Children from underrepresented groups have better self-concepts and increased self-esteem when they see complex and positive portrayals of their groups in media. Recent research shows that counter-stereotypes and positive media portrayals can lead to better intergroup attitudes, healthy relationships with others, and greater empathy toward minority groups. Can media stories of social groups also lead to positive impacts on children? The lack of representation of racial and ethnic minorities and the stereotypical portrayals, when they do appear, can lead to lower self-esteem among minority youth as well as alienation from them by majority groups. For instance, sexualization and objectification of girls and young women in the media have been associated with a range of negative outcomes, such as body dissatisfaction, eating disorders, appearance anxiety, depression, lower self-esteem, and reduced sexual well-being. These stories shape young people’s shared norms, expectations, and attitudes about themselves and other groups around them. We know that the content and frequency of media stories that they consume impact children’s development. What do we know about any negative consequences that media stories about social groups might have on children’s development? Such stories often focus narrowly on a single dimension of identity (for instance, a person’s disabilities) without recognizing that multiple aspects of identities co-exist simultaneously in complex ways. If at all present, marginalized groups (such as racial/ethnic/religious minorities, women, LGTBQ+ individuals, individuals with disabilities) are largely limited to stereotypical misrepresentations and peripheral roles. Media portrayals across a range of genres, including news and entertainment, tend to focus on stories about dominant group members. FAQs How do media, especially those targeting children, portray various social groups? We conclude our review with recommendations for clinicians, policy makers, and educators that include taking media effects on stereotypes and identity formation seriously, encouraging media literacy efforts, and opening up dialogue with young people about media. Stories that demonstrate cross-group positive interaction have been shown to lead to diminished prejudice among children, for instance. In our review, however, we argue that it is important to remember that positive effects can attend more diverse, inclusive, and fluid depictions of social groups in the media. For primarily white audiences, our review shows that racial and ethnic media stereotypes can contribute to prejudice and racial bias and shape relevant political judgments. For youth of color, our review finds that having a video game avatar of the same race promotes identification whereas encountering stereotypical content associated with a same-race media character can induce stereotype threat, in which youth underperform on measures that correspond to the stereotypes. The emphasis for women on beauty and on having a particular body size and shape in the media, for example, contributes to body dissatisfaction, low self-esteem, and other threats to health and well-being at increasingly younger ages. The stories told in the media are a key source of such cues, and our review of the literature shows they have important implications for young people’s developing sense of self and of others. These understandings are marked in part by social group categorization, with groups defined by race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, and other aspects of human difference. School Psychologist Survey on Impact of Digital MediaĪs social beings, children and adolescents look to cues in the world around them to develop understandings of themselves and others.Digital Life and Youth Well-being Findings.Addiction and Internet Gaming Disorders Findings.Children and Screens Announces Appointment of Its First Executive Director, Kris Perry.

Distinctive Voices Lecture and Reception.

Documentary Night: Perils and Promises of a Wired World.2015 Digital Media and Developing Minds National Academy of Sciences Conference.2017 Interdisciplinary Summit on Children and Screen time – National Press Club.2018 Digital Media and Developing Minds – Cold Spring Harbor Conference.2021 Digital Media and Mental Health Research Retreat.2022 Education Technology and Virtual Learning Retreat.

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