New Media's Effect on Kids
Ashley Burningham
Reference:
Houston, J., Pfefferbaum, B., & Reyes, G. (2008). Experiencing disasters indirectly: how traditional and new media disaster coverage impacts youth. Prevention Researcher, 15(3), 14-17.
Theme:
Kids who aren't directly involved in disasters will have a negative reaction to all media, but new media of today produces an even larger scale negative reaction.
Summary:
-Local, natonal, and foreign children experienced negative reactions to 9/11.
-Viewing media depictions causes emotional reactions among young people. (Houston, 2008)
-Media influences stress in children.
-Youth feel in danger as a result of viewing disasters via media.
-Viewing media relates to Post Traumatic Stress symptoms.
-New media is vast.
-New media has different standards than traditional media.
-New media subjects kids to opinions, theories, personal accounts, non-edited media, and more gruesome images.
-Kids that heard of 9/11 online rather than had greatest levels of trauma.
-Parents need to monitor disaster media kids are exposed to.
Application to Lesson Topic:
The topic this week is media coverage of disasters. This article examines the effect of media coverage of disasters on children. It is important to realize that every person is affected by media coverage. Whether it formulates your opinion, changes your opinion, scares you, or shocks you, it has an effect on many things. This effect is even greater on children and it is important to understand the effects.
Application to Emergency Services:
As police, it is obvious that media plays a huge role in the business. They inform the public of what's happening. They also have the ability to portray a story however they please. This is where the use of a PIO becomes necessary to facilitate what is being delivered. This article also applies because police respond to disasters and are in charge of helping children feel safe. Police presence in a vulnerable state is extremely important to the mental and physical process.
