Media is everywhere. TV, Internet and video games all compete for children's attention. The information on these pages, including evidenced-based research and other resources, can help pediatricians understand and communicate about the impact media has on children's lives.

 

Media and Children Overview

Today's children are spending an average of seven hours a day on entertainment media, including televisions, computers, phones and other electronic devices. Meanwhile, advertising aimed at children is no longer confined to TV commercials and product placement in movies. Today, children are exposed to messages from social media influencers, hidden ads in video games, data collection across many platforms, virtual reality encounters with strangers in games and targeted social media advertisements that are intended to make children take action. It’s no wonder that parents come to pediatricians with so many questions. It also underscores the importance of the need for continued research on the impact of media on children’s health and useful resources that help improve a pediatrician’s ability to counsel families on the healthy use of media in all forms.

Once such resource is the Family Media Plan . Designed to help families make wise media choices, the AAP recommends that parents and caregivers develop a plan that takes into account the health, education and entertainment needs of each individual child as well as the whole family; and then follow the family media plan together, revising it when necessary.  

 

AAP Recommendations

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has policy statements and technical reports on families’ and children’s interactions with various forms of media.

AAP Policy Statements

 

Research about Media and Children

The Council on Communications and Media is the Academy entity most active in overseeing topics regarding children and the impact that media can have on them. In an effort to inform members and help them inform families on the topic of children and media, the COCM authors have written a number of articles.

Learn More

 

Professional Tools & Resources

The following brochure is available for purchase from shopAAP – Beyond Screen Time: A Parent’s Guide to Media Use (sold in packs of 50). Additionally, the following Pediatric Patient Education handouts are available (subscription required to access):

Beyond Screen Time: A Parent’s Guide to Media Use

Media in all forms can affect how children and teens feel, learn, think and behave. A patient education handout for parents.

Ratings: Making Healthy Media Choices

Research has shown that children are influenced by what they see and hear, especially at very young ages.

Medicine and the Media: How to Make Sense of the Messages

The AAP offers this resource with information about the language of advertisers, good science, questioning your sources and evaluating new treatments or medicines.

Pulling the Plug on TV Violence

Tips on how to help reduce your child's exposure to TV violence.

Family Media Use Plan Poster

A poster which highlights ways parents can help their children balance their online and off-line lives. Available in English and Spanish.

Social Media Resources

Share our Family Media Use Plan tool by linking to it from your website or on social media. Use the following images and sample text to create great-looking links and posts. 

View Social Media Resources

Get Involved

Media Visiting Professorship Program
Learn more about the AAP Council on Communications and Media (COCM) sponsored annual Media Visiting Professorship program. Each year COCM invites hospitals and institutions to apply to host a pediatric media expert who spends 1 to 2 days at the selected institution conducting lectures, seminars or rounds. Learn more at the Council on Communications and Media Visiting Professorship page.
Last Updated

06/04/2021

Source

American Academy of Pediatrics