Limiting, And Watching, What Children Watch
The media buffet for children is quite a feast, is there any hope for a balanced meal? Teachers College Professor Jeanne Brooks-Gunn comments.
"Pediatricians worry that the bounty of television, DVD movies, Webisodes, video games and the like could hurt children’s physical and mental health," writes New York Times reporter Lisa Guernsey in a story on children’s media. But "Many studies point to the positive effect of high-quality, age-appropriate screen media." Indeed, according to Teachers College Professor Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, "Marshall McLuhan was wrong when he said the medium is the message," she said. "It’s the content. It’s what’s in the medium." Brooks-Gunn is the Virginia and Leonard Marx Professor of Child Development and Education and co-director of the Columbia University Institute for Child and Family Policy at Teachers College.
The article, "Limiting, And Watching, What Children Watch” appeared in the September 14, 2008 edition of the New York Times:http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/15/health/healthspecial2/15teevee.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
Published Wednesday, Sep. 17, 2008