New Report Released on the Impact of Interactive Media on Children
New Report Released on the Impact of Interactive Media on Children
Friday, January 28, 2005
Dear Colleague:
I bring to your attention a report recently released about the impact of interactive media on children. The Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD), a non-partisan research organization, has published a new report explaining the state of current research regarding the impact of interactive media on the learning and social development of children.
There is an urgent need to understand both the positive and negative impacts of interactive media on children. Despite a well-developed body of research exploring the impact of television, we need to better understand the effect of video games, CD-ROMs, computers, the Internet, and interactive toy use on children. The use of interactive media is growing among youth, including very young children.
The report, entitled From Baby Einstein to Leapfrog, From Doom to the Sims, From Instant Messaging to Internet Chat Rooms: Public Interest in the Role of Interactive Media in Children's Lives, is enclosed for your review. The report includes up-to-date information on children's access and use of interactive media, and the authors provide both history and insight into the important policy questions that surround the rapid emergence of these new technologies.
I know you will find the objective and nonpartisan information contained in this report useful in your consideration of issues concerning the impact of media on the learning and development of children.
SRCD is a professional organization established by the National Academy of Sciences, whose members are engaged in research on infants, children, and youth. The Social Policy Report aims to provide policymakers with unbiased research on important social policy issues. Through their work and this report, SRCD aims to provide policymakers with the information needed to better understand policy issues and to make more effective policy decisions.
Sincerely,
Congresswoman Betty McCollum