Media Release - Mind Over Media: Using the media to help children’s development

31 March 2004

Jane Roberts, President of the Australian Council for Children and the Media, trading as Young Media Australia (YMA), today launched an exciting new Fact Sheet series Mind Over Media from Australia’s peak body in the field of children and the media.

Ms Roberts stated: “We are very excited about the Mind Over Media series because it enables us to get vital information directly to people that can really make a difference in the early years of children’s lives, that is educators who work in child care centres, preschools and kindergartens and through them the children’s parents and other caregivers.”

According to Professor Fiona Stanley, Telstra Foundation Board member, 2003 Australian of the Year and recently announced Living National Treasure, “The scientific evidence is overwhelming to support the fact that what happens early in a child’s life can have life-long impacts.

“I’m so pleased to see the Telstra Foundation supporting these really important early intervention research and community programs that can make such a difference to the lives of many Australian children.”

Dr. Glenn Cupit, Senior Lecturer in Child Development (Delissa Institute Of Early Childhood And Family Studies) at the University of South Australia, also congratulated Young Media Australia on the initiative. “If used well, the media has an important role to play in supporting preschoolers through their development. YMA’s Fact Sheet series is unique in that it will provide strategies for using the media to support development, as well as some tips for healthy boundaries and alternative activities.”

YMA, a not-for-profit organisation, is a unique national body whose members share a strong commitment to the promotion of the healthy development of Australian children, with a particular interest in the role the media plays in that development. It is committed to promoting better choices and providing stronger voices in children’s media.

YMA’s outstanding achievement in the past two years has been the establishment and operation of the national freecall Young Media Australia Helpline (1800 700 357) and website (www.youngmedia.org.au), both of which provide information and advice to parents, caregivers and the general community about the impact of the media on children. Total contacts for the combined services since July 2002 now number more than 200,000 and are growing steadily.

For more information or to arrange an interview,
please call Jane Roberts (WA) on 0410 509 685, or
Glenn Cupit (SA) on 08 8302 4580