How Media Impacts Youth and Children Today

All over the world, parents and carers, teachers and medical professionals are expressing concern about how media impacts youth and children. They worry about the long-term effects of continuous or extreme exposure and wonder what action, if any, to take. It can be difficult to recognise when children are at risk because adults tend to use media in a very different way to children.

The most striking differences between media use in adults and children are invariably linked to maturity and development. Adults have a level of maturity that enables them to make more informed choices or to recognise the positive and negative aspects of on-screen or online content.

Impressionable youngsters can develop behaviour patterns based on what they hear, see and read. Overexposure can have a detrimental effect on diet, social interaction, sexuality and emotional development. In some cases, media use can also lead to various process addictions such as addiction to social networking, gaming or gambling.

If you’re worried about how media impacts a child close to you or are concerned about your own ability to cope,