Parents, you’re likely the ones exposing your kids to inappropriate content

• A new study found parents are likely to be exposing their kids to age-inappropriate content. Researchers found a link between parental screen time and exposure to mature content.
• The more time parents spend on screen-based devices, the more likely their child is exposed to this content.
• The study specifically focused on exposure to R-rated movies and mature video games.

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Many parents have rules about what they do and don’t want their kids to see at any given age, but in a world of technology, it can be hard to keep them away from content parents deem inappropriate. Now, a new study shows parents may be their own worst enemy.

The study published on Tuesday, Feb. 4, in the journal BMC Pediatrics found the more time parents spend on their phones, the more age-inappropriate content children are exposed to.

How did researchers come to that conclusion?

For the study, researchers used data from the National Institutes of Health’s Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study. They looked at patterns for more than 10,000 “young adolescents” who were 12 and 13 years old.

Researchers used a 1-4 scale and had parents agree or disagree with a statement. For example, parents would be given a statement like “I try to limit how much I use a screen-based device when I’m with my child” and then answer one (strongly disagree) to four (strongly agree). 

Then they had kids answer two questions on a scale from zero-3, zero meaning “never” and a three being “all the time. Those questions were, “How often do you watch R-rated movies?” and “How often do you play mature-rated video games?” 

The study found that each unit of parental screen time on the 1-4 scale resulted in an 11% increase in children watching R-rated movies or playing mature video games. It also found frequent screen time during meals or in the bedroom was notably associated with exposure to mature content. 

So, what exactly does that mean? 

According to the study, kids are paying attention to their parents, even if it’s not in the way parents want them to.