative effects of violent television content among children aged 5–12 years in Ogba, Lagos State. Employing a survey methodology, data were collected from 379 parents selected from four purposively selected schools. Analysis indicates that majority of parents actively mediate their children’s viewing habits by discussing content and imposing restrictions, with 75.7% engaging in active mediation. Multiple linear regression results reveal that parental age and marital status significantly influence mediation practices, suggesting that older and married parents are more likely to intervene. The study supports the priming effects theory, which postulates that exposure to televised violence can activate aggressive behaviours. Findings revealed that parents who engage in active mediation report more positive behavioural outcomes in their children compared to those who do not intervene. Recommendations include the promotion of media literacy programs for children, structured parental guidance, and meticulous regulatory supervision of television content. The study highlights the importance of multi-stakeholder approaches to mitigate the adverse effects of television violence, offering implications for parents, educators, and policy makers.

INTRODUCTION

Television is assumed to be a major influence in the rise of various social vices within the society as it is presumed to promote violence and rebellious behaviour in addition to decreasing reading among children (Dominic, et al. 2004). Television is also probably blamed for the gradual but steady corrosion of our cultural value systems. Traditional values are fading out for the acceptance of unconventional norms. Violence scenes shown on television are implied to have contributed to the increase in crime and other related offences such as juvenile murder cases, high rate of examination failures, bullying, street gangs, cultism, rape, rebellion, disorientation, civil disturbances amongst others (Pagani et al, 2025; Gerdes, 2004). There are quite a number of empirical findings and theories postulating that contents of television programmes have the potential of influencing the behaviour of people watching. (Huesmann & Taylor 2006; Kremer, 2005).

The concern for children is especially critical to parents and other stake holders because they can easily internalize behaviour from an early age and manifest same at a later age. The results of a study which examined 700 people over an elongated span of time revealed that children who watch violence on television eventually grow up to exhibit vicious behaviour due to exposure to television violence (Dominic, et al. 2004; Chakraburtty, n.d). The violent scenes children see on television are portrayed as socially acceptable or rewarded as ‘cool’ or ‘hip’ thereby sending a positive signal to children to behave in a similar way in order to get the same treatment.

Children learning and television

Children are innocent, untainted and pure; they are like a white board that projects the information supplied into it. These attributes are excellent traits for learning but it can also be a negative value depending on what children are imbibing from television. Children are learners and television is a socialization agent that teaches children real to life actions through programming. Television as a profitable aid for teaching and helping children to learn cannot be understated (Guellai, et al 2022; Schwartz,2022).  The power of sound combined with vivid graphics makes it believable and practical, hence making learning easier and faster. Educational learning and a great deal of social learning transpires as children watch television. They learn about people, culture, acceptable norms, societal issues and relationship proficiency. Children can effortlessly mimic the tutoring they get from television by acting exactly like what they see on television because they are susceptible to imitating others.

Parent’s agitations on children exposure to television violence

Parents are concerned about the influence violent television programmes can exert on children especially on their behaviour. Children are protected from violence on television by advocating for restriction of contents viewed by children to shield them from negative manipulations. Programmes with sexual activities, aggressive behaviour and foul language are unedifying and unacceptable to parents. Aggressive conduct on television has continued to raise panic in parents who feel children can be easily swayed into a lifestyle of aggression. Parents have the natural advantage of providing social and media literacy learning for children. Most parents prefer and ensure that children behave in accordance with family protocols. Parents are perhaps of the opinion that television should be kept away to allow children develop their unique individuality.

Cartoons on television are fun for children but some of the character traits are out rightly mischievous for children. The “actions” displayed on cartoons mimicked by children when playing with peers are dangerous. Usadolo and Gwauya (2012) criticized cartoons as promoting unruly behaviour, the pushing, pranks and yelling like animals are hazardous “playful” habits, children learn from cartoon. Some children have innocently killed their playmates while imitating shooting sprees seen on television movies.  Reports on Cable News Network about the 2012 Colorado shootings at the premiere of the new Batman movie alleged that the gun man told the police he was “the Joker”. He was dressed like the Joker; and was expecting Batman to rescue the victims as is customary in Batman movies. The Joker has taken over the true identity of James Eagan Holmes who erroneously absorbed the character of the joker and assumed he was the bona fide Joker in reality.  This is a classic example of imbibing television character and mannerisms into real life experiences and in this case, it affected the mental well-being by making the victim illusional.

