Media and Children’s Aggression, Fear, and Altruism Media and Children’s Aggression, Fear, and Altruism Barbara J. Wilson Summary Noting that the social and emotional experiences of American children today often heavily involve electronic media, Barbara Wilson takes a close look at how exposure to screen media affects children’s well-being and development. She concludes that media influence on children depends more on the type of content that children find attractive than on the sheer amount of time they spend in front of the screen. Wilson begins by reviewing evidence on the link between media and children’s emotions. She points out that children can learn about the nature and causes of different emotions from watching the emotional experiences of media characters and that they often experience empa- thy with those characters. Although research on the long-term effects of media exposure on children’s emotional skill development is limited, a good deal of evidence shows that media exposure can contribute to children’s fears and anxieties. Both fictional and news programming can cause lasting emotional upset, though the themes that upset children differ according to a child’s age. Wilson also explores how media exposure affects children’s social development. Strong evidence shows that violent television programming contributes to children’s aggressive behavior. And a growing body of work indicates that playing violent video games can have the same harmful effect. Yet if children spend time with educational programs and situation comedies targeted to youth, media exposure can have more prosocial effects by increasing children’s altruism, coop- eration, and even tolerance for others. Wilson also shows that children’s susceptibility to media influence can vary according to their gender, their age, how realistic they perceive the media to be, and how much they identify with characters and people on the screen. She concludes with guidelines to help parents enhance the positive effects of the media while minimizing the risks associated with certain types of content. www.futureofchildren.org Barbara J. Wilson is the Paul C. Friedland Professorial Scholar and head of the Department of Communication at the University of Il- linois at Urbana-Champaign. She is grateful to Kristin Drogos for her research assistance and to Craig Anderson and other participants at the Future of Children conference for their insightful comments. VOL. 18 / NO. 1 / SPRING 2008 87 Barbara J. Wilson hildren today live in a world In this article I review the research evidence where many of their experi- regarding how electronic media influence ences are mediated by screen children’s emotional and social well-being. technologies. Small children I begin by exploring the role the media can are likely to feel some of their play in children’s affective or emotional Cfirst fears as they watch a scary movie or development. I show how children can learn television program, feel some of their earliest about the nature and function of emotions non-familial attachments as they view a from the media, and I summarize research favorite media character, and even experi- on how electronic media contribute to the ence the beginnings of emotional empathy as development of empathy in children. Next, I they follow the adventures of a well-liked address the questions of whether the media media protagonist. Because American can elevate children’s fears and anxieties. children spend so much time with the media, Moving away from emotions, I then explore much of their social life takes place while the effect of media on children’s social they sit in front of a television or a computer development. In particular, I examine how screen or concentrate on an iPod or a cell repeated exposure to electronic media can phone. In fact, children under the age of six influence children’s moral development. I spend more time watching television than also review evidence about how the media they do playing outdoors.1 Historically, the can affect children’s tendency to behave in a United States has reached a point where prosocial manner with others and also their most of children’s social experiences no tendency to act aggressively in social situa- longer consist of face-to-face interactions tions. I then sum up the positive and negative with other people. effects of exposure to media on children’s well-being, commenting on considerations Children develop their emotional and social that make youth susceptible to media’s influ- capabilities through a complex process. To ence and on ways they can be shielded from participate effectively in their culture, they harmful effects. I conclude by discussing must acquire the norms, rules, and values the important role parents can play in their that will enable them to form connections children’s media experiences. and function in families, peer groups, and the broader society. They learn about emo- Two themes emerge in this review. First, tions and about relationships from parents, electronic media can have both positive and friends, teachers, and siblings. They also negative effects on children’s development. It bring their own personalities, temperaments, is thus simplistic to argue that the media are and cognitive abilities to each social situation. detrimental or valuable to children. Much of Electronic media too play a role in children’s the effect depends on the content to which socialization. Television programs, movies, children are exposed. Some media messages and even the Internet provide children with can teach children positive, prosocial lessons, a window into popular culture. Children can while others can lead children to be fearful or come to appreciate norms and standards of even to behave antisocially. What children are conduct by watching social actors in fictional watching onscreen makes a crucial difference, stories and can even experience emotional perhaps even more than how much time they and social situations in a vicarious way spend in front of that screen. Second, not all through the media. children are influenced by the media in the 88 THE FUTURE OF CHILDREN Media and Children’s Aggression, Fear, and Altruism same way. A child’s age or developmental program.5 By the time they reach age eight, level makes a difference, for example. In however, children, especially girls, are more some situations, younger children are more likely to mention characters’ affective states 6 susceptible to media influence than older when retelling a televised story. Older children are. But older children and teens are children also begin to understand television certainly not immune. In fact, media content characters’ more complex emotions, such as that is complex or highly abstract is likely to jealousy.7 Like their younger counterparts, affect only those with more sophisticated older children’s recall of affect is higher if cognitive skills who can comprehend the they perceive the program as realistic.8 message. A child’s gender, race, temperament, and home life also come into play. Through- out this article, I will highlight which groups Developmental psychologists or types of children are more susceptible to media’s influence on emotional and social and media scholars alike have development. argued that screen media play Media and Emotional Development a crucial role in children’s Children need emotional skills to form emotional development. relationships with others. Indeed, the capac- ity to recognize and interpret emotions in others is a fundamental building block of But do emotional portrayals teach children social competence.2 Developmental psychol- about emotions? Surprisingly little evidence ogists and media scholars alike have argued on this subject exists. One early study found that screen media play a crucial role in that regular viewing of Sesame Street helped children’s emotional development.3 Yet few preschoolers learn to recognize emotions and studies address this larger issue, in part emotional situations, though the preschoolers because researchers have given so much learned more about traditional school-based empirical attention instead to media’s impact content than they did about emotional on maladaptive or antisocial behaviors. content.9 In recent years, Sesame Street has incorporated emotions and emotional coping Learning about Emotions into its curricular goals. Several storylines One of the first skills of emotional compe- during the 1980s, for example, focused on tence is the ability to recognize emotions in birth, death, and marriage. In 2001, a series others. Research indicates that preschoolers of episodes focused on a hurricane that hit are able to identify and differentiate basic New York City and destroyed Big Bird’s emotions such as happiness, sadness, and fear home. Big Bird and his friends spent consid- experienced by television characters.4 Very erable time dealing with this emotional issue young children, however, struggle to recog- and rebuilding his nest. Later that year, nize more complex emotions. They tend to Sesame Street tried to help preschoolers cope remember emotions experienced by people with the September 11 terrorist attacks on better than those experienced by Muppets or New York and Washington by featuring a animated characters, and they do not neces- story about a grease fire in Hooper’s Store, sarily focus on emotions of the characters which required the help of brave firefighters when retelling the narrative of a television to save people. Scholars have conducted no VOL. 18 / NO. 1 / SPRING 2008