Children and Digital Media

OVERVIEW 376 THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES ON MEDIA USE AND EFFECTS 377 Social Cognitive Theory 377 Parasocial Relationships and Parasocial Interactions 377 Cognitive Approaches 378 The Cultivation Hypothesis 378 Uses and Gratification Theory 379 Arousal Theory 379 Psychoanalytic Theory 379 Behaviorism and Classical Conditioning 379 Summary 380 THE HISTORY AND EVOLUTION OF MEDIA PLATFORMS 380 THE ECOLOGY OF THE DIGITALWORLD 381 Media Access 381 Defining Media Exposure 382 Measuring Media Use and Exposure 383 THE DISAPPEARANCE OF QUIET ENVIRONMENTS 386 Media, Imaginative Play, Creativity, and Daydreaming 386 Media and Sleep Patterns 388 Media and Concentration 389 THE SOCIAL NATURE OF MEDIA ENVIRONMENTS: ELECTRONIC FRIENDS AND COMMUNICATIONS 389 Prosocial Media: “It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” 390 Parasocial Relationships With Media Characters 392 Social Media: Being and Staying Connected 393 THE MEAN AND SCARY WORLD: MEDIA VIOLENCE AND SCARY CONTENT 394 Media Violence 394 Children’s Fright Reactions to Scary Media Content 396 MEDIA, GENDER, AND SEXUALITY 397 Gender-Stereotyped Content 397 Influences of Media on Gender-Related Processing and Outcomes 398 Sexual Content 400 Influences of Sexual Content on Children 400 FROM OUTDOOR TO INDOOR ENVIRONMENTS: THE OBESITY EPIDEMIC 401 The Content of Food and Beverage Advertisements 402 Energy Intake: Media Influences on Children’s Diets and Health Outcomes 402 Media-Related Caloric Expenditure 403 Summary 403 RISKY MEDIA ENVIRONMENTS: ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, AND ILLEGAL DRUGS 404 The Content: Exposure to Risky Behaviors 404 Influences of Exposure to Alcohol, Tobacco, and Illegal Drugs on Children 404 MEDIA POLICY 404 Early Media Exposure 405 The V-Chip 405 Media Violence 405 Regulating Sexual Content 405 The Commercialization of Childhood 406 Driving Hazards 407 The Children’s Television Act 407 CONCLUSIONS 407 REFERENCES 408