Looking across the research literature, one can see that a very wide range of potentially negative effects of media have been identified and discussed. These would include effects relating to:

• violent content – including imitation (in the form of aggression or antisocial behaviour), desensitisation* and fear

• sexual content – including imitation (in the form of promiscuous* or unsafe practices), arousal*, and shock or disgust

• advertising – in relation to misleading claims, as well as consumerist or materialistic attitudes more broadly

• inappropriate or unwanted contact with others – for example in the form of ‘stranger danger’ or bullying*

• health – for example to do with smoking, alcohol and drug-taking

• eating behaviour – in relation to both obesity* and eating disorders

• general personality disorders, such as low self-esteem, ‘identity confusion’ or alienation*

• physical effects of excessive use – for example RSI*-type conditions and eyesight problems relating to computers

• the undermining of children’s imagination and free play

• the physical development of the brain, and disorders such as attention deficit and hyperactivity

• sleeping problems and other behavioural difficulties

• reduced time for family interaction, or relationships with peers

• reduced levels of educational achievement, or reading more specifically • mistaken values, attitudes or beliefs – for example in relation to gender or ethnic stereotyping.

Another issue that needs to be addressed here is to do with the potentially positive effects of media on children. While nobody would deny the need to protect children from negative or harmful effects, it is possible that in doing so one may also prevent them from experiencing a range of positive consequences. Indeed, in some circumstances negative and positive effects may be impossible to separate.
For the reasons I have identified, research on children and media has been very much preoccupied with the search for negative effects. Nevertheless, a range of potentially positive effects can also be proposed, as follows:

• learning – in relation to specific educational content or health messages, as well as general knowledge

• language – language acquisition, and the development of skills in reading and written communication (for example, via the internet)

• development of cognitive skills – for example, skills in spatial awareness*, hypothesis testing or strategic thinking (for example, in computer games)

• development of pro-social behaviour and moral values – tolerance, cooperation, and so on

• awareness of social issues – for example, knowledge of current affairs, social problems or other cultures

• social interaction – the role of the media as a basis for discussion within the peer group or family, as well as interaction through the media (for example, via the internet)

• civic participation – the media as a means of promoting social awareness, volunteer activities and political action

• creativity and self-expression – the use of the media as a means of creating and distributing one’s own media products

• cultural value – as with books or other cultural forms, media offer the satisfactions of narrative, of pleasurable images, and of meaningful representations of the real world

• identity development – like reading, media may help to develop imagination, empathy* and a sense of one’s personal tastes and values • entertainment and relaxation

• developing the ability to sustain attention* – for example through concentration on a computer game

• the encouragement of creative activities – play, ‘make and do’ activities, hobbies, reading, and so on.