Children, Adolescents, and the Media Book

This book overviews what is known about the impact of mass media on youth in the 21st century. The goal is to provide a comprehensive, research-oriented treatment of how children and adolescents interact with the media. Each chapter reviews the latest findings as well as seminal studies that have helped frame the issues in such areas as advertising, violence, video games, sexuality, drugs, body image and eating disorders, music, and the Internet. Because research alone can be dry and difficult to follow, each chapter is liberally sprinkled with illustrations, examples from the media, policy debates, and real-life instances of media impact. The intent is to show the relevance of social science research to media-related issues involving youth. The book concludes with chapters on media literacy and a series of recommendations for how students can help in the search for solutions to current media-related problems. The authors take an approach grounded in the media effects tradition, targeting areas that are most controversial and at the heart of debates about mass media and public health and equipping students to approach the media as critical consumers. Read More