Virtues are portrayed in some cartoons but others are intentionally treacherous offering nothing helpful to children and confirming a parent’s nightmare that television is dangerous.  Apart from cartoons there are violent acts in most prime-time drama, a study over a six-year period revealed that there are six aggressive performance every hour. Comedies, news, musicals and games are laced with various acts of violence which children are exposed to (Straubhaar & Larose 1997). Civil conduct and behaviour acceptable for peaceful co-existence should be projected in cartoons to teach good principles and protect them from the effects of violence.  Scholars posit that government should take responsibility of protecting the children from the adverse effects of television but this has not been effective and could be a propelling factor that motivates parental mediation. Children play together regularly and bang their heads with harmful objects and get injuries and start crying in pain. They may be surprised that the situation did not turn out as seen on television where no injury is sustained after fights (Straubhaar & Larose, 2000). Acts of violence on children television can have catastrophic effect for the child, the family and the society at large and parents are afraid of crime and other criminal conduct that can jeopardize the future of children.

Television and Culture   

In our culture the conduct of a child is an indicator that signifies the proper upbringing received from the home front, a child that is devoid of culturally acceptable behaviour is judged to be a disgrace to the family. Parents therefore strive to eliminate factors that may influence children to act in a way that is dishonourable to the family. The contents of programmes children watch on television whether positive or negative determines the outcome (Andah & Laninhun, 2012). Television has a direct influence on culture due to its ability to acculturate people and teach social norms but most of the content does not align with our culture. Despite the fact that television is identified as a socialization medium it does not provide a comprehensive cultural knowledge. Television may not provide the kind of learning and socialization expected by parents to safely release children to watch television without any interference. Our culture has been debased by all kinds culturally unacceptable mannerisms like; sexual laxity, disrespect, greed and cultural caricature on television (Obong, 2021).  Over indulgence in television viewing can reduce mental alertness and vigilance which are counterproductive to class room work requiring sound mental cognizance. The recent dismal failure rate recorded in external examinations perhaps is closely linked to activities and involvement of students viewing too much television programmes.

The addiction to unwholesome eating habits is a major source of childhood diabetics, high blood pressure and heart irregularities which are diseases that were never experienced by children in times past. PEDIATRICS the official journal of the America Academy of Paediatrics (2006) noted that children see 40,000 advertisements every year with half constituting foods which are not nutritious but full of excess sugar and high calorie appetizers. These adverts have a strong influence on children which makes them demand for sweetened foods seen on television. Apart from the health hazards linked with children’s viewing of TV adverts of unhealthy food, there is also the problem of putting pressure on parents to buy junk food on television adverts. This may introduce a strain on the relationship between parents and children, as most parents would not provide money for sugared food.   Alcohol and Tobacco commercials on television during prime-time programmes like family sitcoms also signal danger symbols for children who can unduly be influenced by the appeal it presents on TV. Glamourized violence on television and portrayals of cruelty can make children fearful and they begin to view the world as unsafe which creates unnecessary fear. Studies on behavioural sciences confirm that most children who watch television violence are more likely to become aggressive adults revealing that violence affect all ages and reveals the psychological make up of individuals (Pagani et al 2025; Gerdes, 2004).

Parental Mediation

Violence on television is implied to be a major reason for parents controlling children viewing of television programmes, with the aim of safe guarding the children from misleading information; undue exploitation; TV character impersonation and unwanted social vices. Children can evade the undue influences of television when parents control what they are watching. There is substantial evidence that parental mediation can be effective in curbing the negative effects of television violence. This view is strengthened by the consideration that parents can monitor the use of television by children to reduce the negative effects. Parents can guide children to achieve more from television by a balanced utilization of time spent watching TV and carrying out tasks that are more productive for their well-being. It is certain that parents can mediate television use by children in order to prevent the influence of distorted messages and images presented on television. (Nathanson, 2001; Buijzen & Valkenburg, 2005; Gentile et al, 2012).

Research Questions for the study

The questions for the study are:

RQ 1: How do parents use mediation for reducing the effects of violent television content in children?

 RQ 2: Do parents’ demographic characteristics influence mediation of children’s television programmes?

Research Hypothesis

Ho₁: Violence on television will not prompt parents to mediate more of children’s consumption of television programmes.

