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Children, Youth and Media Around the World:
An Overview of Trends & Issues
Report Compiled & Prepared by Susan Gigli, InterMedia
Survey Institute for
UNICEF's 4th World Summit on Media for
Children and Adolescents
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil * April 2004
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), adopted in 1989 and
ratified by all but two countries, clearly spells out the rights to which
all children everywhere are entitled. It contains four basic principles
to guide political decision-making affecting the child: 1) the best interests
of the child should be a primary consideration in such decisions; 2) opinions
of children themselves should be heard; 3) child development, not only
survival, should be ensured; 4) each child should be able to enjoy his/her
rights, without discrimination.
Several of the CRC's key articles deal with the media
and children. Article 17 spells out the important role of media to disseminate
information that promotes the child's well-being in the broadest sense,
giving states specific tasks:
States Parties recognize the important function performed
by the mass media and shall ensure that the child has access to information
and material from a diversity of national and international sources, especially
those aimed at the promotion of his or her social, spiritual and moral
well-being and physical and mental health. To this end, States Parties
shall:
(a) Encourage the mass media to disseminate information and material of
social and cultural benefit to the child and in accordance with the spirit
of Article 29;
(b) Encourage international cooperation in the production, exchange and
dissemination of such information and material from a diversity of cultural,
national and international sources;
(c) Encourage the production and dissemination of children's books;
(d) Encourage the mass media to have particular regard to the linguistic
needs of the child who belongs to a minority group or who is indigenous;
(e) Encourage the development of appropriate guidelines for the protection
of the child from information and material injurious to his or her well-being,
bearing in mind the provisions of articles 13 and 18.
Article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child
recognizes the right of the children to express their own views in matters
affecting them.
Article 13 enshrines the right to freedom of expression: "(…)
This right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information
and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing
or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of the child's
choice."
Article 17, together with Articles 12 and 13, should contribute not only
to the development of well-informed citizens, but to young people's voices
being heard more and more through the mass media. It sends a clear message
that children should be both participants in and beneficiaries of the
information revolution.
A look at the world media landscape for children and
youth immediately presents two opposing themes: opportunities and risks.
For example, globalization of media brings opportunities to broaden children’s
outlooks and provide more equal access to information, but it also threatens
cultural identification and values. Technological advances bring the promise
of new skills and greater youth participation in society, but also increase
the risk of child exploitation and informational divides. There is an
urgent need for societies to both protect youth and empower them to shape
their own media environments, as spelled out by the United Nations Convention
on the Rights of the Child and increasingly by media experts and educators
around the globe.
This overview of trends and issues concerning young people
and the media is based on a broad review of existing print and electronic
sources, interviews with child media experts from different regions, and
analysis of InterMedia’s surveys in transitional and developing
countries. The trends and issues highlighted here—from young people’s
media options and behavior, to the quality and influence of media aimed
at them—all point to the need for more effective use of the vast
positive potential of mass media and new technologies to advocate for,
and enrich the lives of, children and young people worldwide.
Children/Young People & Media
in the World Today
Approximately one-third of the world’s
population is made up of 2 billion young people under 18. They make up
half the population in the least developed nations; less than a quarter
in the most industrialized ones. Their challenges range from basic survival
to discrimination and exploitation. Moreover, there are myriad differences
in cultures, traditions and values.
Nevertheless, children and youth everywhere
share some universal traits. They are fundamentally more optimistic, more
open and curious than their adult counterparts. Increasingly, children
are enjoying unprecedented freedoms in many countries.
Unfortunately, others confront growing health
and social problems, ranging from deepening poverty and ethnic strife
to substance abuse and sexually transmitted diseases, political turmoil
and warfare.
Arguably, the proliferation and globalization
of media are among the key factors that have shaped and defined the current
generation of young people. In many countries, youth have access to a
greater number of multi-media choices than ever before— conventional,
satellite and cable TV channels; radio stations; newspapers and magazines;
the internet and computer and video games. In addition, many are exposed
to the same programs, the same characters and the same marketed spin-off
products.
Today there is greater availability of foreign
programming and media, and less official censorship and control in many
parts of the world. Information, email and images flow around the world
faster and more freely than ever. Indeed, mass media are making the world
smaller, and culture and media are increasingly inextricable, especially
for young people.
