ABSTRACT
In the following extracts, a picture is built of the possibilities that abound for screen-based entertainment technology to impregnate the imagination of the child (‘H’). Some might argue for the harmful effects and some for the beneficial. We have included extracts of the interviews because they typify the idiosyncrasies that we met everywhere, even if this 7-year-old is massively atypical in his screen-based media interests. H is capable of differentiating visual material in accordance with film classification; he has seen a great variety of films, from children’s to adults’; he negotiates with adults over his schooling and his family life; and, most of the time, he is allowed to have his own way. In this last respect he is certainly not untypical. Please note that throughout this book ‘R’ refers to the researcher during reported conversations.
