The article attempts to identify and characterise the selected social determinants of media literacy in a family. First of these is the generational diversity that conditions different competences and ways of media use. The constant presence of media in a family unit and its integral connection with daily life within that family provoke the statement that the media has become an important participant in the process of communication. Therefore, the second determinant is constituted by the models of communication in the family: whether these are one-way, two-way or non-directional communication models. On the basis of the variety of communication types, this paper concentrates on the negotiation model of communication – this being considered to be the most adequate in the active use of media. The discussion takes the perspective of “soft” media determinism by Paul Levinson.