InterMedia Surveys 2002-03 Children’s/Young
People’s Use of the Media
Television
Television is the dominant medium for young
people—and adults—around the world. From the mid-1980s to
the mid-1990s, the number of television channels, household television
sets and hours spent watching television more than doubled. There are
now approximately 250 television sets per thousand inhabitants in the
world—far more than the number of telephones. Satellite television
reaches all continents, offering increasing numbers of channels targeting
specific market segments, including young viewers. In the late 1990s,
some 50 television channels directed specifically to children were launched,
several of which have had enormous international success. However, this
has caused national television services in many areas to cut back their
own production of children’s programs.
Weekly television viewing far surpasses radio
listening in nearly every region, and dwarfs newspaper and internet use.
Average daily use of television among those school-age children around
the world with access ranges from between 1.5 hours to more than four
hours; many of these same children will rarely read a book. The prominence
of television in young people’s daily lives makes it one of their
major information sources about the world around them.
The prevalence of television viewing among
young people raises serious concerns about recent national and global
trends in the television industry. The rampant consolidation of commercial
media has meant the dominance of only a handful of large and powerful
companies.
In industrialized countries, there have
been recent outcries over rising levels of aggression, obesity, substance
abuse, eating disorders and unsafe sexual behavior among youth, increasingly
attributed to commercial media aimed at children and youth. In developing
countries, where resources limit domestic productions, a majority of programs
for children and youth are imported. Unfortunately, much of the content
contains characters and messages that, at best, are simply not relevant
to local cultures, and at worst convey violent images and mass marketing
messages. Plus, public broadcasters that have traditionally produced some
of the best-quality children’s media have had to reduce their youth
programming in the face of funding cuts and growing competition from private
channels. Clearly the case for media pluralism, i.e., access to media
that effectively communicates and supplies relevant content, applies to
children and young people as well.
Radio
After television viewing, listening to the
radio is the next most popular activity among children and young people
worldwide. Actual listening rates among the young vary greatly, however,
depending on the quality of national broadcasting and the availability
of private alternatives. In many countries, there has been a boom among
young people in radio listening over the past decade, the result of the
emergence of dozens of private radio stations. This is particularly the
case in Africa and the former Soviet bloc countries.
Most young people tune in to the radio primarily
for music and entertainment. However, some local radio stations have been
very successful in attracting and informing more socially active segments
of the population, young and old alike. A good example is the ANEM network
of independent radio stations in the former Yugoslavia. It has become
a major source of diverse information and entertainment for youth interested
in social life.
In some countries, listening to the largely
political fare of public international radio broadcasters— the BBC,
VOA, Deutsche Welle and Radio France Internationale, among them—remains
surprisingly high among young people. According to 2003 surveys, 16 percent
of young people 15 to 19 listened to international radio in Albania, 12
percent in Bangladesh, 21 percent in Nigeria and 26 percent in urban Haiti.
These relatively high listening rates testify to young people’s
interest in political and social events, and reflect the need for high-quality
information, still lacking in many countries.
The Internet
The internet has been gaining popularity
among young people, though at a much slower pace than television and radio.
In spite of significant differences among the developed and developing
world, the use of computers and the internet is rising steadily, fastest
among young men.
That there are so many more computer-literate
young people than adults indicates the younger generation’s greater
interest in and aptitude for technological advances. Around the world,
young users are increasingly turning to the internet as a source of information,
communication, socializing and entertainment. At the same time, web access
is the source of the greatest divide, both between countries (internet
use in industrialized countries far outpaces use in the developing world),
and within countries (internet use concentrated among wealthier and better-educated
urban youth).
Nevertheless, even in countries where internet
and computer use is low, young people actively seek access whenever possible,
most often in internet cafes. Young people are enthusiastic about the
internet because, more than any other medium, it helps them establish
contact with the outside world and freely seek information. Perhaps it
is ‘free’ access to information that also accounts for the
higher levels of trust young people (and adults as well) often place in
information on the web than in information from traditional media.
Nearly $8 billion was spent on TV marketing
to kids [in the U.S.] last year, a walloping $3 billion on food ads alone.
. .Most pushed high-calorie, low-nutrition brands to tykes and teens,
a demo with a big sweet tooth and little awareness of health risks.
—Broadcasting and Cable Magazine, March 2004
While they like seeing themselves in
the media, nearly 90 percent of children's programming broadcast in Latin
America comes from abroad.
