How Does Media Use Impact Children and Teenagers?

Media has an impact on us all: television, radio, films, music, video games, advertising campaigns and the Internet... It can impact our mental and physical wellbeing. But are all the influences negative or harmful?

6 minute read | #wellbeing #socialmedia #online #socialising

When I think back to my childhood, I recall conversations about how much time my brother and I spent watching television – and whether that was ‘good’ for us. We’d hope to be allowed to stay up late sometimes to watch a programme that wasn’t really meant for children. Then when I was a teenager, there were discussions about the look of female artists in music videos and the 'message it was sending’ to young girls.

Media has an impact on us all: television, radio, films, music, video games, advertising campaigns and the Internet... It can impact our mental and physical wellbeing. But are all the influences negative or harmful? Are the influences today greater? And are they something that parents and educators should be more aware of and concerned about?

Let’s look at the research, find out how media use is impacting children and teenagers today and what we, as educators, can do to support our young learners.

Media use and early childhood development

TikTok toddlers

As teachers, we focus on school-aged children when we think about the impact media use has on children and young people. It’s important to remember though that children starting school will have already been exposed to media. Some may have been put in front of the television or a tablet as a means of ‘babysitting’ from a very young age. Watching age-appropriate and possibly educational or interactive programmes is one thing. Passively watching short video clips on YouTube is another. Consuming media in this way has been linked to trouble focusing and attention deficit disorder.

The Guardian reported on the research commissioned by Ofcom earlier this year. The study found that about 16% of three- and four-year-olds view TikTok content. The platform is strictly for users aged 13 or over but many parents are allowing their children to use it at a much younger age.

Top Tips:

Share information with families to support them with making decisions about the amount of media use their children have outside of school, including younger siblings.
Speak to school-age children about their media use and that of their younger siblings. Encourage them to engage in activities together, such as puzzles, drawing, reading and playing outside.

The impact of media use in primary-aged children

Screentime and physical impacts

The links between screentime and physical wellbeing have been well documented. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), screens encourage sedentary behaviour. Recent figures show a sharp increase in obesity among both reception-aged children and year 6 pupils.

Studies have also shown links between screentime and sleep deprivation. It has been proven that using screens before going to sleep can affect how quickly we fall asleep and the quality of our sleep; the blue light from the device’s screen stimulates our brain.

Of course, our physical health is directly linked to our mental health. A lack of physical activity and quality sleep can have an emotional impact. We might notice children with high media use struggling with resilience, patience and positivity.

Age-appropriate content

Age restrictions or recommendations have always existed for films. Programmes that aren’t suitable for younger viewers are shown later at night. In the modern age, however, where anything is available at any time online, it’s much harder to limit children’s access to unsuitable content.

Gaming

I was the ‘meanest mum in the world’ when I wouldn’t let my ten-year-old son have Call of Duty for his X-Box years ago. Parents are torn between adhering to age restrictions on games and ensuring their child isn’t the only one in the class who isn’t playing those games. Children with older siblings will also likely be exposed to games that contain adult or violent themes.

The need for instant gratification

Research shows that media use via mobile games, video games and social media platforms can create unhealthy dopamine patterns. These are similar to addictions such as gambling or substance abuse, as ‘likes’ or ‘levelling up’ create a dependency on receiving an immediate reward.

Top Tips:

Integrate technology into physical activities in school: use dance videos or games in PE; introduce pupils to fun apps that monitor physical activity; record running or throwing techniques in athletics lessons to evaluate and improve.
Ensure pupils learn about the importance of sleep as part of their statutory health education.
Discuss age restrictions and why we have them on films and games. Relate learning to other rules and laws and the fact that they are there to protect us.
Promote discussions and celebrations of offline hobbies and interests that your pupils engage in – rather than plugging away at telling them ‘screens are bad’!
Introduce children to a range of ‘traditional’ games – both indoors and outdoors: Hangman, What’s the Time, Mr Wolf?, Consequences, Shut the Box, Charades, Cats’ Cradle, etc. are lots of fun, and your pupils might not be familiar with them.
Use individual and class rewards in school that children have to work towards and wait for.

How media use impacts teenagers and young people

Socialising and online relationships

It’s important for children and teenagers to have healthy relationships with online and offline socialisation. An over-reliance on communication through a screen can mean feeling less comfortable with face-to-face interactions. Interactions taking place on social media can also feel very different from ‘real-world’ interactions. This is one explanation for cyberbullying and trolling, as people feel detached from their comments and ‘say’ things they probably wouldn’t say to another person’s face.

Unrealistic expectations

Everyone else is living the dream! Or so it might seem when we see their social media posts. Research into the prevalence of FOMO (fear of missing out) shows that social media fuels these perceptions that others are having more fun and living better lives. Teenagers and young people who spend a lot of time on various platforms are exposed to stereotypes and messages about what happiness looks like, how they should look and dress, salaries and lifestyles. Feeling like everyone else has a perfect life tends to only ever result in feeling inadequate and unsatisfied.

High-risk behaviours

Links between media use and high-risk behaviours have been debated for many years. It seems that for as many studies to show a link between playing violent video games and carrying out violent behaviour, there are studies to disprove that link. However, dangerous social media challenges are real and are impacting our children and teens. Young people often want to be noticed, to be admired, or to fit in with the crowd and participating in risky challenges – which can result in injuries or, or even death – is seen as a way to do this.

Top Tips:

Children and young people can be shown how to use social media platforms in responsible and respectful ways. Help them empathise with those on the receiving end of cyberbullying and learn about the dos and don'ts through experimentation in a safe environment.
Explicitly teach pupils about photoshopping and false images online. Teach about self-esteem, self-worth, identity and body confidence in PSHE to help pupils be more discerning about the media content they view and to think more deeply about how we measure our own and others’ worth.
Stay updated regarding current media trends and have open, honest conversations with pupils about social media challenges or games they’re playing. Express interest, then guide and advise them through questioning and discussion rather than preaching.

Media use is part of everyday life. It’s here to stay. There are many positives to being part of a connected world, where we can access information on demand, learn new skills, meet others and share experiences.

As long as we are aware of the negative impacts, too, we can teach and guide our pupils to access media in a way that empowers them. We can work with families to help children and young people make informed decisions and act responsibly in a way that keeps themselves and others safe and happy.