Referees' reports - 2010

Reports:

The article examines online communication and the influence of parental mediation based on a survey to a group of teenagers with ADHD and another group of normal teenagers. The article studies the risks and consequences of Internet communication, which is not only revolutionising the world of communicative interaction but also the world of social relations.

The article contextualises very well the use of the Internet by young people and the particularities of teens with ADHD, who are considered as vulnerable group in the use of new technologies.

The article addresses online communication from a necessary perspective because teenagers are a strategic group whose habits of online consumption may condition the future relationships between the media and their audiences. This investigation is remarkable because it was carried out rigorously, is properly based on the review of previous research, and uses instruments of analysis that are part of a robust methodology.

Apart from deepening into the relations and influences between the Internet and its users, it opens new avenues of research on the communication between parents and children regarding the use of the Internet. The bibliography is appropriate and updated. For all this reasons, I recommend the publication of the article, without any changes.-- Miguel Túñez, Ph.D. - University of Santiago de Compostela

Reports on the article:

The article presents the results of a descriptive and comparative investigation, based on a sample of 232 teens from the Basque Country, who answered the Television Viewing Habits Questionnaire CH-TV 0.2 to identify the similarities and differences between teens with ADHD and normal teens, regarding: 1) Internet consumption; 2) the purpose of Internet use; 3) the perceived styles of parental Internet mediation.

The questionnaire also aimed to identify the possible relations between the Internet consumption profile and the perceived styles of parental mediation of adolescents with ADHD and normal adolescents.
The study also presents a theoretical review that includes perspectives from several authors on adolescents’ use of the Internet, parental mediation and ADHD, in order to analyse the data collected.

The data are certainly valuable and open up other fields of research, which could include qualitative research instruments to further explore the main conclusion: adolescents with and without ADHD use the Internet more as a medium of communication and entertainment than as a medium to assist homework or education, which is the interest or belief of the parents.

The study redoubles its value because it compares Internet consumption between normal adolescents and adolescents with ADHD.-- Karina Valarezo-González, Ph.D. - Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, Ecuador.

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