Parents’ Literacy on Children Television Viewing Mediation Practice in Tanzania: A Case study of Kibaha Town, Coast Region.

Mwalugaja, Bujo Ambosisye (2025) Parents’ Literacy on Children Television Viewing Mediation Practice in Tanzania: A Case study of Kibaha Town, Coast Region. Masters thesis, The Open University of Tanzania.

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Abstract

This study underscored “Parents’ Mediation Literacy on Children’s Television Viewing Practices in Tanzania: A Case Study of Kibaha Town, Coast Region,”. The study examined parents' mediation literacy levels in Kibaha town, Coast region, sources of media literacy education, strategies used to mitigate negative effects while maximizing benefits, and factors influencing their choice of mediation strategies. Methodologically, it employed a cross-sectional survey design, systematic sampling, interviews, and descriptive analysis using frequency distribution and percentiles. Findings revealed that 94% of parents exhibit low mediation literacy, and 62% lack access to media literacy education. Most parents (72%) rely on restrictive strategies, focusing more on minimizing negative effects than on maximizing benefits. Only 37.6% consider television's benefits when selecting strategies, while 33.6% base their choices on availability at home, and 28.8% on children’s household responsibilities. These factors contribute to the dominance of restrictive mediation, limiting children's access to television's potential benefits. In conclusion, the study highlights that most parents in Kibaha town, Coast region have low mediation literacy, limiting their ability to effectively mediate their children's television viewing. It recommends that the Government of Tanzania, in collaboration with media literacy stakeholders, initiate projects to develop guidelines and resources for media literacy education. Keywords: Parents’ Mediation Literacy, Children’s Television Viewing Practices, Tanzania

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