NEW BOOK: Children and Media: A Global Perspective by Dafna Lemish

Children and Media: A Global Perspective by Dr. Dafna Lemish

Media – old, new, and evolving - are an integral part of all forms of childhoods worldwide, and should be investigated thoroughly from the perspective of all stakeholders involved in this relationship, media and children expert Dafna Lemish concludes in her latest book, Children and Media: A Global Perspective, published in March.

“We have to consider children as unique human beings and take into account the three ‘Cs,’” said Dr. Lemish, dean of the College of Mass Communication and Media Arts at Southern Illinois University. “The Child, including age, gender, race, religion and class; the Content of the media experiences; and the social Context within which these experiences are grounded, including family, peer groups, school, neighborhood, nation and culture.”

Media institutions, children, educators, policy makers and families all play vital roles in monitoring children’s interaction with media, she said.

Children and Media, Dr. Lemish’s 10th book, takes a global and interdisciplinary approach toward exploring the role of modern media - including the internet, television, mobile media and video games - in the development of children, adolescents and childhood.

Media are neither good nor bad, said Dr. Lemish, who advises parents to be media literate, in order to maximize the benefits of media and minimize its harm.

“Media extend children’s senses and experiences, enrich their cultural and social lives, bring them closer to others - different people, times, cultures and geographies – that are beyond the physical boundaries of their time and space,” Dr. Lemish said. “But access to the world out there also includes access to the ugly parts of the world, the risky and dangerous elements of it, the bad examples of behaviors, the dark side of human nature.

“It is somewhat like asking what are the drawbacks and benefits of being alive….the digital media just magnify our human experiences, for better and/or for worse,” she added.

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