1. MANAGING THE MEDIA HOW TO MONITOR CHILDREN’S MEDIA EXPOSURE AND TALK ABOUT WHAT THEY SEE AND HEAR. Michelle Albright, PhD Director, Weston Youth Services malbright@westonct.gov www.westonyouthservices.org 203-222-2585

2. Mass Media News is everywhere – multiple sites and sources Constant contact and simultaneous sharing Direct delivery to kids No fail-safe age-appropriate filter Context and credibility are always in question Everybody’s got an opinion What’s scary is what’s scary.

3. Violence & sex in the media Nearly 2 out of 3 TV programs contain violence, averaging 6 violent acts per hour. The average child who watches 2 hours of cartoons per day may see more than 10,000 violent acts a year. By the time kids enter middle school, they will have seen 8,000 murders and 100,000 more acts of violence on broadcast TV alone. On average, music videos contain 93 sexual situations per hour, including 11 hard-core scenes depicting behavior like intercourse and oral sex. Between 1998 and 2005, the number of sexual scenes on TV nearly doubled. 1 in 5 children will be approached by a sexual predator online. 60% of female video game characters are presented in a sexualized fashion.

4. How can you enhance the benefits of media? Albright’s 6 C’s (expanded from Guernsey’s 3 C’s) Content Context Child Communication Connection Control

5. Strategies and sugestions Be honest Be sensitive Be brief Be careful Be (self) aware Be the source Be their security

6. Resources – Guides & guidelines Common Sense Media Reviews movies, TV shows, apps, videogames, websites and books to help parents make informed decisions about children’s media exposure and entertainment. http://www.commonsensemedia.org/ PBS Kids – Children and Media Guidelines for specific ages and stages, with great suggestions for how to talk about advertising and media stereotypes, and a comprehensive glossary of online and texting acronyms. http://www.pbs.org/parents/childrenandmedia/ Media Literacy Project Creates curriculum and has a fabulous free downloadable introduction to media literacy. Also sponsors annual “Bad Ad” and “Counter Ad” contests. http://medialiteracyproject.org/resources/introduction-media-literacy Great Schools Great articles on media and violence, advertising, gender stereotypes with suggestions for strategies and conversation starters. http://www.greatschools.org/articles/?topics=162&language=EN