Latest Research

The latest Australian and international research on the effects of media on children:

Media effects - general
Violence
Advertising
Food Advertising
Physical Effects
Computer/video Games
Computers & the Internet
Media Education

For a full listing of references and websites see Reading & Research

Media effects - general

Barr, R; et al (2007) Age-related changes in deferred imitation from television by 6-to 18-month-olds.
Developmental Science, Vol. 10, No. 6, Pp910-921
Barradas, DT; et al (2007) Parental influences on youth television viewing. Journal of Pediatrics, Vol. 151, No. 4, Pp369-373
Beullens, K; Van den Bulck, J (2008) News, music videos and action movie exposure and adolescents’ intentions to take risks in traffic. Accident Analysis and Prevention, Vol. 40, No. 1, Pp349-356
Chiou, WB; et al (2007) Adolescents’ reply intent for sexual disclosure in cyberspace: Gender differences and effects of anonymity and topic intimacy. Cyberpsychology & Behavior, Vol. 10, No. 5, Pp725-728
Chowhan, J; Stewart, JM (2007) Television and the behavior of adolescents: Does socio-economic status moderate the link? Social Science and Medicine, Vol. 65, No. 7, Pp1324-1336
Crosnoe, R; Trinitapoli, R (2008) Shared family activities and the transition from childhood into adolescence. Journal of Research on Adolescence, Vol. 18, No. 1, Pp23-48
Drotner, K & Livingstone, S (2008) International handbook of children, media and culture. Sage Publications, Hard Cover, ISBN: 9781412928328 Pp 560
Ekstrom, K; Tufte, B (eds) (2007) Children, media & consumption: On the edge. Nordicom.
Flynn, BS et al (2007) Youth audience segmentation strategies for smoking-prevention mass media campaigns based on message appeal. Health Education & Behavior, Vol. 34, No. 4, Pp578-593
Gentzkow, M & Shapiro, JM (2008) Preschool television viewing and adolescent test scores: historical evidence from the Coleman study. Quarterly Journal Economics, Vol. 123, No. 1, Pp279-323
Gentile, DA; Gentile, JR (2007) Violent video games as exemplary teachers: a conceptual analysis. Journal of Youth & Adolescence, Vol. 37, No. 2, Pp127-141
Greenwood, DN; (2007) Are female action heroes risky role models? Character identification, idealization, and viewer aggression. Sex Roles, Vol. 57, No. 9-10, Pp725-732
Hofer, T; et al (2007) Infants’ perception of goal-directed actions on video. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, Vol. 25, No. Part 3, Pp485-498
Kutner, LA; et al (2007) Parents’ and sons’ perspectives on video game play - a qualitative study. Journal of Adolescent Research, Vol. 23, No. 1, Pp76-96
Laugesen, M; et al (2007) R-rated film viewing and adolescent smoking. Preventive Medicine, Vol. 45, No. 6, Pp454-459
Lee, D; Larose, R (2007) A social-cognitive model of video game usage. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, Vol. 51, No. 4, Pp632-650
Lee, SJ; et al (2007) Children’s Internet use in a family context: Influence on family relationships and parental mediation.
Cyberpsychology & Behavior, Vol. 10, No. 5, Pp640-644
Lei, L et al (2007) Adolescents’ paternal attachment and Internet use. Cyberpsychology & Behavior, Vol. 10, No. 5, Pp633-639
Liebau, C. P (2007) Prude: How the sex-obsessed culture damages girls (and America too!) Center Street
Lemish, D (2007) Children and television: A global perspective. Oxford: Blackwell
Masur, EF & Flynn, V (2008) Infant and mother-infant play and the presence of the television. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, Vol. 29, No. 1, Pp76-83
Mcallister, KS (2007) Unit operations: An approach to videogame criticism. New Media & Society, Vol. 9, No. 6, Pp1039-1042
Mistry, KB et al (2007) Children’s television exposure and behavioral and social outcomes at 5.5 years: does timing of exposure matter? Pediatrics, Vol. 120, No. 4, Pp762-769
Moriguchi, Y; et al (2007) Disinhibition transmits from television to young children. Psychologia, Vol. 50, No. 4, Pp308-318
Olsen, CK; et al (2007) The role of violent video game content in adolescent development - boys’ perspectives. Journal of Adolescent Research, Vol. 23, No. 1, Pp55-75
Persky, S & Blascovich, J (2008) Immersive virtual video game play and presence: influences on aggressive feelings and behavior. Presence-Teleoperators & Virtual Environments, Vol. 17, No. 1, Pp57-72
Peterson, SH; et al (2007) Images of sexual stereotypes in rap videos and the health of African American female adolescents. Journal of Women’s Health, Vol. 16, No. 8, Pp1157-1164
Potts, R; Belden, A; Reese, C (2008) Young adults’ retrospective reports of childhood television viewing. Communication Research, Vol. 35, No. 1, Pp39-60
Rosenberg, DE; et al (2007) Covariation of adolescent physical activity and dietary behaviours over 12 months.Journal of Adolescent Health, Vol. 41, No. 5, Pp472-478
Walsh, SP; White, KM; Young, RM (2008) Over-connected? A qualitative exploration of the relationship between Australian youth and their mobile phones. Journal of Adolescence, Vol. 31, No. 1, Pp77-92
Zimmerman, FJ; et al (2007) Associations between media viewing and language development in children under age 2 years. Journal of Pediatrics, Vol. 151, No. 4, Pp 364-368

