PREDICTORS OF CHILDRENS ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION VIEWING - WHY ARE THEY TUNING IN

Three hundred and twenty six 3- and 5-year-olds (N = 160 3-year-olds) participated in a longitudinal study of the sociological and ecologica l predictors of children's general audience and child entertainment vi ewing. Viewing was assessed through five weekly diaries for each child , completed by families over a two-year period. Concurrent analyses of program availability family demographics/attributes, and child charac teristics indicated that children who were frequent viewers of enterta inment programs had parents who had limited education, access to cable , and incorporated television into their activities. Although parental regulation and encouragement played a role in children's viewing expe riences, particularly at 5 and 7 years of age, the strongest long-term predictors on children's entertainment viewing were parents' educatio n, family size, and the age and sex of the child. Parents need to beco me more aware of their role in shaping their children's viewing habits . Responsibility for improving children's television viewing experienc es, however, should not rely solely with parents but must be shared by educators, broadcasters, and legislators.