—Patricia Arriaga, Canal Once, Mexico
But, the openness of the web and young people’s
apparent inability to distinguish clearly between content and advertising
worries parents and child advocates alike. Young people use the internet
primarily for communicating (email and chat rooms); downloading (computer
games, software and music); and obtaining information (about education,
entertainment, sports, “taboo” topics not addressed by adults,
and news that may be censored for political motives).
Print Media
In contrast to the steady rise of other media,
in many countries print media have experienced a setback from the role
they once played. Several recent developments have served to further decrease
the numbers of young readers of print media. In part, this is a result
of the improved quantity and quality of information available from television
and radio. In industrialized countries, young people are distracted by
numerous media choices and technologies.
In poorer countries, few youth-oriented publications
exist and those that do often have limited circulation or are too expensive
for most youth to afford.
In the former Soviet bloc countries, youth
press once played a fairly vibrant role and received significant government
backing. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, however, youth press has largely
disappeared and has not been replaced by a regular alternative forum for
young people.
Starting in the early 1990s, newspaper readership
levels declined sharply throughout the region, especially in those countries
experiencing the greatest economic difficulties. Many publications folded
without government subsidies and could not attract sufficient advertisers
or subscribers. Those that did survive had to raise their prices, making
them unaffordable for many. Lastly, the distribution system was so badly
weakened in many countries that it is now common for newspapers and magazines
to arrive in rural areas weeks and months late, if at all.
The publications in strongest demand among
young people are those that appeal to their specialized interests—comic
books and popular specialized magazines on computers, fashion, sports,
science, business and music. Many are high quality, with slick and appealing
content that cater to young people’s interests, yet are often too
costly for the average young person (or adult).
The Informational Divide
In spite of improvements in quantity and
quality of media for children and youth around the world over the last
decade, there still exists an informational divide both between and within
countries. The divide between better-educated, wealthier youth and less-educated,
rural youth determines access to, use of and preferences for different
types of media.
In villages today there is practically
no press, either for adults or for children and youth. The postal system
does not work. Press that is three months old lies on the benches of provincial
cities.
—Uzbek sociologist
The informational divide takes many different
forms. In developing countries, highest overall media use most often occurs
among urban, affluent young people. But in some countries, television
viewing rates are just as high in rural as in urban areas because of community
viewing habits and because of the lack of alternative media.
In industrialized countries, in contrast,
media use tends to be highest among lower socio-economic groups because
television is inexpensive entertainment. While wealthier young people
devote less time to television and video games, they spend more time using
computers and print media.
Boys tend to access media more than girls,
and use audio-visual and digital media more often as well. Yet, in some
cultures, the opposite is true because restrictions on girls’ activities
often keep them at home. For the same reason, boys frequent outdoor places
of entertainment more often, such as cinemas, internet cafes and video
parlors.
The vast majority of young people in the
world do not have access to computers or the internet, mainly due to economic
reasons. Buying a computer and securing a web connection are still big
investments in many countries. In addition, poor infrastructure puts young
people in smaller towns and villages at a disadvantage. Technical problems
also discourage wide internet use in some countries and do not allow young
people to fully appreciate all the possibilities the web offers. (Indeed,
studies show sharply higher internet use when broadband access is available.)
Apart from economic considerations, there
are also young people who shy away from the internet because of the prevalence
of English-language content, or the absence of content in their own language.
Others are simply not particularly interested or do not fully understand
its uses and possibilities.
Quality of Media for Children & Youth
Growing Concerns over Lack of Quality & Control
As media options for most children have
grown in recent decades, so too have concerns about the quality of media
aimed at children. Growing numbers of parents, educators, researchers
and policy-makers around the world are alarmed about the lack of quality
media for children and young people and the growing availability of low-quality
entertainment featuring violence, sexual content, undesirable role models
and lack of diversity.
There are also serious questions about the
short- and long-term effects of this material. Numerous studies have been
done on the effects of media—violence in media in particular—on
children.
Young people often speak of the power the
media has on their lives, and any parent can attest to the impressionable,
unquestioning and imitative nature of children. How much the mass media
influence children and young people is somewhat debatable, but sociologists
and researchers in different regions have observed some of the following
adverse effects:
—growing influence of entertainment media on youth style and identity
—decreasing role of traditional sources of influence: family, school,
community, religion, etc.