Violence

Agatston, PW; et al (2007) Student’s perspectives on cyber bullying. Journal of Adolescent Health, Vol. 41, No. 6, Suppl. S, Pp S59-S60
Anderson, JA (2008) The production of media violence and aggression research - a cultural analysis. American Behavioral Scientist, Vol. 51, No. 8, Pp1212-1230
Assenza, GB; Assenza, D (2007) Do the media contribute to violence in society? Lessons from international research. New Educational Review, Vol. 13, No. 3-4, Pp23-61
Comstock, G (2008) A sociological perspective on television violence and aggression American Behavioral Scientist, Vol. 51, No. 8, Pp1184-1211
David-Ferdon, C; Hertz, MF (2007) Electronic media, violence, and adolescents: An emerging public health problem. Journal of Adolescent Health, Vol. 41, No. 6, Suppl. S, Pp S1-S5
Glymour, B; et al (2008) Watching social science-the debate about the effects of exposure to televised violence on aggressive behavior. American Behavioral Scientist, Vol. 51, No. 8, Pp1231-1259
Gunter, B (2008) Media violence - is there a case for causality? American Behavioral Scientist, Vol. 51, No. 8, Pp1061-1122
Hetsroni, A (2007) Four decades of violent content on prime-time network programming: a longitudinal meta-analytic review. Journal of Communication, Vol. 57, No. 4, Pp759-U214
Huesmann, LR (2007) The impact of electronic media violence: Scientific theory and research. Journal of Adolescent Health, Vol. 41, No. 6, Suppl. S, Pp S6-S13
Kowalski, RM; Limber, SP (2007) Electronic bullying among middle school students. Journal of Adolescent Health, Vol. 41, No. 6, Suppl. S, Pp S22-S30
Murray, J (2008) Media violence: the effects are both real and strong. American Behavioral Scientist, Vol. 51, No. 8, Pp1212-1230
Ramirez, JM (2007) Television and violence. Revista Latinoamericana de Psicologia, Vol. 39, No. 2, Pp327-349
Savage, J (2008) The role of exposure to media violence in the etiology of violent behavior. American Behavioral Scientist, Vol. 51, No. 8, Pp1123-1136
Williams, KR; Guerra, NG (2007) Prevalence and predictors of Internet bullying. Journal of Adolescent Health, Vol. 41, No. 6, Suppl. S, Pp S14-S21
Worthen, MR (2007) Education policy implications from the expert panel on electronic media and youth violence. Journal of Adolescent Health, Vol. 41, No. 6, Suppl. S, Pp S61-S63
Ybarra, ML; et al (2007) Examining the overlap in Internet harassment and school bullying: Implications for school intervention. Journal of Adolescent Health, Vol. 41, No. 6, Suppl. S, Pp S42-S50

