The September 27, 2010 edition of Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), includes an updated policy statement on media education. Full text is available, as the journal and its editors appear committed to providing easy access to articles on media and other topics that may be of interest to parents and educators.
The updated policy statement, written by media education advocate and lead author Victor Strasburger, M.D.,together with a veritable who’s who of like-minded pediatricians, addresses the health concern that arise when children are over-exposed to media. Easy-to-read and jammed-packed with information, the document provides an overview of physician concerns about the media literacy of their young patients. With 93 footnotes, the policy statement also connects readers with pertinent scientific research so that readers, if they choose, can search for research abstracts about media education and children’s health (check PubMed for the abstracts).
The policy statement addresses the following topics — all of considerable interest to families with children — and includes recommendation to pass on to parents:
- Effects of Media Violence on Aggressive Behavior
- Sexual Content in the Media
- Tobacco, Alcohol, and Illicit Drugs
- Effects of Media on Obesity and School Performance
- New Technology
- Value of Media Education
- Recommendations
Media! Tech! Parenting! 
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