Increasingly, technology plays an important role in the daily lives of children, both at home and at school. Making informed decisions about the wise application and frequency of technology and media use can be both challenging and overwhelming for parents, caregivers and educators. Many issues surround the unwise use of technology and media by…

Children and adolescents spent a considerable portion of their time watching television, movies, playing videogames and on the internet. Media has proved to be a very useful tool in the fields of education, arts, science, sports, and culture. Over the past few decades, there has been a surge in the use of media by the younger generations and…

Reports results of part of a long-range project studying cultural indicators. Suggests that television viewing is associated with a cultural "mainstream" that tends to absorb or assimilate groups that otherwise diverge from it, and that the salience of certain real-life circumstances is likely to boost television's cultivating potential. (JMF)

Discusses the impact of television violence on adolescent behavior. Opposes outright censorship. Suggests a selective approach to television viewing. (PKP)

Introduces a methodology for exploring primary students' television news interpretation, noting how to integrate such interpretations into the classroom. Analysis of news broadcasts from three major networks indicates that mayhem constitutes the majority of broadcasts, with developmentally appropriate topics interspersed among violent episodes.…

Examines the broad and subtle effects of television watching on children and their families. Discusses the role of television in family life; the effects of television on children's development, behavior, attitudes, and values; children's understanding of messages conveyed by television; the relationship of television and play; and strategies for…

Discusses two still unfolding scenarios in the history of television--Surgeon General's inquiry into influence of television violence, and the campaign by health authorities against cigarette smoking--and questions whether there is something to be learned from these experiences in relation to banning television advertising of alcoholic beverages.…

Outlines some of the main issues and areas of debate at the first international Congress on Audio-Visual Communication and Mental Health, which was held in Helsinki in June 1983. The issues discussed include the connection between violent actions and violence on television and censorship. The declared congress objectives are listed. (Author/MBR)

This article reviews the research findings which have established relations between television viewing and the subsequent attitudes and behaviors of viewers, emphasizing the influence of televised violence. It identifies the implications and remedies for public policy, for society, and for the parents and educators responsible for children's daily…

Examines data on what situational factors influence people's desire to view violent television programming. Surveys research on the effects on viewer's behavior of the presence of other observers, the nature of the available target, situational features operating as retrieval cues, the viewers' interpretations of the violent scenes, and the…

Examines legal responses to the problem of media violence. Focuses on: (1) tension between evidence collected by social scientists and traditional First Amendment protections; and (2) legal actions against sexually violent materials to which social science research may be relevant. Suggests ways in which research may be most useful in establishing…

The author admits that he has watched Jerry Springer on occasion. It is a guilty pleasure. The Springer show has come to represent the extremes in the society--perversion, unlikely pairings, lying, and cheating. Liberal Hollywood has been roundly criticized, and justifiably so, over the direction it has taken with much of the entertainment to the…

Describes technology-driven strategies for reducing school violence: (1) commitment communicated by newsletters and cable television; (2) elimination of weapons using metal detectors, surveillance cameras, breathalyzers, student passes, alarm systems, and school emergency plans; (3) two-way communications and low technology; (4) educational…

This article discusses representations of television in written texts found in elementary school Portuguese language textbooks (PLTb) from 5th to 8th grade. In order to obtain the necessary information for this article, six PLTb collections were selected (out of the 35 that were analyzed and approved by Brazil's National Textbook Program--PNLD--in…

Argues that the effect of media violence on individual differences in aggression is primarily the result of a cumulative learning process during childhood. Presents a developmental theory holding that a child's repeated viewing of media violence, in combination with other factors, can culminate in aggressive behavior patterns (including…