Advertising

Buijzen, M; et al (2008) Associations between children’s television advertising exposure and their food consumption patterns: A household diary-survey study. Appetite, Vol. 50, No. 2-3, Pp231-239
Berenstain, S & J, Berenstain, M (2007) The Berenstain Bears & the trouble with commercials. Harper Entertainment
Bridges, E; Briesch, R (2007) The ‘nag’ factor and children’s product categories International Journal of Advertising Vol. 25, No. 2, Pp 157-187
Chester, B & Montgomery, K (2007) Interactive Food & Beverage Marketing: Targeting children & youth in the Digital Age. Berkely Media Studies Group http://www.digitalads.org
Collins, RL et al (2007) Early adolescent exposure to alcohol advertising and its relationship to underage drinking. Journal of Adolescent Health, Vol. 40, No. 6, pp 527-34
Devlin, E; Eadie, D; Evans, K (2007) Comparative study of young people’s response to anti-smoking messages. International Journal of Advertising Vol. 26, No. 1
Edwards, C; Oakes, W; Bull, D (2007) Out of the smokescreen II: Will an advertisement targeting the tobacco industry affect young people’s perception of smoking in movies and their intention to smoke. Tobacco Control, Vol. 16, No. 3, Pp 177-181
Feighery, EC; Henriksen, L; Wang, Y; Schleicher, NC; Fortmann, SP.(2006) An evaluation of four measures of adolescent’s exposure to cigarette marketing in stores. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, Vol. 8, No. 6, Dec 2006
Freeman, B; Chapman, S (2007) Is “Youtube” telling or selling you something? Tobacco content on the Youtube video-sharing website. Tobacco Control, Vol. 16, No. 3, Pp 20
Grundy, D (2007) Global marketing ethics: social and emotional-psychological issues in advertising to children. Transformations in Business & Economics, Vol. 6, No. 2, Pp41-64
Holt, D, Ippolito, P, Desrochers, D, Kelley, C (2007) Children’s Exposure to TV advertising in 1977 & 2004: Information for the obesity debate. Federal Trade Commission http://www.ftc.gov/os/2007/06/cabebw.pdf
Hurtz, SQ, Henriksen, L, Wang, Y, Feighery, EC, Fortmann, SP (2007) The relationship between exposure to alcohol advertising in stores, owning alcohol promotional items, & adolescent alcohol use. Alcohol and Alcoholism, Vol. 42, No. 2
Matthews, AE (2008) Children and obesity: a pan-European project examining the role of food marketing. European Journal of Public Health, Vol. 18, No. 1, Pp7-11
Maher, JK; et al (2008) Racial stereotypes in children’s television commercials. Journal of Advertising Research, Vol. 48, No. 1, Pp80-93
Potter, A (2007) Junk food or junk TV: How will the UK ban on junk food advertising affect children’s programs. Meia International Australia, No. 125, Pp5-14
Owen, L; et al (2007) Children’s understanding of advertising: an investigation using verbal and pictorially cued methods. Infant & Child Development, Vol. 16, No. 6, Pp617-628
Pine, KJ; Wilson, P; Nash, AS (2007) The relationship between television advertising, children’s viewing and their requests to Father Christmas. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, Vol. 28, No. 6, Pp456-461
Schumann, D; Thorson, E eds (2007) Internet advertising Lawrence Erlbaum Assoc Inc
Sinclair, J; Wilken, R (2007) Super size me: Accounting for television advertising in the public discourse on obesity. Media International Australia, No. 124, Pp45-56
Te’Eni-Harari, T; et al (2007) Information processing of advertising among young people: the elaboration likelihood as applied to youth. Journal of Advertising Research, Vol. 47, No. 3, Pp326-340
Thomas, S Gregory (2007) Buy, Buy, Baby: How Consumer Culture Manipulates Parents and Harms Young Minds. Houghton Mifflin
Wakefield, M; Terry-McElrath, Y; Emery, S; Saffer, H; Chaloupka, FJ; Szczypka, G; Flay, B; O’Malley, PM; Johnston, LD.(2006) Effect of televised, tobacco company-funded smoking prevention advertising on youth smoking-related beliefs, intentions, and behavior.American Journal of Public Health, Vol. 96 No. 12, 2006, p2154-2160
Warren, R; et al (2007) Food and beverage advertising to children on US television: Did national food advertisers respond? Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, Vol. 84, No. 4 , Pp795-810

