This study is one of the largest and most comprehensive publicly available sources of information on the amount and nature of media use among American youth: (1) It includes a large national sample of more than 2,000 young people from across the country; (2) It covers children from ages 8 to 18, to track changes from childhood through the…

American youth are awash in media. They have television sets in their bedrooms, personal computers in their family rooms, and digital music players and cell phones in their backpacks. They spend more time with media than any single activity other than sleeping, with the average American eight- to eighteen-year-old reporting more than six hours of…

Over the past several decades, both health researchers and communication researchers have worried about the degree to which media seem to legitimize, glamorize, or otherwise encourage a variety of health-related risk behaviors, and conversely, the degree to which media can be used to help prevent these behaviors. These behaviors have ranged from…

A study examined media use patterns among a large, nationally representative sample of children ages 2-18, and which explored how children choose and interact with the whole array of media available to them, including television, movies, computers, music, video games, radio, magazines, books, and newspapers. The goal was to provide a solid base…

Research on two hypotheses regarding television's possible negative effect on children's academic achievement is reviewed. A lack of support is found for the displacement hypothesis (time spent with television is taken away from more academically beneficial activities) and limited support for the distraction hypothesis (exposure to television…

This paper examines young adolescents' involvement with popular music and the health implications of that involvement. Initial discussion explores three central concepts: music media, adolescence, and mass media effects. A summary of research on music media in adolescence is offereed in two sections discussing exposure to, and gratifications and…

This report presents details of a study which gathered information about all kinds of media behaviors from a nationally representative sample of American youth--the study asked: In this modern media environment, how much time do American children devote to each of the different media? According to the report. The data for the study came from two…

Discusses the effect of the mass media, particularly the influence of violence and sex, on adolescents, noting the paucity of research on the subject. The article recommends a compromise between censorship and free expression. It examines how teachers and parents can help by discussing media messages with students. (SM)

This study examines the frequency and nature of substance use in the most popular movie rentals and songs of 1996 and 1997. The intent was to determine the accuracy of public perceptions about extensive substance use in media popular among youth. Because teenagers are major consumers of movies and music, there is concern about the potential for…

Examines the relationship between television viewing and reading achievement within a framework of television and reading constructs such as media availability and parental media behavior, children's use of print and broadcast media and measures of their attitudes and orientation toward television and print. Includes the questionnaire. (PD)