Throughout history the media has primarily been produced by adults, for adults, about adults. Increasingly, children have become a matter of high priority in the modern media society, and as they have, they have also become the subject of much concern. From debates in Congress about the detrimental effects of movies, comic books, and video games over the last century to efforts to court children as media consumers, there is a clear recognition that the media are not now and probably never were purely adult fare. Their impact on children is at issue.

The contributors to this important work all study or work in the world of children's media. They analyze such concerns as the need for more educational programming for children on commercial television, media research groups devoted to studying issues that affect children, how children are covered by major newspapers and network news, and media organizations that utilize children as reporters, journalists, and editors. Also included in this volume are insights from various members of the entertainment, scholarly, and political communities, including Senator Paul Simon, Harvard professor Gerald Lesser, television personality Fred Rogers, and Representative Patricia Schroeder.

Children and the Media goes beyond predictable debates over children and media. The contributors consider various interest goups, from consumer to producer, with the intention of stimulating more disciplined intelligence on the topic, thus leading to continuing creative efforts to address an often neglected part of the human community. This book will be invaluable to media studies specialists, child psychologists, educators, and parents.