Center on Media and Child Health

Our Readers' New Year's Media Resolutions

CMCH is ringing in the new year by compiling a list of our readers' media resolutions for 2009. We hope that they help you come up with practical ideas for making your family's media use the most positive experience it can be. To submit your own media resolution, please comment on this post. 

We asked those who have written Parent Perspectives for our Parents' Newsletter to submit their resolutions to help us get the ball rolling. Here are some that we've received so far:

Beth: "I will learn how to set the one-hour automatic shut-off parental controls feature on our XBox 360."

Nanami: "One night each week will be a storytelling night where everyone gets a chance to tell a story to the family."

We look forward to your contribution!

Research Wrap-Up: December 26, 2008

Here is a list of recently published studies on children, media, and health which explore a range of topics:

• Assessment of the association between hours of TV viewing and the trajectory of BMI growth from Kindergarten to Grade 5 among US children.
• Examination of use and subsequent sexual attitudes and behaviors of adolescents predicted by exposure to sexually explicit content in adult magazines, X-rated movies, and the Internet. 
• Examination of the results of a meta-analysis of empirical studies on Internet addiction published in academic journals for the period 1996–2006.

Brown, J.D, & L' Engle, K.L. (2009). X-Rated: Sexual Attitudes and Behaviors Associated With U.S. Early Adolescents' Exposure to Sexually Explicit Media. J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol. Available online Dec 10.

Danner, F.W. (2008). A National Longitudinal Study of the Association Between Hours of TV Viewing and the Trajectory of BMI Growth Among US Children. Journal of Pediatric Psychology. 33(10), 1100-1107.

Sabina, C., Wolak, J. &  Finkelhor, D. (2008). The Nature and Dynamics of Internet Pornography Exposure for Youth. CyberPsychology & Behavior. 11(6), 691-693.

Siomos, K.E., Dafouli, E.D., Braimiotis, D.A., Mouzas,O.D. &  Angelopoulos, N.V. (2008). Internet Addiction among Greek Adolescent Students. CyberPsychology & Behavior.  11(6),  653-657.

Byun, S. et al. (2008). Internet Addiction: Metasynthesis of 1996–2006 Quantitative Research. CyberPsychology & Behavior. Available Online December 10.

Research Wrap-Up: December 12, 2008

Here is a list of recently published studies on children, media, and health which explore a range of topics:

• Examination of aggression in children with behavioural and emotional difficulties associated with television viewing and video game playing.
• Examination of the use of breast cancer storylines in multiple primetime TV shows to reinforce  health messages.
• Evaluation of leisure sedentary and active behavior in Scottish adolescents.
• Examination of sources of health-related information accessed by female college students with and without body image distortions, and the believability of those sources.
   

Biddle, S.J., Gorely, T., Marshall, S.J., &  Cameron, N. (2008).The prevalence of sedentary behavior and physical activity in leisure time: A study of Scottish adolescents using ecological momentary assessment. Prev Med.  Available Online November 11.

Hether, H.J., Huang, G.C., Beck, V., Murphy, S.T., & Valente, T.W. (2008).Entertainment-education in a media-saturated environment: examining the impact of single and multiple exposures to breast cancer storylines on two popular medical dramas. J Health Commun. 13(8), 808-823.

Mitrofan, O., Paul, M., & Spencer, N. (2008). Is aggression in children with behavioural and emotional difficulties associated with television viewing and video game playing? A systematic review. Child Care Health Dev. Available online Nov 12.

Nustad, J., Adams, T.,  & Moore, M. (2008). Health Information Sources Accessed by College Females: Differences Between Body-Image Distorted and Non-Body-Image Distorted. Health Mark Q. 25(3), 241-253.

Paul, .CL., Walsh, R.A., Stacey, F., Tzelepis, F., Oakes, W., & Tang, A. (2008). Smoking in movies in Australia: who feels over-exposed and what level of regulation will the community accept? Health Promot J Austr. 19(3), 229-231.

How Young People Educate Themselves...Digitally

The recently published findings from the Digital Youth Project, funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, shed some interesting light on how young people use media and on the benefits of that use. Contrary to what the report calls common adult perceptions, the findings suggest that digital media are important to young people's development and socialization in today's world.

The research summary explains that "the digital world is creating new opportunities for youth to grapple with social norms, explore interests, develop technical skills, and experiment with new forms of self-expression." It also found that digital media allow young people to explore their own interests in ways that formal education often does not.

According to the three-year ethnographic study, in which researchers conducted hundreds of interviews, collected thousands of online profiles, and observed youth using media for thousands of hours, young people's time online is mostly spent developing pre-existing offline friendships or exploring specific interests. The authors recommend that educators and other adults support this engagement with digital media and consider ways of using it more effectively in formal education.

Research Wrap-Up: December 1, 2008

Here is a list of recently published studies on children, media, and health exploring a range of topics:

• To examine the relationship between exposure to violent electronic games and aggressive cognitions and behavior.
• To evaluate the overlap among targets of, and the similarities between, online and in-school bullying among Internet-using adolescents.
• To determine the impact of computer games on cognitive performance.
• To examine youth's exposure to advertisements for cigarettes and explore the relationship between youths' understandings of cigarette advertisements and their susceptibility to smoking.

Barlett, C.P., Vowels, C.L., Shanteau, J., Crow, J., &  Miller, T. (2009). The effect of violent and non-violent computer games on cognitive performance. Computers in Human Behavior. 21(1), 96-102.

Freeman, D., Brucks, M., Wallendorf, M., Boland, W. (2009). Youths' understandings of cigarette advertisements. Addictive Behaviors. 31 (1), 36-42.

Juvonen, J., & Gross, E.F. (2008). Extending the school grounds?--Bullying experiences in cyberspace. J Sch Health. 78(9), 496-505.

Möller, I., & Krahé, B. (2008). Exposure to violent video games and aggression in German adolescents: a longitudinal analysis. Aggress Behav. Available online Nov 17.

Wack, E., & Tantleff-Dunn, S. (2008). Relationships between Electronic Game Play, Obesity, and Psychosocial Functioning in Young Men. CyberPsychology & Behavior. Available November.