Internet Addiction And Media Issues

Children and Media Issues Introduction

This document concerns media, and the influence of media on children. As used here, media refers to the vast web of communication and entertainment technologies and services that have become a commonplace and ever-present aspect of modern life. Books and magazines, movies and television programs, computer programs, and internet websites and services are all examples of media, as are the computers, mobile phones and specialty devices used to access these services.

In various formats, media have influenced children’s development for hundreds of years. However, recent decades have witnessed an absolute explosion of new media technologies, and rapid adoption of these technologies, in particular internet and cell phone technologies, by all segments of society. Consequently, media forces today are unprecedented in their pervasiveness, and in their ability to influence and shape children’s developing minds.