Changes in Children’s Media Use and Adult Media Experience: Cohort Comparison Before and After COVID-19
AUTHOR : 이수현
INFORMATION : page. 189~202 / 2022 Vol.29 No.2
ABSTRACT
This study aims to explore the changes in media use and adult media experience of 4th to 6th graders in elementary school before and after COVID-19, and investigates the cohort effect and the effect of media use on children’s adult media experience. The 2018 and 2020 cohorts (N = 9,394, 49.3% boys) were compared using the data of the Survey on Youth Media Use and Hazardous Environment. The independent sample t-test showed that the 2020 cohort used less traditional media and more new media when compared to the 2018 cohort. Also, adult media experience was higher in the cohort after COVID-19. The multiple regression analysis demonstrated the significant effect of the cohort, traditional media use, and the new media use on children’s adult media experience. The effect of new media use was larger than that of traditional media use. Together, the results imply the importance of both the media environment and the caring environment for children’s proper media use. Also, the results call for media literacy education for both parents and children to cultivate a healthy digital native generation in a fast-changing media environment.