The Priming Effects Theory

The priming effects theory is defined by Staubhaar & Larose (2000:399) as “the activation of one thought makes it easier to activate related thoughts”. This suggests that when children are exposed to violent programmes on television it can easily generate thoughts of aggression and violence when triggered by related signals. Viewing violence on television may create connection with aggressive ideas and hostility. Papalia et.al (1999) suggests that the connection with aggression returns during a child’s period of annoyance, attack, panic, agony or any traumatic situation. These moments of assault or disturbance primes the child to respond in a violent manner as a result of past exposure to or experience with violence. Violent images in the media activate similar thoughts in the minds of children who are naturally impressionable. The Priming theory has its roots in psychology in the field of memory, it can be described as a procedure in the brain by which the neuronic set-up observes a stimulus from the external position and it arouses a connection in the brain to indicate reasoning, perception, feeling or comportment (Huesmann & Taylor, 2006).  The observed stimulus can be a baton or any weapon that can trigger a related thought such as beating or fighting. Experiments on the priming theory have shown that children who see violence in the media act more aggressive than others who are not exposed to violent behaviour.

A study on children who were randomly shown a violent and non-violent short film after which they were released to play a game of hockey within the school ground. Eyewitnesses who had no prior knowledge of the different films seen by the boys recorded the number of times the boys attacked each other as they played. Attacks on the body like hitting, shoving, throwing other players on the floor and other forms of battering are penalized in hockey. The result reported is consistent with previous outcomes that children who watched the violent film exhibited more aggression than the group that watched the non-violent clip (Huesmann & Taylor 2006).  Berkowitz is the initiator of the priming theory and it elucidates that the network model of memory imply that information is stored in the structure of nodes in our memory and, when receiving stimulus, the nodes stimulate related nodes. Primed notions make actions and activities associated with them more probable which means when violence in the media primes resentful thoughts, aggression and hostility is to be expected. In view of the priming theory, the propensity of children who have watched violent television programmes to become aggressive or hostile is high. Children often play with each other and violence seen on television can stimulate aggressive behaviour during play. They start fighting and reproduce all kinds of violent activities seen on television. Television violence as stated in the priming theory brings violent ideas to the mind, the violent information stored in the memory of the child via watching television will prompt the child to think and act aggressively. Aggressive conduct is any act that can injure someone else; it could be physical maltreatment or verbal. Some of the common behaviours include pushing, insults, degrading language and other forms of hostility which children display (Bushman, 1998).) The priming theory supports this work because it shows that children have the potential to be primed for aggression when exposed to television violence. Rebellious attitude towards parents can also be a form of aggression when children observe hostile verbal conduct on television, they are inadvertently primed for aggression towards parents. Thus, the need for mediation of television violence is essential to keep children away from its negative priming influence

METHODOLOGY

Survey method was used and data was collected by questionnaire to examine how Nigerian parents mediate the effects of violent television content on children aged 5–12 years. Survey can be helpful for collecting data from different people.  Surveys are good measurements for attitude, perspective or circumstances common within a large population. Copies of the questionnaire were administered to the respondents and collated appropriately. (Wimmer & Dominick, 2011)

 Population and sampling

The Population for this study were parents of children from four purposively selected schools situated around and within residential estates in Ogba environ, Lagos state. The schools comprised of two primary schools and two secondary schools. The choice of secondary schools was included to get data from parents who have children between the ages of 11 and 12 years. Children in this range are mostly in Junior Secondary School as most pupils leave primary school from class 5. The peculiarity of this study made it essential to identify living areas with schools where parents can be reached directly through the schools. The schools were Babcock University Schools (180 pupils), Kingdom Heritage Model School (500 pupils), Tomobid School (300 pupils) and Cayley College (250 pupils). These schools were chosen because of their accessibility. The population for this study was 1,230 parents from where the sample size was selected. Purposive sampling technique was used for this study which can be described as the researcher determines the information that is required and goes out to find people who can provide the information either by understanding or proficiency. Schools were purposively selected around residential areas that have direct access to parents from whom information were collected in the Ogba residential area of Lagos state. This non-probability approach was chosen due to constraints, despite the purposive design, efforts were made to ensure the sample reflects the diverse socio-economic and cultural backgrounds typical of urban Lagos. The sample size for this study was 379 based on the number of pupils in the category of schools, Cochran’s (1977) formula, which is widely applied for estimating proportions in survey research was used for the sample size. The calculation suggests that approximately 293 respondents would be sufficient to estimate the proportion of parents mediating violent television content with a 95% confidence level and a 5% margin of error. However, to account for potential non-responses and to ensure a broader subgroup analysis (e.g., by school type or parental demographic characteristics), the target sample size was further increased. Thus, our final sample target was set at 379, which provides a greater representativeness of the diverse cultural context in urban Lagos.

