Perceived negativity of news, news distrust, and news overload as predictors of intentional news avoidance in preadolescents and their parents

Abstract

People are avoiding news more and more. To better understand which factors predict intentional news avoidance in preadolescents and their parents, we tested perceived negativity of news (H1), news distrust (H2), and news overload (H3) as statistical predictors. We also explored the interrelations between preadolescent- and parent-reported variables (RQ1, RQ2). Using cross-sectional survey data of 192 preadolescents (mean age = 10.4 years; 57 % female) and 214 parents (mean age = 43.0 years; 89 % female), we found that perceived negativity of news predicted preadolescents’ intentional news avoidance. For parents, news overload predicted intentional news avoidance. We found positive correlations between preadolescent- and parent-reported variables. None of the parent-reported predictor variables predicted preadolescents’ intentional news avoidance, but parents’ own news avoidance did. We offer solutions for preadolescents, parents, as well as news agencies.