—appeal of individualism and personal, as opposed to collective
or societal, achievement
—some confusion in values (misguided sense of right and wrong, of
human relations)
—an increasingly blurred line between advertisements and program
content
—distortion of reality and rising expectation gaps
—newfound culture of “glamour” and “celebrity”
—creation of harmful or unrealistic stereotypes; a promotion of
intolerance or apathy
—emphasis on the banal and trivial; de-emphasis on education, creativity
and culture
—tendency for young people to think less for themselves and to follow
media-set agendas.
If globalization is a process of accelerated flow of media content,
to most African cultures and children, it is also a process of accelerated
exclusion.
—Dr. Francis B. Nyamnjoh, University of Botswana
Children and youth advocates lament these
negative effects because they recognize the enormous, potentially positive
influences media can have on young audiences—namely broadening their
world outlook and destroying stereotypes, increasing communication and
access to diverse ideas, and promoting critical thinking and participation
in social and political life.
Fueling concerns is the decline of parental
supervision over young people’s media habits. In part, many parents
are simply too busy to be closely involved in what their children are
consuming. Also, youth programming is sometimes not scheduled when most
youth are actually watching, so they end up watching adult material. In
addition, it is increasingly difficult for adults to know what young people
are consuming. They can’t keep up with the changing television fare,
electronic games and websites, and they also cannot track where their
children are consuming media—in their rooms, at school, at friends’
houses, in internet cafes or even just hanging out. In Japan, for example,
the majority of young people possess mobile phones and more than three-quarters
of them access the internet via their phone.
What Constitutes Quality Media for Young People?
There is no clear consensus on what comprises
quality media for children/young people. Producers, children’s specialists,
parents and children all have somewhat different notions, although criteria
such as being credible, comprehensible and uplifting, and empowering youth
to think for themselves are recognized as key ingredients. Indeed, it
seems easier to agree on what quality media for young people is not: dull,
boring, patronizing, overly commercial or violent, vulgar, disrespectful,
biased, manipulative or corruptive.
While it is important to remember children
and young people are as diverse in their tastes as adults, they tend to
favor entertainment-oriented content, with lively and interesting characters,
informal style and language, and dynamic and engaging presentation. They
are also naturally drawn to subjects that interest them—music, sports,
style, culture, celebrities, science and technology, etc.—and those
that convey messages about how to have fun, be successful and look good.
Yet young people are not interested solely
in light entertainment fare. They are also eager to learn, and drawn to
information that shapes their identities, builds their sense of social
belonging and makes sense of the world. They are attracted to content
that entertains them, and to that which presents children and young people
similar to themselves, in situations that relate to their own lives.
Some young people contributing to UNICEF’s
Voices of Youth website have lamented the frequent stereotypical portrayals
of young people as trendsetters or high-achievers on the one hand, or
victims or wrong-doers on the other. They note the general absence from
the media of the ordinary young person who lives a typical life with routine
ups and downs.
Many young people also appreciate media
content that deals credibly with topics they may find difficult to discuss
with parents or adults, such as personal relationships, sexuality, AIDS,
drugs, selfesteem, etc. They value factual information and advice provided
by experts, as well as material prepared and presented by young people
themselves.
In focus groups InterMedia has conducted
in different countries, youth say they believe only young journalists
can really understand their problems. Similarly, young people feel adults
either miss the point or present issues in ways that are too serious,
pedantic or patronizing. In addition, youth in countries with widespread
poverty, corruption, political turmoil and/or disease also seek realistic,
relevant and meaningful content to help them understand and cope with
hardships they face in their daily lives.
Lack of Real Choice
In reality, in spite of all the media options
seemingly available to many young people, young audiences aren’t
really given a fair choice. There is a dearth of quality programming for
youth and children across the board. There is even less choice in the
majority of countries heavily dependent on foreign imports.
A great deal of exported media for children
and young people are produced with formats and content that can appeal
to and be understood by as many cultures as possible. Thus, the prevalence
of animated programming and media violence is generally driven not so
much because it is what young audiences want, but largely because of competition
and global marketing.
The image the media have of young people
has two extremes: 1) a perfect teenager, great at school, has a beautiful
boyfriend or girlfriend, loves his parents, has the greatest clothes…,
2) the black side of the moon: hates school, hates the world, hates everything,
has a
punk attitude, doesn't care about anything at all.
