• TV in the Bedroom
• Plugged-In for Parents
• Institute Welcomes Two New Board Members
• Web Sites Net Unsuspecting Kids
• Did You Know...?
• Schools Invited to get MediaWise

By Douglas Gentile, Ph.D., Director of Research

Imagine a 15-year-old boy who just had an argument with his parents, and has been sent to his room. Is this consequence constructive? Consider this: 65% of teens have TVs, 42% have video game players, 38% have VCRs and 32% have cable or satellite hookups in their bed-rooms. Even a large percentage of very young children have televisions in their bedrooms. Nationally, 26% of 2-to-4 year-olds, 39% of 5-to-7 year-olds and 65% of 8-to-18 year-olds have TVs in their bedrooms.¹

While the debate about TV has been going on for years, little has been known about the effects of having TVs in bedrooms until recently.
In our national MediaQuotient^TM study of family media habits², we found some surprising results...

• Children who have TVs in their bedrooms perform more poorly in school.
• Families whose children have TVs in their bedrooms engage in fewer activities that don’t involve electronic media, such as playing games, going on outings and reading.
• On average, children who have TVs in their bedrooms watch 5.5 hours more TV each week than children who don’t have TVs in their bedrooms.
• Parents monitor their children’s media use less when their kids have TVs in their bedrooms.
• Families whose children have TVs in their bedrooms have a pattern of greater electronic media use and less reading than families whose children don’t have TVs in their bedrooms.

Returning to the original question, is this consequence constructive? For some children, the long-term consequences of having televisions in their bedrooms may be more punitive than their parents ever intended or imagined.

There’s something for everyone on our Web site. Now easier and faster to navigate, the site offers helpful information for parents and new activities and programs for kids. Stop by for a visit today!

As the author of the Annual Video and Computer Game Report Card, David Walsh, Ph.D., was asked to testify this spring before a U.S. Senate committee about Institute research that links video/computer games and school performance and aggression. Dr. Walsh also showed the senators video clips from games that he calls "Kill-for-Fun Murder Simulators." The full text of the "Interactive Violence and Children" testimony is available on our Web site.

Institute resources, such as MediaQuotient (MQ®) are available through our Web site media store. A growing number of parents are purchasing the in-depth MQ profile and inventory to evaluate their families’ media use. Call toll-free 888-672-5437 for more information about the $29.95 MQ.

"We never talked about our media use before. Now we do. We really liked the positive feedback from the MQ profile"
	Sean and Natasha Murphy Minneapolis Parents

Susan Eilertsen, senior vice president at Shandwick International in Minneapolis; and Thomas F. Koerner, Ph.D., editorial director at Scarecrow Press in Maryland, recently joined the Board of Directors for the National Institute on Media and the Family.

While running her own public relations firm, Eilertsen worked with clients such as 3M, Honeywell and Toro. Involved with the Institute since its inception, she has been instrumental in its growth and success. Previously she was senior vice president and director of public relations for Bozell Worldwide Inc. in Minneapolis. She has also worked in publishing in New York City.

Prior to becoming editorial director of the newly-created educational division at Scarecrow Press, Dr. Koerner was the executive director of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). Koerner created NASSP’s Principal Emergency Response Team (PERT) to help principals who experience violence and tragedy in their schools. Koerner holds a distinguished record as a teacher, school district administrator and award-winning journalist.

By David Walsh, Ph.D.
President and Founder

While Internet pornography makes the headlines, there has been another, quieter threat to children surfing in cyberspace. Fortunately federal legislation that went into effect this April has reduced that threat. Operators of Web sites can no longer collect personal information from children younger than 13 without parental permission.

In recent years clever Web operators have been collecting children’s names, addresses, telephone numbers and even family income information under the guise of contests or club memberships. The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) put a stop to that.

Under the new requirements, Web operators must clearly post notices if any information is being collected and explain how it will be used.

More importantly it is illegal for them to collect the information unless the child's parent gives permission.

Permission can be granted by e-mail, so parents should be alert to the possibility that some older children might try to fake parental permission.

We recommend that parents talk with their children about not giving out any information on-line. Suspected violators should be reported to the Federal Trade Commission or to your state attorney general.

Television is the top after-school activity of children ages 6 to 17.
-- Center for Media Education, 1997

By mid-adolescence, children have watched 15,000 hours of TV - more time than spent with teachers, friends or parents.
-- Strasburger, 1995

At age 3, children will imitate a character on TV as readily as they would someone in real life.
-- National Clearinghouse on Family Violence, 1996

Elementary schools (K-6) across the country now have the opportunity to become "MediaWise" for the 2000/2001 school year. This exciting new program unites teachers, parents, students and the community to reclaim a culture of respect and academic excellence among our children.

Editor: Brenda Hoffman
Writing and Design: Kathleen Pyne Orme, St. Paul

Permission is granted to copy any or all parts of this newsletter as long as the National Institute on Media and the Family is credited and its phone number is listed.