Whether it’s books, movies or cartoons, the art that children engage with helps them to develop media literacy — the ability to think critically about the ideas behind art. Media can heavily influence a child’s understanding of the world around them. But in a world where endless entertainment can be accessed through the internet, parents may not be sure how to encourage their children to have a healthy relationship with the media they consume.
Sherri Hope Culver, director of the Center for Media and Information Literacy (CMIL) at Temple University, often discusses media literacy directly with children on her podcast “Kids Talk Media.” Much of Culver’s work focuses on the influence media has on children and how they can create more thoughtful relationships with the content they consume.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
How is the way young kids approach media different from older children and teens?
Consuming media builds your sense of who you are and what you like. But when you’re young, you assume that your parents are going to make those decisions. Your parents tell you what to watch or let you pick from appropriate options. By puberty, you develop your identity more intentionally and want to experiment with the kinds of things you read or watch. Even if your child isn’t proactively making those decisions, they are influenced by the children around them.
What are the most interesting things you’ve learned from discussing media literacy with children?
Kids are consciously thinking about media. We may not always give them the time to talk about what they like or dislike about it, but they think about it a lot. Kids reveal a lot about their preferences and how they make choices. We don’t often affirm for kids that how a piece of media makes you feel can influence what you take away from it. They can actually get the reverse message and may engage with things they don’t like or don’t feel comfortable with because of peer or family pressure.
How has social media affected children’s development of media literacy?
It’s hard to overestimate the effect that social media has had. For young children who are not allowed to use social media yet, they know everyone around them is using it, so they try to emulate the experiences people have on social media in their own way. The way young children play with toy phones has changed because the ways the adults in their lives use phones have changed. The greatest predictor of a child’s media use, and their social media use, is their parents’ use. Kids are watching us, and if you are struggling with putting your phone down, then your child’s not seeing the model of using it in a way that feels balanced and keeps you happy.
How can parents help their children become more media literate?
Setting rules about media usage can help them with their work-life balance. Media is fun, and we enjoy it, but it has its place. We need food, but we don’t eat nonstop. We don’t go to school nonstop. We make choices of what we’re going to do, and media is a choice.
You should also take the time to discuss media with your child. If your child likes a game, invite them to show you the game or tell you what they like about it. The best way to build your child’s interest in media and help them engage with it in a healthy way is to honor what they like about it and meet them on their level.
