News and America's Kids
As our world and technology change rapidly so does the manner in which we receive our daily news. We now have Facebook live, and Snapchat stories, along with twitter conversations. We get information a lot faster than we ever did and honestly, it can be harsh at times. We know the information we are fed depends on the news station we are watching. Although the news is suppose to be informational, we know the stories that are being shared are still being told from someone's perspective. As I was searching the researched based sites provided to us, I couldn't help but be intrigued by this topic. I know I view the news through many different lenses, a woman, a mother, a wife, a teacher, etc, but I always wanted to know how kids view the news. As I was scrolling through Common Sense Media this title spoke volumes to me, News and America's Kids: How Young People Perceive and Are Impacted by the News, and it was then I knew exactly what I would write about.
Common Sense conducted an online survey of 853 children age 10–18. The research was best summed up by a 2:54 minute video where kids explain their thoughts on the News. Link to video
Some of the key findings were that kids actually do value the news.
"About half of children (48 percent) say that following the news is important to them, and more than two-thirds (70 percent) say that consuming news makes them feel smart and knowledgeable. Half of the children surveyed (50 percent) feel that following the news helps them feel prepared to make a difference in their communities."
I always thought kids never really cared about the news and don't stay informed about what is going on around them. I forget that now a days watching or reading the news aren't the only source to find out what is going on around you. There are many other resources like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc to be informed. So this statistic actually made me happy to see that kids 10-18 are actually somewhat aware of what is going on around them. But I quickly worried after my excitement because I thought, "Ok where are they getting there information from? Is it helpful? Are they represented in what they watch?" These questions are important because it affects their outlook. Which leads me to my second statistic.
This wasn't shocking to me that 74% of the children surveyed want to see more people their age displayed in the media. I think showing more people their age helps them become more involved. There is no better way to create change than to include the ones who are going to start it! Sometimes my students explain things better to other students than I do. Involving the kids is the first step in realizing they can help and make a difference.
(Image: Common Sense Media)
"Specifically, half of children (50 percent) agree with the statement “Whenever I see an African-American or Latino person in the news, they’re usually involved in crimes, violence, or other problems.” African-American (18 percent) and Hispanic/Latino (20 percent) children are more likely than white children (9 percent) to agree strongly with this statement. Further, only 29 percent of children agree that the news treats people of different racial and ethnic backgrounds equally fairly"
This statistic hurt. To see that kids noticed that minorities are perceived differently was eye opening. It shows that even though the news is suppose to be informational, they still provide some things through a specific outlook. My initial thought was "How do we fix this?!" And I thought about how can we make students' voices heard. It made me think back to when I taught Humanities to 7/8th graders in Humboldt Park, a predominantly Latinx and African American neighborhood. This was the same year that the "Laquan McDonald" case happened. I couldn't help but stop and take time out to discuss the case with my students. Some were enraged, others were sad, but what I noticed about it all that most of what they knew stemmed from a News source that focused more on one or the other side. So many were enraged because he was a teen of color, they had forgotten what this situation made for other cops that work day in and day out to keep our city safe. I shared with them that it is important to look at the situation through many different lenses. As a Latina woman, I have had some negative interactions with the police as a teen, but I also can look through a lens of a Police officer. My father, a police officer who I feared for after that event because even though he served day in and day out for 30+ years he now was looked at differently like all the others. It is important for kids to know all angles, and to educate themselves. Involve kids more often! Many forget that they are the future and change starts with them!
(Image: Common Sense Media)
Below are some more resources I have found regarding Children and Media. Enjoy!
Children and News
Children and Television News
This was an excellent post- very detailed, and I enjoyed reading your thoughts. Like you, I was pleasantly surprised that so many kids actually cared about the news, and I never thought about how nowadays they take in the news differently than many of us did. Due to this its quite possible that they are more informed than we were as kids their age!
ReplyDeleteWow! This was an amazing post. I was surprised to see that a lot of children actually care about the news. A lot of the time, I think that adults see this is an immature light but children are only adults that have yet to grow up. They are being influenced by all that is going on around them and I think that it is making them grow up faster and to become aware of what is going on around them. Media can have a negative impact on the youth but this article is showing just how positive the affects can really be which is amazing!
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