Screen media plays a growing role in the lives of young people, which makes the modeling and messaging conveyed through this medium all the more important. While the average Australian child watches 17.5 hours of television each week, 20% of Australian children actually watch more than 30 hours a week, and the average child in the UK watches 17 hours a week (2).The average American child watches 6 hours of movies or recorded television each week and has ‘spent the equivalent of three years in the tutelage of the family television set’ by the time they reach first grade (1).  Movies and television have the potential to impact the roles children think of as natural, so we’re conducting a survey. We’re surveying parents to gleem insights from their thoughts on their girls’ viewing habits and we’re surveying the rest of the real world population for insights and recommendations to improve girls’ screen media interactions. (more…)

In light of the Centers for Disease Control’s prediction that 30-40% of generation Z will develop diabetes during their lifetime if current health trends continue, and the United Kingdom’s 2008 decision to ban junk food advertisements aimed at television viewers under the age of 16, we’re looking into the connection between licensed food products, pester power, and children’s eating habits. (more…)