Food Advertising

Ambler, T (2007) Does the UK promotion of food & drink to children contribute to their obesity? International Journal of Advertising Vol. 25, No. 2, Pp 137-156
Cowburn, G & Boxer, A (2007) Magazines for children and young people and the links to Internet food marketing: a review of the extent and type of food advertising. Public Health Nutrition, Vol. 10 , No. 10, Pp1024-1031
Dixon, HG et al (2007) The effects of television advertisements for junk food verses nutritious food on children’s food attitudes and preferences. Social Science and Medicine, Vol. 65, No. 7, Pp1311-1323
Kelly, B; Chapman, K (2007) Food references and marketing to children in Australian magazines: a content analysis.
Health Promotion International, Vol. 22, No. 4, Pp284-290
Powell, LM; et al (2007) Adolescent exposure to food advertising on televisions. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Vol. 33, No. 4, Suppl. S, Pp S251-S256
Roberts, M; et al (2007) A thematic content analysis of children’s food advertising. International Journal of Advertising, Vol. 26, No. 3, Pp357-367
Robinson, Thomas N; et al (2007) Effects of fast food branding on young children’s taste preferences.Archives of Pediatric Medicine, Vol. 161, No. 8, Pp792-797
Strachan, J & Pavie-Latour, V (2008) Food for thought: shouldn’t we actually target food advertising more towards kids and not less? International Journal of Market Research, Vol. 50, No. 1, Pp13-27
Sweet, M (2007) The Big Fat Conspiracy: How To Protect Your Family’s Health ABC Books

Physical Effects

Borusiak, P; et al (2008) Cardiovascular effects in adolescents while they are playing video games: a potential health risk factor? Psychophysiology, Vol. 45, No. 2, Pp327-332
Epstein, LH; et al (2008) A randomized trial of the effects of reducing television viewing and computer use on body mass index in young childen. Arch. of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, Vol. 162, No. 3, Pp239-245
Goldfield, GS et al, (2007) Effects of modifying physical activity and sedentary behavior on psychosocial adjustment in overweight/obese children. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, Vol. 32, No. 7, Pp783-793
Gomez, LF; et al (2007) Television viewing and its association with overweight in Columbian children: results from the 2005 National Nutrition Survey: A cross sectional study. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition & Physical Activity, Vol. 4, No. 41, ARTN 41 UT
Feldman, S et al (2007) Associations between watching TV during family meals and dietary intake. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, Vol. 39, No. 5, Pp257-263
Schneider, M; Dunton, GF; Cooper, DM (2007) Media use and obesity in adolescent females. Obesity, Vol. 15. No. 9, Pp2328-2335
Scully, M et al (2007) Dietary, physical activity and sedentary behavior among Australian secondary students in 2005. Health Promotion International, Vol. 22, No. 3, Pp236-245
Smith, NEI; et al (2008) Exploring moderators of the relationship between physical activity behaviors and television viewing in elementary school children. American Journal of Health Promotion, Vol. 22, No. 4, Pp231-236
Ussher, MH et al (2007) The relationship between physical activity, sedentary behavior and psychological wellbeing among adolescents. Social Psychiatry & Psychiatric Idemiology, Vol. 42, No. 10, Pp851-856
Roblin, L (2007) Childhood obesity: food, nutrient, and eating-habit trends and influences. Applied Physiology Nutrition and Metabolism, Vol. 32, No. 4, Pp635-645
Mendoz, JA; Zimmerman, FJ; Christakis, DA (2007) Television viewing, computer use, obesity, and adiposity in US preschool children. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition & Physical Activity, Vol. 44, No.4, Pp1186-1479