On the strength of this selection, copies of the questionnaire were administered to parents directly or sent to them through their children. The options provided here were made for effective administration, management and collation of questionnaires.

Data Analysis

The (SPSS) Statistical Package for Social Sciences was used in analysing data to ensure validity and accuracy of results. Responses were collated and analysis of data presented with interpretations. Descriptive statistics with frequency distribution tables was used to aid analysis of data with a graphical representation of findings.  Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to evaluate the influence of parental demographics on mediation practices

Respondents’ socio-demographic characteristics.

Analysis of data showed more female children than males in this study (54.1%. 45.9). Furthermore, children who were 10 years of age had the most proportion (24%), followed by 8 years and nine years (19.2%, 18.5%). Also, parent’s age range that had the largest proportion is 36-40 years (44.5%), followed by 41-45 (32.2%), while the least represented was 25-30 (1.7%). Kingdom Heritage Model School had the largest proportion of respondents (33.6%), followed by Cayley College (25.3%) and Tomobid School (25%), while Babcock High School had the least representation with (16.1%). It further shows that 42.1% of the parents were first degree holders, while those who were married were 92.5%. The parents in this study are mostly literate which implies that they have a good understanding of research work and the prerequisite for carrying out scientific studies. In view of this disclosure parents educational background gives the results of the study some advantage.   It is not surprising that majority of parents have a university education taking into consideration that the schools used in this study are urban private schools.

Frequency distribution of variables

RQ 1: How do parents use mediation for reducing the effects of violent television content in children?

 What parents do when watching TV with their children?

Fig. 4.1a. The graphic above depicts that 75.7% of parents watched and talked to their children about TV contents, (active mediation) 16.8% just watched and enjoyed TV programmes with their children, (co view) while 4.4% of parents do nothing.

Description of what parents discussed with their children

Fig. 4.1b. Table above shows that 49.7% of parents encouraged their children to emulate positive values on television, (active positive mediation) 25.7% instructed their child to turn off their television if contents were offensive, (restrictive mediation) 19.2% criticized the negative values shown on television (active negative mediation) while 2.4% did nothing.

Frequency of restricting children from watching violent programmes

Fig 4.1c. The numbers above reveals that 47.6% of parents always restricted their children from watching violent television programmes, 42.5% restricted them sometimes while 6.8% never restricted their children from watching violent television programmes.

The analysis indicates that majority of parents mediated television content frequently for children and most parents talked extensively with children concerning television content. Active positive and restrictive mediation are most used by parents. (Fujioka & Austin, 2011; Lingwood & Taylor, 2024).

RQ 2: Do parents’ demographic characteristics influence mediation of children’s television programmes?

Table 4.3 Multiple Linear Regression Showing the Influence of Parents’ Demographic Features on Mediation of Children’s Television Programmes

Model		Unstandardized Coefficients		Standardized Coefficients	t	Sig.
		B	Std. Error	Beta
1	(Constant)	1.195	0.141		8.465	0.000
	Parent’s age	0.046	0.023	0.113	1.972	0.050
	Parents’ highest level of education attained	0.006	0.019	0.017	0.302	0.763
	Parents’ religion	0.092	0.075	0.070	1.237	0.217
	Marital status	0.208	0.045	0.269	4.679	0.000
a.     Dependent Variable: Mediation of Television Programmes b.     R2=0.089

The demographic variables in the regression model shown above from a joint perspective had a significant influence on mediation of children’s television programmes (p=0.000), which reveals that parents’ demographic features as a whole significantly influence mediation of children’s television programmes. However, from a relative standpoint, it was only parents’ age (p=0.05) and marital status (0.000) that had a significant influence on mediation of children’s television programmes. Both demographic variables with statistically significant values had positive slope (β=0.046, 0.208 respectively) which by implication means that a change in the demographic features consequently causes a change in the mediation of children’s television programmes. The model further indicates that as parents’ age increases, it increases its influence on mediation of children’s of television programmes and if it reduces, it reduces its influence on mediation of children’s television programmes. Also, it showed that married parents constituted the majority of respondents, however this regression model illustrates that a change in parents’ marital status will significantly influence mediation of children’s television programmes. Demographic characteristics of parents specifically marital status and age are considered influential to mediation of children television programmes. Significantly this means married parents (two parents in the family) supervised more of television viewing since 92.5 % of the respondents in this study are married and majority of respondents are engaged in one form of mediation. For example, 75.7% of parents talked with their children while16.8% co viewed television with children. Similar findings had been reported in earlier studies. The findings conform with Warren (2001), that two parents in a household have more opportunities to cover up for one another and mediate more than a single parent family. The age factor revealed that the older the parent, the more effective they are in providing guidance for children television viewing. This is remarkable in view of the fact that the largest age range of respondents (44.5%) fall between 36 – 40 years while 32.2% are between 41 – 45 years. People in this age bracket are generally assumed to be married and raising children therefore there might be a connection between the ages and parenthood.

