Presenter: Ziyi Zou

Social Media Influence on Parents' Perceptions of Video Games: A Study of Chinese Social Media

Type of Presentation: Poster

Abstract

This research proposal is based on my interest in video games. Personally, I think video games are enjoyable, but some parents in China believe that video games are harmful to children, almost like drugs. Previous research focuses on parents’ perspectives on video games, and it suggests that many parents think video games are harmful to their children and try to protect them from games. Existing research mainly focuses on parents’ negative perspectives on video games, but it does not fully explain how they form these opinions. This leads to my research question: How does positive and negative information on social media affect parents’ perspectives on video games? The data for this study would be collected from Chinese parents. The research methods would include both experiments and interviews. I expect the findings to show that parents can be influenced more by the information posted on social media than by video games themselves. A limitation of this research is that it only focuses on information found on social media and does not examine factors like family background, education level, or experience with video games. Overall, this proposed research aims to provide a better understanding of how social media may shape parents’ attitudes toward video games in China.

Biography

Ziyi Zou is a first-year Vantage One Arts student at the University of British Columbia who is interested in video games, social media, and youth culture. His research focuses on the relationship between digital media, parental perspectives, and teenagers’ behavior.