The Impact of Television other Media on Children s Development

1. The Impact of Television & other Media on Children�s Development Marilyn B. Benoit, M.D. Past President, American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry

2. Acknowledgment Thanks to Susan Villani, MD who contributed to the preparation of this slide presentation.

3. Types Of Media Television Computers Internet Music Videos & Songs Video Games

4. Outline Background: Early childhood Brain Research Essential Skills Children Need

5. Outline Cont�d Extent of use of media by American children and youth. Influence of Media: Aspects of development affected. Factors that mediate influence of media. What can we do to shape how our children use the media?

6. Background Nature vs. Nurture debate is over! Importance of environmental factors on development. Environment and genetic influence.

7. Decade of the Brain Erickson�s Childhood & Society Institute of Medicine�s Neurons to Neighborhoods

8. Brain and its reciprocal and dynamic relationship with the environment.: environment shapes and modifies the very architecture of the brain, as the brain influences how a person interacts with the environment.

9. Critical periods: essential brain function is established or a particular event occurs in the brain e.g pruning of dendrites. Developmental plasticity: capacity of the brain to be influenced in its growth.

10. Lessons from Early Childhood Education: Stimulation sets course for optimal brain development regardless of inherited intelligence potential. Need for appropriate and sufficient stimulation in infancy and preschool years. Imitation and modeling are important social learning modalities.

11. Lessons from Early Childhood Education: Maria Montessori and the concept of the environment developing the �mental flesh� of the brain. Piaget and his schemata: internal mental representations that are brain�s recognition system to allow child to relate to the familiar and move towards understanding the unfamiliar.

12. Brain Research Neural networks: webs of interconnecting nerve fibers traversing the brain that develop in response to environmental stimulation. Density of neural connections greater with increased stimulation.

13. Brain Research Neuroscience mantra: �Neurons that fire together wire together.� Helps in understanding associative memory. The more sensory systems that are recruited during an experience, the more reinforced is memory for that event. If the pleasure center is activated, activity is reinforced.

14. SUMMARY Environment provides stimulation through its content and context. Accesses the brain via the sensory systems. Learning and behavior are reinforced with gratifying experiences, especially if gratification is immediate and repetitive. Media provides models to our children.

15. What Do Children Need? Sense of mastery and competence. To acquire self-regulation: regulation of attention regulation of affect manage mood states and anxieties manage impulsivity manage their overall behaviors

16. What Do Children Need? To develop a capacity to self soothe in the face of disappointment. To develop frustration tolerance Delay gratification To develop a motivational system that facilitates prosocial adaptation.

17. What Do Television and Media Have to Do with Children�s Development? Media Industry has a major presence in our children�s lives in America. (Children spend more time with the media than any other activity besides sleeping). Hence, television and other media function as a major �school� of social learning.

18. Kaiser Family Foundation Study: �Documented a potentially revolutionary phenomenon in American society: the immersion of our very youngest children, from a few months to a few years old, in the world of electronic and interactive media�.it is an issue that demands immediate attention from parents, educators, researchers and health professionals.�

19. Media Ownership in United States In 1950, only 10% of American homes had a television. By 1960, that percentage had grown to 90%. Today, 99% of homes have a television set. 97% have VCR�s & DVD�s 70% have video game players two thirds have personal computers

21. Seduction of the Media Children often eat & drink high fat, high calorie, low nutritious foods while viewing television, videos & playing at video arcades. This is a climate of high gratification.

22. Just the Facts:

23. Media Usage as % Time Television 41% Audio media (radio, CD�s and tapes) 24% Videotapes and movies 14% Print 9% Video games 6% Computers 6%

24. Time Spent Watching Television Age Hrs/Min per week 2-5 years 27:49 6-11 years 23:29 teenaged boys 21:16 teenaged women 33:40 *data from 1990 Nielson report on television

25. Demographics 78% whites vs. 55% African-Americans and 48% Hispanics live in computer equipped households 59% boys� homes vs. 32% girls� homes contain a video game system

26. Demographics Cont�d African-American youth: 10 hours per day of media exposure Hispanic youth: 9 hours White youth: 7 hours

29. Eron�s Research 1972 Research which tracked the viewing habits of single individuals found that 8 year old boys who viewed the most violent programs were most likely to engage in aggressive, delinquent behaviors by age 18, and serious criminal behavior by age 30.

