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Managing the media How to monitor children’s media exposure and talk about what they see and hear . Michelle Albright, PhD Director, Weston Youth Services malbright@westonct.gov www.westonyouthservices.org 203-222-2585. Mass Media. News is everywhere – multiple sites and sources
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Managing the mediaHow to monitor children’s media exposure and talk about what they see and hear. Michelle Albright, PhD Director, Weston Youth Services malbright@westonct.gov www.westonyouthservices.org 203-222-2585
Mass Media • News is everywhere – multiple sites and sources • Constant contact and simultaneous sharing • Direct delivery to kids • No fail-safe age-appropriate filter • Context and credibility are always in question • Everybody’s got an opinion • What’s scary is what’s scary.
Violence & sex in the media • Nearly 2 out of 3 TV programs contain violence, averaging 6 violent acts per hour. • The average child who watches 2 hours of cartoons per day may see more than 10,000 violent acts a year. • By the time kids enter middle school, they will have seen 8,000 murders and 100,000 more acts of violence on broadcast TV alone. • On average, music videos contain 93 sexual situations per hour, including 11 hard-core scenes depicting behavior like intercourse and oral sex. • Between 1998 and 2005, the number of sexual scenes on TV nearly doubled. • 1 in 5 children will be approached by a sexual predator online. • 60% of female video game characters are presented in a sexualized fashion.
How can you enhance the benefits of media? Albright’s 6 C’s (expanded from Guernsey’s 3 C’s) • Content • Context • Child • Communication • Connection • Control
Strategies and sugestions • Be honest • Be sensitive • Be brief • Be careful • Be (self) aware • Be the source • Be their security
Resources – Guides & guidelines • Common Sense Media Reviews movies, TV shows, apps, videogames, websites and books to help parents make informed decisions about children’s media exposure and entertainment. http://www.commonsensemedia.org/ • PBS Kids – Children and Media Guidelines for specific ages and stages, with great suggestions for how to talk about advertising and media stereotypes, and a comprehensive glossary of online and texting acronyms. http://www.pbs.org/parents/childrenandmedia/ • Media Literacy Project Creates curriculum and has a fabulous free downloadable introduction to media literacy. Also sponsors annual “Bad Ad” and “Counter Ad” contests. http://medialiteracyproject.org/resources/introduction-media-literacy • Great Schools Great articles on media and violence, advertising, gender stereotypes with suggestions for strategies and conversation starters. http://www.greatschools.org/articles/?topics=162&language=EN