Center on Media and Child Health

Research Wrap-Up: January 30, 2009

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

• To investigate time use in Australian preschool children, particularly the types of television programs and videos/DVDs they watch.
• To examine gender stereotyping of characters in advertising directed at Dutch children.
• To analyze the prevalence of bullying victims among children and adolescents aged 8 to 18 years in 11 European countries and to investigate the associated sociodemographic, physical, and psychosocial factors.

Analitis, F. et al. (2009). Being Bullied: Associated Factors in Children and Adolescents 8 to 18 Years Old in 11 European Countries. Pediatrics, 123 (2),  569-577.

Beentjes, J.W.J. & Janssen, L. (2009). Dutch Children's Judgments of Gender Stereotypical in Advertisements Dutch Children. Journal of Children and Media, 3(1),68 -79.

Duke, J.C., Allen, J.A., Pederson, L.L., Mowery, P.D., Xiao. H., Sargent, J.D.(2009). Reported exposure to pro-tobacco messages in the media: trends among youth in the United States, 2000-2004. Am J Health Promot. 23(3), 195-202.

Padilla-Walker, L.M., Nelson, L.J., Carroll, J.S.,& Jensen, A.C. (2009). More Than a Just a Game: Video Game and Internet Use During Emerging Adulthood. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, Available Online January 10.

Skouteris, H. & McHardy, K. (2009).Television Viewing Habits and Time Use in Australian Preschool Children: An Exploratory Study. Journal of Children and Media, 3(1), 80 – 89.

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Use the free CMCH Database of Research to find other studies on children, media, and health.

Don't Warn Parents about Harmful Effects of Video Game Violence?

In early January, Rep. Joe Baca (D-CA) reintroduced a bill in the California Congress that would require all video games rated T (Teen) or higher to include a label that reads "WARNING: Excessive exposure to violent video games and other violent media has been linked to aggressive behavior."

The Entertainment Consumers Association has responded to the proposal by launching a campaign that has drummed up a good deal of support from gaming blogs. Despite the fact that the bill (and the sticker it proposes) would not restrict video game content, the ECA campaign attempts to show that the bill "is an unconstitutional restraint on speech that will harm consumers and parents alike." It also claims that "the vast majority of studies show that there is no proven causal link between violent media of any type and aggressive behavior."

The research, however, indicates otherwise. Lab-based research by Craig Anderson suggests that playing violent video games increases players' aggressive behavior and makes it more likely that they will deal with conflict aggressively. For more information, see the APA website, or see Chapter 11 of The Handbook of Children, Media, and Development, which reviews the most current research on the relationship between media violence and aggression in young people. 

Research Wrap-Up: January 16, 2009

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

• To examine of possible associations between television viewing and video game playing and children's aggression have become public health concerns.
• To examine the association between sedentary activities, including small-screen recreation (SSR: watching TV/DVDs/videos, recreational computer use) and cardio-respiratory endurance (CRE) in children aged 11–15 years.
• To describe screen time use and factors related to screen time among urban children with persistent asthma.

Conn, K.M., Hernandez, T., Puthoor, P., Fagnano, M. &  Halterman, J. S. (2009). Screen Time Use Among Urban Children With Asthma, Academic Pediatrics,  9(1), 60-63.

Freeman,D., Brucks, M., Wallendorf, M. & Boland, W. (2009). Youths' understandings of cigarette advertisements, Addictive Behaviors. 34(1), 36-42.

Hardy, L.L., Dobbins, T.A., Denney-Wilson, E.A., Okely, A. D., & Booth, M. L. (2009). Sedentariness, small-screen recreation, and fitness in youth, American Journal of Preventive Medicine,  36(2), 120-125.

Mitrofan,O.,  Paul, M. &  Spencer, N. (2009). Is aggression in children with behavioural and emotional difficulties associated with television viewing and video game playing? A systematic review. Child: Care, Health & Development, 35(1), 5-15.

Swinburn, B. (2009). Obesity Prevention in Children and Adolescents. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 18(1), 209-223.

Use the free CMCH Database of Research to find other studies on children, media, and health.

Video Games Poised for Takeover

Mike Griffith, president and CEO of Activision (makers of wildly popular video game Guitar Hero), proclaimed in a recent press conference that video games are "poised to eclipse all other forms of entertainment in the decade ahead."

While sales of music, movie tickets, and DVDs have all dropped in the past 4 years, video game sales have sky-rocketed.  Griffith cites the games' interactive nature as being more interesting for consumers. 

Research Wrap-Up: January 9, 2009

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

• To study the effects of smoking in a film trailer and its impact on  strengthen the attractiveness of smokers in youth.
• To determine the prevalence of and associations among displayed risk behavior information that suggests sexual behavior, substance use, and violence in a random sample of the self-reported 18-year-old adolescents' publicly accessible MySpace Web profiles.
• To determine whether an online intervention reduces references to sex and substance abuse on social networking Web sites among at-risk adolescents.
• To assess the efficacy of a smoking cessation program using mobile phone text messaging to provide tailored and stage-specific messages to college smokers.
• To assess shopping as a gendered activity.

Hanewinke, R. (2009).Cigarette Smoking and Perception of a Movie Character in a Film Trailer. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 163(1),15-18.

Moreno. M.A., Parks. M.R., Zimmerman, F.J., Brito, T.E. &Christakis, D.A.(2009). Display of Health Risk Behaviors on MySpace by Adolescents: Prevalence and Associations. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 163(1),27-34.

Moreno, M.A.,VanderStoep, A., Parks, M.R., Zimmerman, F.J., Kurth, A. & Christakis, D.A. (2009). Reducing At-Risk Adolescents' Display of Risk Behavior on a Social Networking Web Site: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Intervention Trial. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 163(1),35-41.

Brusdal, R. & Lavik, R. (2008). Just shopping?: A closer look at youth and shopping in Norway . Young. 16(4),393-408

Riley. W., Obermayer, J. & Jean-Mary, J. (2008). Internet and mobile phone text messaging intervention for college smokers. J Am Coll Health. 57(2),245-8.

Discussing Risky Behavior Online is...Well...Risky

This month's issue of Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine includes two related studies about teens' online discussion of their own risk behaviors, whether real or invented, in the real world. Researchers at Seattle Children's Research Institute conducted both studies.

One study found that most teens do discuss sex, substance use, or violence on social networking sites. The other shows that many of these teens can be convinced to change their online behavior with relatively little prompting--in this case, a researcher emailed teens whose public profiles included risk-behavior content. The email recommended making their profiles private or taking down such content, pointing out that anyone--including potential employers--could see it. It also raised health concerns about the behaviors. Many students who received the email took some of her suggestions.

In both USA Today and White Coat Notes (Boston.com's blog about the Boston medical community), CMCH Director Michael Rich, MD, MPh, comments on the studies. The blog posting says that, according to Dr. RIch, "social networking sites [are] venues where young people channel their images and ideas, connecting with peers as they try on different identities. Where they can get into trouble is believing what they put on their profiles remains anonymous." And as this research suggests, a wake-up call might make them reconsider.