—15-year-old from Brazil
Young People Aren’t Tuned Out
Young people in the industrialized world
are not all as apathetic and tuned out as they are sometimes perceived
to be, and are interested in content meaningful to their lives. Studies
in Western Europe and the United States make a distinction between apathy
and cynicism, i.e., young people’s expression of disinterest in
social and political life is often superficial and “part of the
condition” of being young. For many adolescents, “cynical
chic” is a way of dealing with their own sense of powerlessness
and what they see as “inconsistency, complacency or hypocrisy on
the part of adults.” Thus, many young people will say discussion
of serious issues is “boring,” but they will often have interesting
and informed opinions on these issues.
Need for More Realistic Portrayal
One of the largest problems regarding media
rights for youth is simply lack of coverage of children and young people
in the news. What little coverage there is too often portrays youth in
the context of sensationalist issues, e.g., child abuse, exploitation
and violence, with little respect for the dignity and privacy of the children
and scant opportunity for young people to speak for themselves. Young
people around the world feel excluded from or disserved by the media when
they are portrayed simplistically as superficial, apathetic, poverty stricken
or delinquent.
The 2001 UNICEF-sponsored study in Buenos
Aires, Montevideo and Santiago on students’ (14- 17) perceptions
of urban security issues is a good example of the media’s powerful
role in setting agendas and shaping opinions and images of youth. The
study showed young people in these cities felt the media do not portray
youth realistically or sympathetically. Media—and television in
particular— often present a negative and exaggerated picture of
young people as juvenile delinquents. A majority of respondents perceived
from the media that youth commit more crimes than adults, crimes of equal
gravity to those of adults, and crimes at an earlier age than in previous
years. This kind of inaccurate and inflammatory coverage tends to distort
public and political debate in favor of repressive, rather than preventive,
educational solutions to growing violence in many societies.
Participation of Children & Young People in the Media
Dozens of examples of young people’s
participation in the media attest to their interest in the world around
them, especially if given the chance to meaningfully express themselves
on issues affecting them. A growing number of interest groups and media
organizations have become involved, creating numerous opportunities for
young people to participate in media. Participation takes many forms—content
development, production, professional skills training and media education—and
applies to television, radio, the internet, print media, video, photography
and CDs.
The most visible and successful youth participation
programs are usually those that incorporate the ideals of “genuine
and effective” participation, i.e., an environment in which young
people are involved in every step of the process from planning to evaluation.
Challenges to “genuine and effective” participation include:
getting adults to let go; creating an environment at home or school where
participation is serious and encouraged; overcoming cultural norms that
children should be seen and not heard; and generating enough funds to
sustain projects.
Youth participation in media generates highly
positive outcomes for the young people themselves, as synthesized by the
UNESCO Clearinghouse’s 2001 Yearbook Outlooks on Children and Media:
—A strengthened sense of pride, power and self-esteem as a result
of feeling their voices are worth listening to, that they are part of
their community, and that they have achieved an understanding of others
and of their own culture.
—A wish to see their own everyday dreams and their own local, social
and ethnic culture and reality portrayed in the media.
—Strengthened ability and curiosity, and increased media competence,
i.e., their critical understanding of the media.
—Greater social justice engendered by allowing young people who
do not manage well in traditional, print-based schools to take part in
audio-visual media production.
—Greater interest and involvement in society on their own terms,
which in turn inspires action to improve coverage of youth issues in the
media and the situations in their own communities.
The UNESCO International Clearinghouse on Children, Youth and Media (www.nordicom.gu.se)
is a good source for information on specific projects and issues involving
children, youth and media around the world. In addition, UNICEF has two
useful websites. The MAGIC website (www.unicef.org/magic)
showcases media projects by, with and for children around the world, along
with other links and information. The Voices of Youth pages (www.unicef.org/voy)
feature young people’s thoughts about media in their own countries,
in their own words.
A few examples of the growing number of
successful media projects and programs for and with children and young
people:
ANDI—The Brazilian News Agency for
Children’s Rights monitors media coverage of children and youth,
and trains and works closely with journalists in their reporting on children
and youth-related issues. ANDI’s efforts have led to greatly increased
and improved coverage of children and youth issues in the Brazilian media
and the model is now being applied in eight other Latin American countries.
TROC—The Young Reporter of Albania.
Dozens of young people, from 13 to 18, from all over the country receive
training on this weekly TV news magazine program. Students learn all aspects
of video news production and are responsible for planning and producing
the weekly program with limited adult guidance. The program is very popular
in Albania and in neighboring countries among young viewers who value
TROC as the first socially responsive TV show that provides perspectives
from all over the country.
