Media and Children
S05
Peter Haratonik
"Children are living messages we send to a time we will not see." -Neil Postman. While the media are presumed to have a social responsibility in terms of the products that they produce, they also exist within the framework of a highly competitive commercial marketplace. In this quest for market share, children have become our most important audience, readership, and users. This course examines media, as both forms and institutions, and their impact on the lives of children. We begin by surveying the current state of media in the lives of children and also review the history of media effects research and educational policy regarding new technology. We review current research in media and child development and carefully probe media products especially produced for a younger audience. We also study the role that adult media have in the lives of children and consider the role that media education or media "literacy" should play in education. Individual case studies examine particular media in-depth. Particular emphasis is placed on the Internet and its emergent social and educational role.