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Executive Summary
1. This report aims to provide a broad overview of the research literatureconcerned with the impact of the media on children and young people. It focusesprimarily on computer games and the internet, although there is some discussionof research on ‘older’ media, particularly television. In line with the remit of theByron Review, the report concentrates on harmful effects; although there is someconsideration of beneficial effects as well.2. Concerns about the harmful effects of the media on children and young peopleare rarely absent from the headlines, and have a very long history dating backwell before electronic technology. These concerns reflect much more generalanxieties about the future direction of society; and they can be inflamed andmanipulated by those with much broader motivations. This climate of concernhas affected the field of research, often making it difficult to arrive at a systematicand balanced evaluation of the issues.3. When it comes to negative effects, research has explored many different typesof effects. For example, while some of these relate to specific areas of mediacontent, others relate to media use in general; while some are short-term anddirect, others are longer-term and/or indirect; and while some relate to behaviour,others relate to attitudes or to emotional responses. It is vital to make distinctionsbetween these different types of effects, although they are frequently confused inthe public debate.4. Recent developments in media technology, and in the nature of family life,have made it harder to prevent children being exposed to potential risks frommedia. However, some researchers argue that exposure to risk is a necessarypart of healthy development; and that it will be impossible for children to learnabout risks unless they experience them. Even so, it is important that risks areencountered in an informed way; and there is a crucial role for parents andschools here in helping children to deal with risk – both ‘spectacular’ butinfrequent risks and more ‘mundane’ and pervasive ones.5. The negative effects of media may be impossible to separate from theirpositive effects. Potential positive effects relate to learning and education, as wellas processes such as social interaction, identity formation and culturalexperience. Apparently ‘inappropriate’ content may also provide valuableopportunities for learning. In seeking to prevent negative effects, it is important toensure that we do not also undermine or preclude the potential for positiveeffects.6. There have been long-running and often heated debates among researcherson the issue of media effects. Research in the American psychological effectstradition has been seriously challenged on methodological and theoreticalgrounds, both by researchers in Media and Cultural Studies and by other
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