The Media's Impact on Children: A Handbook for Parents, Educators and Policymakers

Throughout this book, we have examined a number of ways in which children select, use, and are influenced by media messages. To be sure, some of these effects are positive while others are decidedly negative. We hope that the information provided in this book will serve as a useful tool for people who are in a position to make decisions about the types of media content to which a child should be exposed. In particular, the last chapter of this book summarizes the ways in which parents and caregivers, educators, and young media users themselves can make choices that increase the positive effects of the media while decreasing undesirable effects. It is our desire, therefore, that readers of this book are able to make informed decisions regarding children's media use.