Amy B. Jordan

Health Effects of Media on Children and Adolescents

Youth spend an average of >7 hours/day using media, and the vast majority of them have access to a bedroom television, computer, the Internet, a video-game console, and a cell phone. In this article we review the most recent research on the effects of media on the health and well-being of children and adolescents. Studies have shown that media can provide information about safe health practices and can foster social connectedness. However, recent evidence raises concerns about medias effects on aggression, sexual behavior, substance use, disordered eating, and academic difficulties. We provide recommendations for parents, practitioners, the media, and policy makers, among others, for ways to increase the benefits and reduce the harm that media can have for the developing child and for adolescents.

Children, Adolescents, Obesity, and the Media

Obesity has become a worldwide public health problem. Considerable research has shown that the media contribute to the development of child and adolescent obesity, although the exact mechanism remains unclear. Screen time may displace more active pursuits, advertising of junk food and fast food increases childrens requests for those particular foods and products, snacking increases while watching TV or movies, and late-night screen time may interfere with getting adequate amounts of sleep, which is a known risk factor for obesity. Sufficient evidence exists to warrant a ban on junk-food or fast-food advertising in childrens TV programming. Pediatricians need to ask 2 questions about media use at every well-child or well-adolescent visit: (1) How much screen time is being spent per day? and (2) Is there a TV set or Internet connection in the childs bedroom?

It Works Both Ways: The Relationship between Exposure to Sexual Content in the Media and Adolescent Sexual Behavior

Using a longitudinal Web-based survey of adolescents 14–16 years of age, we estimate regression models where self-reported sexual behavior and content analytic-based exposure to sex in the media are related cross-sectionally and longitudinally. We find evidence for both cross-sectional nonrecursive and prospective longitudinal relationships even after adjusting for both established predictors of sexual behavior (e.g., physical development, having a romantic partner, parental monitoring, peer and parental norms, respondents age) and of exposure to sexual media content (e.g., time the respondent goes to bed, extracurricular activities, television in the bedroom, total time spent with television, music, video games, and magazines). Sexually active adolescents are more likely to expose themselves to sex in the media and those exposed to sex in the media are more likely to progress in their sexual activity. These findings are consistent with others in the literature that demonstrate a causal effect of exposure to sexual content on sexual behavior but extend established results by also looking at the causal effect of sexual behavior on exposure both cross-sectionally and over time.

Children, Television Viewing, and Weight Status: Summary and Recommendations from an Expert Panel Meeting

Overweight and obesity among American children has reached epidemic proportions. More than 9 million youth between the ages of six and nineteen years are considered overweight, and more than 80 percent of overweight adolescents will go on to become obese adults. Research has indicated a wide range of factors believed to contribute to obesity among children, but of growing concern is the potential contribution made by childrens media use. In April 2006, an expert panel meeting was convened to meet and address children, television viewing, and weight status. This article reviews the evidence discussed at this meeting about the role that media, specifically television, play in the prevalence of overweight among children. It lays out the panel members conclusions about the most promising strategies for reducing the negative effects of television on childrens weight status and makes recommendations for future research that is needed to fully understand the relationship.

The Role of Media in Children's Development: An Ecological Perspective

ABSTRACT. This article reviews the literature on the role of media in childrens physical, behavioral, and cognitive development. Using Bronfenbrenners ecological perspective, the review focuses on the contexts of childhood that shape the availability and use of the media. The relationship between childrens media uses/exposures and their ecological contexts are traced through three areas of the research literature: disordered eating, anti- and prosocial behaviors; and school achievement. While traditional and newer forms of electronic and print media are considered, the review gives particular attention to the ways in which ecological contexts shape the impact of television on childrens development. The article offers evidence-based suggestions for parents concerning best practices for childrens media use, and concludes with an agenda for future research in the field of children and media.

Estimating the Longitudinal Association Between Adolescent Sexual Behavior and Exposure to Sexual Media Content

The purpose of this study is to estimate the association between adolescent sexual behavior and exposure to sexual media content. A three-wave, longitudinal survey sample (N = 506) of 14- to 16-year-olds at baseline is analyzed using growth curves. Growth trajectories are linear for sexual behavior but not for exposure to sexual media content. The signs of the exposure slopes are not uniformly positive: Hispanic and African American respondents show declines of exposure to sexual media content over the age range investigated here. Although changes in exposure to sex content are highly associated with changes in sexual behavior among Whites, there is little or no association between changes in these variables among Blacks.

Children, Adolescents, and the Media:: Health Effects

The media can be a powerful teacher of children and adolescents and have a profound impact on their health. The media are not the leading cause of any major health problem in the United States, but they do contribute to a variety of pediatric and adolescent health problems. Given that children and teens spend >7 hours a day with media, one would think that adult society would recognize its impact on young peoples attitudes and behaviors. Too little has been done to protect children and adolescents from harmful media effects and to maximize the powerfully prosocial aspects of modern media.

Only Two Hours?: A Qualitative Study of the Challenges Parents Perceive in Restricting Child Television Time

This study examines parents’ and children’s reaction to the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation to limit children’s television (TV) viewing to 2 hours a day or less. To better understand the challenges faced by parents who would seek to adhere to the guidelines, we conducted qualitative small group interviews with 60 parent/child dyads from each of the following three age groups: 6 to 7, 9 to 10, and 12 to 13 years (N = 180 children and 180 parents). Parents and children were interviewed separately and transcripts were thematically analyzed using Atlas.ti. Results indicate three salient challenges: (a) limiting children’s TV time will cause conflict in the home because of children’s anger at parents’ rules and increased bickering between siblings; (b) replacing TV as an entertainer takes time away from parents and requires monetary and community resources that are not available; and (c) TV is seen as a beneficial presence in the home, offering entertainment, free babysitting, and educational opportunities.

Using the Integrative Model to Explain How Exposure to Sexual Media Content Influences Adolescent Sexual Behavior

Published research demonstrates an association between exposure to media sexual content and a variety of sex-related outcomes for adolescents. What is not known is the mechanism through which sexual content produces this “media effect” on adolescent beliefs, attitudes, and behavior. Using the Integrative Model of Behavioral Prediction, this article uses data from a longitudinal study of adolescents ages 16 to 18 (N = 460) to determine how exposure to sexual media content influences sexual behavior. Path analysis and structural equation modeling demonstrated that intention to engage in sexual intercourse is determined by a combination of attitudes, normative pressure, and self-efficacy but that exposure to sexual media content only affects normative pressure beliefs. By applying the Integrative Model, we are able to identify which beliefs are influenced by exposure to media sex and improve the ability of health educators, researchers, and others to design effective messages for health communication campaigns and messages pertaining to adolescents’ engaging in sexual intercourse.

The Role of Media in Childhood Obesity

Publisher Summary Children who watch a lot of television have an increased risk of overweight during childhood and are more likely to be overweight as adults. Indeed, in a longitudinal study of 1037 New Zealand men followed between the ages of 5 and 32, childhood television viewing was a better predictor of adult BMI and fitness than adult viewing and remained a significant predictor of these outcomes even after adjusting for adult viewing. This chapter reviews research that highlights the need to educate parents and children about healthy media diets when children are still quite young. Although much remains to be understood about exactly how childrens heavy media use contributes to childhood obesity, there is now a solid evidence base that can be used to design screen time reduction interventions. Healthcare providers, moreover, can suggest simple steps that families can implement to limit screen time to 3 hours per day or less as a strategy for combating overweight, including removing televisions from childrens bedrooms, becoming more aware of childrens screen media time, and disconnecting eating from viewing.