The influence of media usage on family functioning

Media usage is pervasive in young children and in parents. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of media usage on family functioning. To measure media usage we used the Media Usage Questionnaire (MUQ). To measure the family functioning we used the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales (FACES IV), in which balanced scores (cohesion and flexibility) reveal a healthy functioning, and unbalanced scores reveal a dysfunctional functioning (disengagement, enmeshment, rigidity and chaos). Both instruments were administered to a sample of 80 families with children aged from 1 to 8 years. Results indicated that family functioning was balanced when both parents and young children showed low levels of digital device usage, whereas family functioning was dysfunctional when parents showed high levels of media usage and they allowed children high usage too. The results are discussed in terms of implications for the analysis of risk of altered family functioning.