Chapter 4, Student Web Activities, Sociology and You, Glencoe, 2003

Chapter 4: Socialization
"Children and Television"

Introduction
In this chapter you learned about socialization and the role it plays in human development. The family, school, peer groups, and the media all are a part of socializing young people. In this activity you will take a closer look at the role of one type of mass media—television—in the socialization of children.

Destination Title: Mediascope

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Directions
Start at the Mediascope Web site.

Under "Issue Brief Series," click on and read the article about American Youth & the News Media.
Click back to the previous screen. Click on and read the article about How Children Process Television.
Click back once more. Click on and read the article about How Violence Manipulates Viewers.

Use what you have learned to answer the following questions.

1. Briefly summarize children's perceptions of the news media.

2. At what age do children become full-fledged television "viewers"? What effect does television have on them at this stage?

3. What have been identified as three major harmful effects of viewing media violence?

4. What is the connection between violence and the consequences of violence for young viewers?

5. Every evening for one week, watch the local news broadcast in your community. Keep a log of the number of stories about violence or crime that are presented compared to human-interest stories or stories about something positive. Based on what you recorded, do you think the news is overly negative or violent? Do you think there is a good balance between negative and positive news coverage? What would you like to see done differently? Share your log and your ideas with the class.