It is evident that parents set rules about time use so that children and teenagers achieve a balance with other activities. The most frequently mentioned rules about content were not being allowed to watch or play anything with too much violence, fighting and sexual content. The principal reasons for having these rules were perceptions that programs and games could have a bad effect on the child and that bad habits, language and ideas could be picked up. Younger children and teenagers had more restrictions and were subject to greater supervision. Family routines around electronic entertainment use Routines refer to general monitoring actions undertaken be parents.
Many routines are unspoken and informal.
Most parents said they engaged in routines around electronic entertainment at least some of the time . There was a high level of agreement between parents and children about the rules and routines applying to the use of electronic entertainment. In households where perceptions about rules did not match, there was a tendency for children and teenagers to report fewer rules than parents. The study supported an explanation that children and teenagers were not fully aware of all the monitoring actions of parents. There was little relationship between the level of parental comfort with, and knowledge about, computers and whether rules were in place.