Computer/Video Games

Barlett, CP; Harris, RJ; Baldassaro, R (2007) Longer you play, the more hostile you feel: Examination of first person shooter video games and aggression during video game play. Aggressive Behavior, Vol. 33, No. 6, Pp486-497
Dill, KE; Thill, KP (2007) Video game characters and the socialization of gender roles: Young people’s perceptions mirror sexist media depictions. Sex Roles, Vol. 57, No. 11-12, Pp 851-864
Nikken, P et al (2007) Parents’ interest in videogame ratings and content descriptor in relation to game mediation. European Journal of Communication, Vol. 22, No. 3, Pp315-336
Porter, G; Starcevic, V (2007) Are violent video games harmful? Australasian Psychiatry, Vol. 15, No. 5, Pp422-426
Ravaja, N; et al (2008) The psychophysiology of James Bond; Phasic emotional responses to violent video game events. Emotion, Vol. 8, No. 1, Pp114-120
Walsh, David; Gentile, Douglas (2007) 12th annual MediaWise video game report card. National Institute on Media and the Family,
Wang, EST; et al (2008) The relationship between leisure satisfaction and life satisfaction of adolescents concerning online games. Adolescence, Vol. 43, No. 169, Pp177-184

Computers & the Internet

Agatston, PW; et al (2007) Student’s perspectives on cyber bullying. Journal of Adolescent Health, Vol. 41, No. 6, Suppl. S, Pp S59-S60
Ha, JA et al (2007) Depression and Internet addiction in adolescents. Psychopathology, Vol. 40, No. 6, Pp424-430
Jang, KS; Hwang, SY; Choi, JY (2008) Internet addiction and psychiatric symptoms among Korean adolescents. Journal of School Health, Vol. 78, No. 3, Pp165-171
Lee, L (2008) The impact of young people’s Internet use on class boundaries and life trajectories. Sociology-Journal of the British Sociological Associatione, Vol. 42, No. 1, Pp137-153
Mason, KL (2008) Cyberbullying: A preliminary assessment for school personnel. Psychology in the Schools, Vol. 45, No. 4, Pp323-348
Mitchell, KJ; Ybarra, ML (2007) Online behavior of youth who engage in self-harm provides clues for prevention intervention. Preventive Medicine, Vol. 45, No. 5 , Pp392-396
Mitchell, KJ et al (2007)Online requests for sexual pictures from youth: Risk factors and incident characteristics.Journal of Adolescent Health, Vol. 41, No. 2, Pp196-203
Slonje, R; Smith, PK (2008) Cyberbullying: another main type of bullying? Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, Vol. 49, No. 2, Pp147-154
Smith, PK; et al (2008) Cyberbullying: its nature and impact in secondary school pupils. Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry, Vol. 49, No. 4, Pp376-385
Subrahmanyam, K; Lin, G (2007) Adolescents on the net: Internet use and well-being. Adolescence, Vol. 42, No 168, Pp659-677
Valcke, M et al (2007) Primary school children’s safe and unsafe use of the Internet at home and at school: An exploratory study. Computers in Human Behaviour, Vol 23, No. 6, Pp2838-2850.
Valkenburg, PM; Peter, J (2008) Adolescents’ identity experiments on the Internet- consequences for social competence and self-concept unity. Communication Research, Vol. 35, No. 2, Pp208-231
Willoughby, Teena (2008) A short-term longitudinal study of Internet and computer game use by adolescent boys and girls: prevalence, frequency of use, and psychosocial predictors. Developmental Psychology, Vol. 44, No. 1, Pp195-204
Wolak, J; et al (2008) Online “predators” and their victims - myths, realities, and implications for prevention and treatment. American Psychologist, Vol. 63, No. 2, Pp111-128
Ybarra, ML et al (2007) Prevalence and frequency of Internet harassment instigation: Implications for adolescent health. Journal of Adolescent Health, Vol. 41, No. 2, Pp189-195
Young, K (2008) Toward a model for the study of children’s informal Internet use. Computers in Human Behavior, Vol. 24, No. 2, Pp173-184

Media Education

Metiri Group (2007) Technology in schools: What the research says. CISCO Systems http://www.cisco.com
UNESCO (2007) Media education: A kit for teachers, students, parents and professionals. 3 January, 2007. http://portal.unesco.org