Following are basic media education points your child should know:

People create media messages. Any media message, whether it's a magazine article or a TV talk show, is created by a team of people. Those people write it, decide what pictures to use and what to leave out. All of these things give the message a purpose. Each media form uses its own language. For example, newspapers make headlines large to attract readers to certain stories.

Media with sound may use music to make people feel a range of emotions. When children learn about these techniques, they are able to understand how a message is delivered instead of only being affected by it. No two people experience the same media message in exactly the same way. How a person interprets a message depends on things unique to that person's life. These can include age, values, memories and education.

Media messages have their own values and points of view. These are built into the message itself. Children should compare the promoted values against their own values. It is important for children to learn that they have a choice in whether to accept the values that are being promoted in any media message.

You can use these lessons as part of your everyday life. Besides asking how and why media messages are created, children of various ages can do everyday activities with you or other adults to help build media education skills. Make a game out of the following:

• Play "Spot the Commercials." Help your child learn to tell the difference between a regular program and the commercials that support it. This may be tricky during children's shows because many commercials advertise toys based on TV characters.

   

• Do a taste test to compare a heavily advertised brand with a generic or other nonadvertised brand. Try products such as cereals or soft drinks. See whether your child and his friends can tell the difference and whether advertising influenced their guesses.

   

• Look at the headlines, photos and placements of articles in a newspaper. How do these affect which stories your child wants to read? Read a few stories and compare their content with their headlines and photos.

   

• When you see a movie, video or video game with your child, talk about whether what happens on screen would happen in the "real" world. For example, would a person really be able to drive a car super fast, down narrow streets, without crashing?

   

• While shopping, compare products with advertisements your child has seen. Look at the ingredients, label or packaging. Is any of this information in the ad? Does the ad give any specific information about the product itself? How is the product different than it seemed from the ad or packaging?

   

• How many brands of beer, cigarettes or other such products can your child name? If he can name even one, this is a great way to begin talking about the power of advertising. Discuss the health risks of using these products and how the ads leave out that information.

   

• Watch a music video with your child. What stories are the pictures telling? Does the story on screen match the meaning of the words in the song? How does the video make your child feel? Can your child note any stereotypical, violent or sexual images in the video? Is there any tobacco, alcohol or drug use? Watch a music video with the sound off and see how it is different.

Starting when children are very young, most of their media use takes place in the home. This is a great opportunity for you to establish good viewing habits and to begin the process of media education. You can help your children make better use of media by doing the following:

• Make a media plan. Schedule media times and choices in advance, just as you would other activities. A media plan helps everyone to choose and use media carefully.

   

• Set media time limits. Limit children's total screen time. This includes time watching TV and videotapes, playing video and computer games, and surfing the Internet. One way to do this is to use a timer. When the timer goes off, your child's media time is up, no exceptions. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than one to two hours of quality TV and videos a day for older children and no screen time for children under the age of 2.

   

• Set family guidelines for media content. Help children and teens choose shows, videos and video games that are appropriate for their ages and interests. Get into the habit of checking the content ratings and parental advisories for all media. Use these ratings to decide what media are suitable for your child.

   

• Be clear and consistent with children about media rules. If you do not approve of their media choice, explain why and help them choose something more appropriate.

   

• Keep TV sets, VCRs, video games and computers out of children's bedrooms. Instead, put them where you can be involved and monitor children's use. If children or teens are allowed to have a TV set or other media in their bedrooms, know what media they are using and supervise their media choices. If you have Internet access, supervise your children while they are on-line.

   

• Make media a family activity. Whenever possible, use media with your children and discuss what they see, hear and read. When you share your children's media experiences, you can help them analyze, question and challenge the meaning of messages for themselves. During a media activity, help children "talk back," or question what they see. Do this during a violent act, an image or message that is misleading or an advertisement for an unhealthy product.

   

• "Talking back," or asking questions about media messages, builds the lifelong skills your child needs to be a critical media consumer. Discuss how the media messages compare with the values you are teaching your child.

   

• Look for media "side effects." Unless they come clearly labeled as containing violence, sex or graphic language, parents often overlook the messages children are getting from media. Instead, be aware of the media children and teens use and the impact it could be having. This is especially important if your child shows any of the following behaviors:
  • Poor school performance
  • Hitting or pushing other kids often
  • Aggressively talking back to adults
  • Frequent nightmares
  • Increased eating of unhealthy foods
  • Smoking, drinking or drug use

Talk to your child's pediatrician about any behavior that is a concern. Your pediatrician may take a media history of your child. This can help uncover whether certain behavioral problems exist or could develop based on how much and what kind of media your child uses. If there are problems or you think they could develop, work with your child to change his media use.