Abstract

For the last decade, research has shown inconsistent findings about validity of parental mediation scales for children’s Internet use. This inconsistency has manifested itself in at least 10 parental mediation models, which are also inconsistent in contents and definitions, lacking content validity thereof. With the goal of facilitating a consistent framework, this narrative review focuses on the content and factorial validity of 10 measurement scales. A panel of eight experienced researchers in the field of children’s online safety/risks assessed the content validity. Based on this assessment, the present review proposes a trichotomy of restrictive-enabling-observant parental mediation and corresponding conceptual definitions for further research.