Test of Hypothesis

Decision Rule

The pre-set level of significance for this study is 0.05. The Null hypothesis assumes that no relationship or effect exists between the variables under consideration. On the other hand, the alternative hypothesis assumes that a significant relationship or effect exists between the variables under consideration. On the whole, if the P-value (that is, the significance or the probability value) exceeds the pre-set level of significance (which is 0.05), the null hypothesis will not be rejected and the alternative hypothesis will be rejected; but if the P-value is less than or equal to 0.05, this means that the null hypothesis will be rejected and the alternative hypothesis will not be rejected.

Null Hypothesis 1

Ho₁: Violence on television will not prompt parents to mediate more of children’s consumption of television programmes

Table 4.4 Linear regression showing that violence on television can predict mediation of children’s television programmes

Model		Unstandardized Coefficients		Standardized Coefficients	t	Sig.
		B	Std. Error	Beta
1	(Constant)	1.129	0.069		16.289	0.000
	Violence on television	0.525	0.061	0.452	8.637	0.000
a.     Dependent Variable: Mediation of Television Programmes b.     R2=0.205

DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

This study examined how parents used mediation to reduce the harmful effects of television violence in children. A total of 379 questionnaires was administered in four schools. Questionnaire returned was 292 which is almost (80%) response rate. Majority of respondents are young, productive and vibrant parents who have interest in raising children with good values.  In addition, most of the respondents are    well educated as 220 have a university education which implies that they are familiar with academic writing. Most are married with only 10% as singles and 11% are divorced.

Findings showed that parents use mediation frequently for curbing the unwanted effects of television violence in children. The ratio of parents totalling 75.7% discussed television contents with children (active mediation) are more than 47.6% who used restrictive mediation and 16.8% who merely co-viewed with children. This aligns with Bocking and Bocking (2009) which reported active and restrictive mediation as most frequently used by parents in television mediation of violent programmes. Adigwe and van der Walt (2020), also collaborates that parent engaged active and restrictive mediation more for the control of online digital use. Children in the study are reported to have a lower tendency of engaging in pornography and violent games online but there is a high indication that with personal devices like smartphones children can easily engage in risky activities even with increased mediation. This shows that active and restrictive mediation are instructive for both online and traditional media control but there is a likelihood for more risky engagement online with personal devices. Although active and restrictive mediation are the most commonly used by parents but restrictive mediation is used more with younger children according to reports from earlier studies (Helpser et al, 2013; and Livingstone et al 2011; Suarez-Alvarez et al, 2022). Fikkers & Piotrowski (2017), reported that restrictive mediation conveyed in a mode of self-regulation decreases violence.  Boobalakrishnan & Pichandy (2017),also  showed that restrictive mediation was used more frequently for mediation of television violence in India contrary to what obtains in Europe and the West where active mediation is widely reported. A sizeable number of parents in this study also engaged in restrictive mediation while some co-viewed and merely enjoyed television programmes without providing any guidance for children.  Parental conversations with children were more positive than negative as most parents encouraged their children to emulate values on television while 19.2% of parents criticized television contents. Overall, 94.6% of parents provided guidance for children and only a paltry 2.4% are indifferent. Parents adopt active mediation as a protective measure to preserve culturally rooted acceptable social behaviour. The study demonstrates that the priming effects theory provides a robust explanation for why and how parental mediation can counteract the potential priming of television violence in children. It validates the priming effects theory and aptly explains how exposure to violent television content primes children to exhibit aggressive behaviours. The theory postulates that violent images on television can activate neural pathways associated with aggression and make children more inclined to display aggressive behaviour when in a related situation like conflict or frustration. Parents do not want children primed for violence by television contents and this explains the reason for majority of parents using mediation for prevention of aggressive conduct. Traditional values, community cohesion and respectful behaviour are preserved as parents avoid the priming of televised violence which is detrimental to a respectable comportment. These   findings confirm the priming theory as a recent study by Pagani et al (2025), established earlier findings that early exposure to television violence predicted anti-social and aggressive behaviour.   Mediation can help children critically interpret violent media, reduce its priming effect, and strengthen positive behavioural norms because every parent wants to be proud of their children.

