Extensive research has been carried out to examine the effects of traditional media content on children, where exposure to traditional media content has been linked with increased materialism and parent-child conflict, and decreased life satisfaction. Empirical evidence whether these assumptions would also be valid for a new media form, commercial YouTube content, is however missing. Moreover, especially with the rise of nontraditional media and, more specifically YouTube, a platform that is extremely frequently used by children, it is highly concerning that there is such a lack in academic literature regarding the effects of the platform on such an impressionable audience. To challenge this, the present study employs an online survey research among 150 parents of children between the ages of 11 and 14 years as previous studies have shown that this age group is considered the most impressionable target group when it comes to media exposure and materialism. This study approaches the subject from a parental perspective rather than focusing on the children directly as parents often monitor their child’s media usage and are worried about the psychological effects of this usage. An investigation whether the amount of commercial YouTube content they get exposed to makes them more materialistic, causes more conflicts between parent and child after denial of a purchase request, and makes children less happy, is conducted. Moreover, besides studying the effects of commercial YouTube content on these three variables, the effects between materialism and parent-child conflict, materialism and life satisfaction, and parent-child conflict and life satisfaction were investigated as well. Namely, it was researched whether an increase in materialism would lead to an increase in parent-child conflict and a decrease in life satisfaction. In addition to this, the effect of parent-child conflict on life satisfaction is studied as well. Based on literature, it was hypothesized that commercial YouTube content had a positive effect on materialism and parent-child conflict and a negative effect on life satisfaction. As to the other effects, it was expected that materialism and parent-child conflict had a negative effect on life satisfaction and that materialism had a positive effect on parent-child conflict. Three separate multiple regression analyses confirm the expected associations between exposure to YouTube usage and materialism, but not between YouTube usage and parent-child conflict and YouTube usage and life satisfaction. However, the expected associations between materialism and parent-child conflict, materialism and life satisfaction, and parent-child conflict and life satisfaction are confirmed. The findings of this research could aid in raising awareness among parents regarding their child’s YouTube usage, creating a better bond between parent and child, and help managing authorities and their-decision-making practices regarding YouTube content.

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Dr. Suzanna J. Opree
hdl.handle.net/2105/65202
Media & Business
Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication

Nena Lutam. (2022, July 25). Through the eyes of the parents: The effect of commercial YouTube content on children’s materialism, parent-child conflict and life satisfaction. Media & Business. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/2105/65202