ABSTRACT
All too often, discussions of the effects of electronic media on children focus solely on the negative. Some critics have argued-with little, if any, basis in empirical data-that exposure to television can lead to outcomes such as reduced attention spans, lack of interest in school, or children’s becoming passive “zombie viewers” (e.g., Healy, 1990; Postman, 1985; Winn, 1977). Discussions regarding interactive media often have been more ambivalent; for example, efforts to bring computers and Internet access into classrooms reflect perceptions of interactive media as an educational necessity (e.g., Roberts, 2000), but others have focused on negative consequences such as the potential for widespread “video game addiction” (e.g., Bruner & Bruner, 2006). While many negative claims have been either attenuated or completely refuted by research, other negative effects of media have found more support in the literature, such as the modeling of aggressive behavior (e.g., Weber, Ritterfield, & Kostygina, 2006; Wilson et al., 1997) or persuasive effects of advertising (e.g., John, 1999; Kunkel, 2001).