CONCLUSIONS

 Violence on children’s television programme is a reality that can impart negatively on children now, and in the future. The more exposed a child is to violence on television the more aggressive or violent the child becomes. Children are capable of reproducing violent scenes shown on television during play or at any other social interactions.  This connotes that aggressive behaviour in children can be linked to exposure of televised violence. Children need protection from television violence, and most parents are concerned about their children’s behaviour. They do not want their children imitate aggression and other anti-social traits on television.   The use of mediation by parents is effective to counter the priming control of television violence in children. Parents who watch and talk about contents shown on television are more effective than parents who do nothing. The traditional cultural norms in Nigeria strongly influence parenting as they use both active discussion with restrictions forestall unruly behaviour in children. Although banning violence in children programmes may seem impossible but it can be minimised to the lowest level. In summary, the study reinforces the theoretical foundations of priming effects and illustrate that both media literacy initiatives and informed parental mediation are crucial in protecting children from the adverse effects of television violence

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Parents should teach and encourage children to develop media literacy skills through discussions that are strategic for building media skills.
• There should be specific media times for parents to deliberately watch and discuss television content rather than unsupervised viewing. It should be a learning experience for the family with children inclined to ask questions about television contents.
• Media literacy should be integrated into school programmes through dedicated classes or workshops.
• Schools and educators should partner with parents to create holiday programmes that combine academic learning with critical examination of media content.
• Government and regulatory agencies should advocate for more rigorous regulations and monitoring systems on channels that broadcast violent or inappropriate content for children.
• They should also recommend public awareness campaigns on the potential negative impacts of television violence.
• Children should be encouraged to watch television for the purpose of learning different values and skills that can help them develop a healthy social and physical life. There is life beyond television which children can explore to the fullest by engaging in both outdoor and indoor activities for leisure and relaxation.
• Parents have an enormous privilege to educate children on the illusory world that television portrays. Children admire their parents greatly and are always ready to willingly follow instructions given out by parents. Viewing television without any conscious parental or adult input should be discouraged.
• Children should not be allowed to watch television for too long. The best way for children to learn is from examples portrayed by models such as parents, this entails that parents should develop and practice excellent television habits which children can easily emulate. Selection of television channels suitable for children should be watched when children are around to avoid children viewing adult channels. The implication is that parents should not watch contents they consider unsuitable on television for children.
• Schools can organize media literacy classes for children educating and enabling them to interpret media messages. This will help them develop the ability to critically analyse television content and draw out meaningful conclusions. Through this, the negative effect of what children view on television would be minimized. The children learn early to discern the negative influence television violence can have on their behaviour.

Suggestion for Further Studies

This study examined parental mediation of violent television programmes for children using parents of children aged 5-12 years old. The work did not explore other television contents which are equally considered inappropriate for children especially programmes with sexual undertones.  Studies can be conducted in this area to find out the views of parents about sexual programmes and what stimulates some parents to intervene in their children viewing of television while other parents are lackadaisical. Future studies can also explore how parents mediate digital platforms which are quite different form traditional television viewing. Factors like family structure, socioeconomic status and parental well-being can be examined to find out its impact on mediation. The chance to find out the negative effects of mediation if any is open for scholars to investigate. Is it possible that control of television programmes can become counterproductive? Studies can also concentrate on parents of teenagers who are older in age and are expected to encounter more challenges due to the influence of peer pressure. How parents mediate the desire for teenagers to dress and act like music stars and actors on television may be a good area to investigate.

Limitations of the Study

This study was conducted using parents in selected schools and this cannot be generalized to parents in other schools or social backgrounds whose experiences may be different from the findings of this study. A major challenge encountered on the field is the refusal of a certain school to allow questionnaires to be administered to parents directly. This school in particular seems to be protective of parents, from whom they derived the financial muscle to support the school. The school authorities gave the questionnaires to the pupils to deliver to their parents.

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