33. Australian Research Cont�d A subgoup of these adolescents with pre-existing family problems for whom the music resonated with their own feelings stated that the music made them feel better. Another subgroup, representing 11% of the study, stated that the music made them sadder.

34. What are the Children viewing? 50% of MTV videos contain episodes of frank violence 20% of rap videos portray violence a weapon was displayed in 19% of rap and rock videos 25% of MTV videos portray tobacco use 25% of MTV videos portray alcohol use

35. What are the Children viewing? Japanese Anime: a new phenomenon with American adolescents. Themes of good vs evil as well as sexual ambiguity.

36. What are our Children Watching? 15% of videos showed instances of interpersonal violence In those videos, 80% of the time, the aggressor was an attractive role model Males are 3 times as likely to be the aggressor Females are most often the victims African-Americans were over-represented as both aggressors and victims compared to actual demographics

37. Research Results Violent video game play was a predictor of delinquency Positive correlation between violent video games and aggressive personality Total time spent playing has a detrimental effect on grades

38. Aspects of Children�s Development Affected by Media Learning : amount of time spent reading Attention span Behavior (modeling, imitation e.g. WWF) Affective states esp. in vulnerable kids. Physiological arousal (excitatory states) Perception of time & development of �patience�e.g. �internet time�

39. Aspects of Children�s Development Affected by Media Motivation Aggression Choices as consumers Interpersonal Relationships (empathy) Health Status (obesity, diabetes) Sleeping behaviors

40. Aspects of Children�s Development Affected by Media: Sexual behaviors: earlier sexual debut for high TV viewers. Drug, alcohol & tobacco use: associated with high users of various media. Pro-social vs. antisocial development related to viewing aggressive acts.

41. Factors that mediate influence of media: Family Variables Parents used to have role of being protective barrier between the outside world and their children. Media is now very intrusive into the home. Family�s baseline functioning is important e.g. adults� viewing behavior, substance use, domestic violence, mental illness.

42. Family Factors... Family culture of use of media technology. Is it used for education of life events or specific topics ? Used to minimize interactions between and among family members? Do children have entertainment centers in their bedrooms?

44. Factors that Mediate Influence of Media:Individual Characteristics temperament resilience, current psychosocial risk factors psychological vulnerabilities developmental level social connectedness

45. Societal Factors�. First amendment right makes regulation of media industry very challenging. Media industry has resisted making substantive changes that would protect children and youth. Advertising industry dominates all forms of media.

46. Societal Factors Cont�d�. Direct to consumer (including children and adolescents) marketing: defines what is desirable and imparts status among peers. Disposable income is high in United States. Society glamorizes sex & violence . Children of all ages are less supervised (latch key kids) by adults.

47. Adverse Side Effects of Media Technological advances have always been met with ambivalence throughout history. With the progress these advances bring they also have adverse consequences, both calculated and unintended.

48. Adverse Side Effects of Media Television and other media have become the �techie blankie� and technological babysitter for many children. The Internet simulates friendships that do not help in the development of negotiation and compromise skills.

49. How Can We Respond? American Academy of Pediatric�s Media Matters Campaign. We must become �media literate.� Teach families how to use good judgement about the use of media in the home.

50. How Can We Respond? Public health approach: consider concept of early preventive intervention. Teach parents to match the media viewing/use to child�s developmental level. Consider both the content and context within which TV and other media are being used.

52. How Can We Respond? Utilize parental controls on the Internet, know what our children are watching, what videos they are playing, and use V-Chip on the television. Encourage discussion of violent, sexual, discriminatory, stereotypic, traumatic or otherwise disturbing themes seen in news, documentaries or other programs.

53. Conclusion... Environment plays a significant role in how children learn and behave, and the adults they become. Remember that the environment influences actual brain development.

54. Conclusion cont�d... Television & other media have a powerful impact on major aspects of our children�s development: academic recreational social health behaviors moral

55. How Can We Respond? Most of all, let us utilize Television and other media to promote adaptive functioning in our children. There is a lot that can be positive about the media. Research shows that children who use TV in educational manner early in life, continue to do so into adulthood. Support parents� role in shaping and managing the media environment for their children.