Mukto Khobor (Free News)—The widely
viewed weekly, 25-minute news and current affairs program in Bangladesh,
is produced by youth 11 to 17. It focuses on children and child rights
issues, and provides a forum for young people to express their views,
empowers young journalists with specialized skills, inspires young viewers
who see the success of their peers’
work in the media, and shows young people have valuable input on current
problems.
Children and Broadcasting
Foundation for Africa—Created in 1995
to ensure the implementation of the Africa Charter on Children and Broadcasting,
and to sensitize broadcasters and producers to the need for good-quality
children’s television. CBFA targets young people 9 to 16, media
professionals and broadcasters, conducting workshops, production seminars,
screenings and meetings, with a focus on the needs and rights of children
in Africa.
Egypt’s Video and the Community Dreams
project expands the knowledge and experience of the Center for Development
and Population Activities’ “New Horizons” program and
empowers and strengthens the voices of young women and girls in Egyptian
society. Teams of women from four different Egyptian communities gain
confidence in their video production skills, and
in their ability to address challenging or sensitive topics. Team members
gain new visibility as spokespeople and leaders and have helped to break
down stereotypes. The teams’ tapes have been used to spark discussion
and promote the search for local solutions in each community.
Advocacy Through Media
In the last two decades, media for children
and youth have become more of a global issue. Numerous players have begun
to realize children’s rights through the media—whether to
ensure young audiences have access to diversified and high-quality media
content, create opportunities for young people’s voices to be heard,
push for ethical coverage of children and youth, and strive for (self-)
regulation of the media and for quality media education.
A broad range of governmental and non-governmental
initiatives and activities speak to the growing commitment to realize
children’s rights through the media. Numerous meetings, conferences
and summits have taken place on the subject. Excellent guidelines have
been written on how to report on children’s issues as well as how
to ensure effective youth participation in media. Many important studies
have been done exploring young people’s media habits and the effects
of media on youth attitudes and behavior. Broadcasters and advertisers
have adopted voluntary codes to ensure inappropriate material isn’t
aired during hours when young people watch or listen. Legislation has
been passed requiring television and radio stations to devote a percentage
of airtime to quality children’s programming.
Prior to the video project I had been
quite shy and would have found it difficult; now, though, I have a lot
of confidence, and since I feel that FGM [female genital mutilation] is
a wrong practice that must be ended, I don't hesitate to talk to anyone
about it.
—Member of the Video and Community Dreams project, Egypt
Numerous media consumer and watchdog groups
hold the media to account when they do not live up to minimum standards
and their social responsibilities toward the public, including children.
While these are surely encouraging signs, serious obstacles to advocating
for children and youth through the media remain, among them the lack of
funding and political will, cultural differences, and the need for far
more training for youth and for those producing material about or for
young audiences.
Such efforts must continue to harness the
enormous positive potential of the increasingly powerful global media
to make a real difference in children’s lives around the world by
informing them, listening to them and ultimately empowering them.
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(2001-2004). “Children in Communication About Migration (CHICAM).”
Available online: www.ccsonline.org.uk/mediacentre/Research_Projects/chicam.
html; (2001-2003). “Textuality in Video Games: Interactivity, Narrative
Space and Role Play.” Available online: www.ccsonline.org. uk/mediacentre/Research_Projects/textuality.html;
(2001-2002). “Sex on Screen: Young People’s Responses to Sexual
Content on Television.” Available online: www.ccsonline.org.uk/mediacentre/Research_Projects/sex.html;
(2000-2001). “Pokémon: A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Children’s
Global Media Culture.” Available online: www.ccsonline.org.uk/mediacentre/Research_Projects
/pokemon.html; (1999-2001). “Changing Sites of Education: Educational
Media and the Domestic Market.” Available online: www.ccsonline.org.uk/mediacentre/Research_Projects/changing_sites.html;
(1998-2000).“Getting Creative: Young People and Cultural Production.”
Available online: www.ccsonline.org.uk/mediacentre/Research_Projects/arts_council.html;
(1997-2001). “Video Culture: Video and Intercultural Communication.”
Available online: www.ccsonline.org.uk/mediacentre/Research_Projects/video_culture_index
.html; (1996-1998). “Children’s Media Culture: Education,
Entertainment and the Public Sphere: A study of changing assumptions about
children as a media audience.” Available online: www.ccsonline.org.uk/mediacentre/Research_Projects/cmc_index.html;
(1995-1998). "TV News and Political Socialisation.” Available
online: www.ccsonline.org.uk/mediacentre/Research _Projects/politics_index.html.
