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Media and Children
Every day children are exposed to the best and worst of our society thorough media. The media include television, radio, Internet, video games, and other forms of electronic devices. For better or worse, media impacts children's achievement, behavior, and health. Significant mediating factors include parental supervision, amount and type of media, and child characteristics.
The results of a nationwide survey of 3,155 youngsters found that the average American child has access to an impressive array of electronic media—three televisions, three tape players, three radios, two CD players, one video game player, and one computer. They found that children 8 to 18 years of age average nearly 6.75 hours with media every day. Sixty-five percent of these children and adolescents watch TV with their meals and have a TV in their bedrooms, while 61% stated they had no rules about TV in their homes. Only 5% of these youngsters watched TV with their parents. Although 21% have computers, respondents averaged only 21 minutes per day playing computer games. In addition, older teens spend, on average, 87 minutes per day listening to music. Children 2 to 7 years of age average 3.5 hours per day with media and 32% of this group have a TV in their bedrooms.
Media's Impact on Achievement
Preschool Level
Before kindergarten, parents who select educational TV programs like Sesame Street provide their child with a solid advantage. Longitudinal research has found positive outcomes for students watching Sesame Street. Using Center for Research on the Influences of Television on Children (CRITC) data, Wright and colleagues (2001) found positive correlations between Sesame Street and scores in reading, math, vocabulary, and readiness even when factors like socioeconomic status were statistically controlled. Huston and colleagues (2001) found that when compared to nonviewers, high school students who had watched Sesame Street as preschoolers read more books; academically outperformed nonviewers in English, science, and math; and were more highly motivated to achieve. They also found that males who watched Sesame Street as five-year-olds were less aggressive as teens than those who did not watch.
Committed to children's best interests, the producers of Sesame Street use child development principles to teach concepts. Fisch (2002) reviewed educational TV and noted improvements in students’ language skills from shows including Barney & Friends, Between the Lines, Blue's Clues, and Electric Company. Reading comprehension skills were improved in students watching Reading Rainbow with increases in library usage noted.
In Huston's early learning model, TV's educational programs promote language skills, motivation, and behaviors needed to sustain attention and concentration. As a result, students experience early academic success, which firmly sets the foundation for future success.
Elementary Level
While educational programs are excellent examples of TV's promise, the reality is that TV incessantly promotes itself as entertainment. Cunningham and Stanovich (1998) reported that individuals reading popular magazines had three times more opportunities to learn new vocabulary words than those watching prime-time TV. A three-year Dutch study of second and fourth graders found that TV negatively influenced reading comprehension skills by reducing recreational reading and depreciating reading's value. They also found that reading subtitles on televised programs improved reading.
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