Children and Television Consumption in the Digital Era Use, Impact and Regulation

Children and Television Consumption in the Digital Era provides a comprehensive analysis of contemporary research on the developmental impact of children?s screen engagement in modern society.

Barrie Gunter explores how the world of television has evolved to become almost unrecognisable from the broadcast landscapes present over the last years of the 20th century. This key text considers how screen-based entertainment has become increasingly interactive, and how children have become accustomed to creating their own television schedules through streamed services. It explores key topics including screen experiences and the manifestation of prosocial and antisocial behaviour, advertising and the development of consumerism, and the evidence of screen time on a child?s health and school performance. Gunter insightfully assesses television content that children are exposed to and its impact on cognitive and behavioural development.

Featuring commentary on the challenges regulators face to keep up with rapidly developing screen technologies and suggestions on how parents can mediate their children?s screen behaviour, this text is an essential read for researchers and students taking courses in child development, family studies, broadcasting and communication.

1. Children’s Viewing Behaviour

2. Children’s Attention to the Screen

3. Children’s Understanding of Their Screen Experiences

4. Screen Experiences and Cognitive Development

5. Screen Experiences and Learning about Social Roles

6. Screen Experiences and Antisocial Behaviour

7. Screen Experiences and Prosocial Behaviour

8. Screen Experiences, Advertising and Child Consumerism

9. Screen Experiences and Child Health and Well-Being

10. Screen Experiences and School Performance

11. Parental Mediation of Children’s Viewing

12. Cultivating Screen Literacy among Children

Chapter 13: The Challenges of Regulating Children’s Screen Experiences in a Digital Age

Barrie Gunter is a psychologist by training who worked in the broadcasting industry before moving to the academic world. He has specialised in the study of the psychological impacts of television and the Internet. He has produced 70 books and more than five hundred other publications on media, marketing and business topics. He is Emeritus Professor in Media at the University of Leicester.