Children and Broadcasting Foundation-For
Africa. “Proposal: 10 Years of Democracy- A Celebration of Children’s
Media in South Africa.”
Children Now. (2003).“Key findings
from Big Media, Little Kids: Media Consolidation and Children’s
Television Programming.” Available online: www.childrennow.org/media/fcc-03/media-study-highlights-05-21-03.cfm;
(2001).“Fair Play: Violence, Gender and Race in Video Games.”
Available online: http://www.childrennow.org/media/video%2Dgames/2001/index.cfm.
The Communication Initiative. (2004). “Balkan’s
Children’s TV Magazine-The Balkans.” Available online: www.comminit.com/pds12001
/sld-9531.html; (2004). “Communication & Change News & Issues”
in The Drum Beat, Issue #236. Available online: www.comminit. com/drum_beat_236.html;
(2004). “Roaming Reporters-Europe.” Available online: www.comminit.com/pds22004/sld-9618.htm;
(2002).“Audience Survey of the ‘Troc’ Programme.”
Prepared by Prof. Dr. Ylli Pango for the Albanian Institute for Social
and Psychological Studies. Available online: www.comminit.com/steval/sld-9502.html;
(2002). “Troc-Albania.” Available online: www.comminit.com
/pdskdv52202/sld- 4731.html.
Corriero, Jennifer. (2004). Role of Youth
Survey 2003. Toronto, Ontario: TakingITGlobal. Available online: www.whatkidscando.org
/studentwork/2004pdfs/RoleofYouthSurvey2003.pdf.
Darmenova, Aida. (2000). “Youth and
Media in Kazakhstan.” Report prepared for UNICEF CARK. Almaty (June).
de Berry, Jo, Anahita Fazili, Said Farhad,
Fariba Nasiry, Sami Hashemi and Mariam Hakimi. (2003). The Children of
Kabul: Discussions with Afghan Families. Kabul, Afghanistan: Save the
Children USA. Published in conjunction with the United Nations Children’s
Fund (UNICEF). Available online: www.savethechildren.org/publications/children_of_kabul.pdf.
Disney Channel Middle East. (2004). “Television
Expert Advises Parents to be Aware of Their Children’s TV Viewing.”
Press Release. Available online: www.pressreleasenetwork.com/disney/news.phtml.
El-Tawila, Sahar. (2003). “Adolescents’
Communication Needs: What We Know and What We Need to Know.” Submission
to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Egypt Country Office.
Elkamel, Dr. Farag. (2001). Dialogue with
the Future: Findings of a Study on Adolescents in Three Egyptian Governorates.
Cairo, Egypt: United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Egypt Country
Office.
Gigli, Susan and Aneta Genova. (2001). Young
People and Media in Central & Eastern Europe, the CIS & Baltic
States. A report prepared by InterMedia for UNICEF.
“Internet Chat with Young People and
Carol Bellamy, UNICEF Executive Director, on Youth/Media Issues.”
Transcripts of chat organized in support of the 3rd World Summit on Children
and the Media on behalf of UNICEF, 8 March 2001.
Inter Press Service Asia-Pacific. (2001).
Voices and Viewpoints: When Youth Make News. Bangkok, Thailand: Inter
Press Service Asia-Pacific.
Jempson, Mike and Bill Norris. “Information
and Child Rights: The Challenge of Media Engagement.” Report prepared
for the International Federation of Journalists by PressWise. Available
online: www.presswise.org.uk/infochi.htm.
Kinkade, Sheila and Christy Macy. (2003).
What Works in Youth Media: Case Studies from Around the World. Baltimore,
MD: International Youth Foundation.
Kuttab, Daoud. (2003). “Television
and Middle East Children.” Commentary submitted to the Arabic Media
Internet Network. Available online: www.amin.org/eng/daoud_kuttab/2003/oct24.html.
McConnell, Bill. (2004). “One Fat Target.”
Broadcasting and Cable. First Quarter: Issue 10. Available online: www.broadcastingcable.
com.
National Youth Commission, Philippines.
(1998). Situation of the Youth in the Philippines 1998. Makati City, Philippines:
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.
(2003). Youth Survey—2003: Press Conference on the Survey Results.
Ramallah, Palestine: Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. Available
online: www.pcbs.org/english/press_r/youth/youth_03e.pdf.
PressWise. (1999). The Media and Children’s
Rights: A Practical Introduction for Media Professionals. UNICEF handbook.
Shuey, Elissa. (2004). Young People in the
Media: A Review of Young People’s Participation in the Media in
UNICEF Projects for the East Asia and Pacific Region. UNICEF East Asia
and Pacific Regional Office.
South African National Department of Health.
(2003). Umthenthe Uhlaba Usamila: The South African Youth Risk Behaviour
Survey 2002. Cape Town, South Africa: South African Medical Research Council.
Available online: www.doh.gov.za/docs/reports/2002/YRBS_2002. pdf.
Southeast Asian Foundation for Children’s
Television. (2002). “Youth’s Use of Television Survey”
and comments on survey from a subsequent Media Conference. Available online:
www.anaktv.com/Survey_txt.htm and www.anaktv.com/Media%20Conference.htm.
Thorfinn, Helena. (2002). Children, ethics,
media. Stockholm, Sweden: Save the Children Sweden.
The UNESCO International Clearinghouse on
Children and Violence on the Screen. (2003). “News from ICCVOS.”
Vol. 7, No. 1; (2002). Vol. 6, Nos. 1-2; (2001). Vol. 5, No. 1; (2000).
Vol. 4, Nos. 1-2. Nordicom, Göteborg University, Sweden.
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
(2004). “Opinion Polls: What young people think.” Summary
of polls in East Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Central Asia, and Latin
America and the Caribbean. Available online: www.unicef.org/polls/; (2002).
Children’s Television: Partnerships for Quality. Published for the
2nd Asia-Pacific Television Forum. Bangkok, Thailand, 11–13 March
2002. Bangkok, Thailand: Regional Communication Section, UNICEF East Asia
and Pacific Regional Office; (2001). Presentation. “La Vox de los
Adolescentes: Percepciones sobre Seguridad y Violencia en Bueno Aires,
Montevideo y Santiago de Chile;” (2001). “Voices of Youth
– Youth and Media Discussion.” Available online: www.unicef.org/voy/:UNICEF;
(2000). “Young People in Changing Societies.” Regional Monitoring
Reports, No. 7. Florence: UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre;
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
and the World Organization of the Scout Movement. (2001). Young People
in Changing Societies: Discussion Guide: Central and Eastern Europe, the
Commonwealth of Independent States and the Baltic States. Siena, Italy:
Terre de Sienne editrice.
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
and the Development Studies Programme, Birzeit University. (1999). Risk
Factors & Priorities: Perspectives of Palestinian Young People. Ramallah,
Palestine: Development Studies Programme, Birzeit University.
von Feilitzen, Cecilia and Ulla Carlsson,
eds. (2002). Children, Young People and Media Globalisation: Yearbook
2002. Nordicom, Göteborg University, Sweden: The UNESCO International
Clearinghouse on Children, Youth and Media.
von Feilitzen, Cecilia and Catharina Bucht.
(2001). Outlooks on Children and Media: Children and Media Violence Yearbook
2001. Nordicom, Göteborg University, Sweden: The UNESCO International
Clearinghouse on Children, Youth and Media.
4th World Summit on
Media for Children and Adolescents. (2004). “Interview with Alberto
Dines.” Available online: www.riosummit2004. com.br.
Please find the Rio Charter - including the
Youth Declaration - at the following links:
in English: http://www.riosummit2004.com.br/pdfs/carta_do_rio_ing.pdf
in Portuguese: http://www.riosummit2004.com.br/pdfs/carta_do_rio_por.pdf
in Spanish: http://www.riosummit2004.com.br/pdfs/carta_do_rio_esp.pdf
A Few Useful Website Resources on Children
and Media:
www.childrennow.org
www.commensensemedia.org
www.comminit.com/children
www.unicef.org/magic
www.unicef.org/voy
www.nordicom.gu.se
www.ifj.or
InterMedia Survey Institute provides
global research, evaluation and consulting in support of the international
media and development community. Based in Washington, D.C. and London,
InterMedia helps clients turn public attitudes, opinions and behaviors
into market intelligence and strategic communications solutions in transitional
and developing countries worldwide.
InterMedia Survey Institute •
1401 New York Avenue, NW • Washington, DC 20005
(202) 434-9310 • info@intermedia.org
• www.intermedia.org
The opinions expressed in this paper do not
necessarily reflect the policies or views of UNICEF.
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