Includes bibliographical references (p. [222]-245) and index.

Preface -- Introduction -- Why global (is it)? -- Why TV (still)? -- Why kids (only)? -- The TV (book) guide -- 1. The home of television viewing -- Television comes home -- The role of television in the fabric of family life -- The social uses of television -- Television viewing and communication patterns in the family -- Parenting styles and mediation -- Television-related conversations -- Conversation types -- Television as a talking book -- Conversations and fear -- Conversations with siblings and peers -- Concluding remarks -- Notes -- 2. Television and individual development -- Developmental theories -- Attention to and comprehension of television content -- The development of attention to television -- Relationships between attention to television and comprehension -- The development of viewing preferences -- Development of fantasy-reality distinction -- The development of genre distinction -- The importance of distinguishing between televised fantasy and reality -- The development of understanding of television narrative -- The development of understanding of television characters -- The development of moral judgment -- Identification with television characters -- Children's fear reactions to television content -- Television, imagination, and creativity -- A conceptual and methodological reflection -- Notes.

3. Television and the behavior of children -- Television and violent behavior -- Learning violent behaviors -- Cumulative effect of television violence -- Intervening variables -- Television and pro-social behavior -- Television and advertising -- Advertising for children -- Advertising, nutrition, and alcohol -- Advertising, social and emotional well-being -- Is advertising working? -- Television and sexual behaviors -- Pornography and teenage sexuality -- Television and children's leisure -- Concluding remarks -- Notes -- 4. Television and the social construction or reality -- Construction of gender and gender roles -- Construction of gender roles -- Construction of gender identity -- Gay identities -- Sex and sexuality -- Body image and eating disorders -- The social construction of reality -- The "mean world" hypothesis -- Perceptions of the social "us" in comparison to "others" -- Perceptions of a rich, violent United States -- Cultural integration of immigrant children -- The construction of political reality -- The construction of conflicts -- Peace-building interventions -- "Edutainment" genres and construction of social reality -- Concluding remarks -- Notes.

5. Television and learning -- Television and school -- two educational systems -- Viewing television and performance in school -- Television and language acquisition -- Acquisition of native language -- Acquisition of second language -- The audio-visual language and cognitive skills -- The development of special viewing skills -- Learning from educational television -- The development of educational television -- Theoretical models for evaluating learning from educational television -- Children's Television Workshop (CTW) (Sesame Workshop, SW) -- The Teletubbies -- Concluding remarks -- Notes -- 6. Implications for education and policy -- Media literacy -- The central debates in media literacy -- Media literacy around the world -- Practical aspects of media literacy -- The curriculum -- Teaching -- Assessment -- Evaluating media literacy curricula -- Policy of broadcasting for children -- Central content-related policy issues -- Policy regarding television violence -- Policy regarding television advertising -- Policy regarding sponsorship of children's programs -- Convention on television broadcasting for children and youth -- Notes -- 7. Conclusion : growing up in a global screen culture -- Globalized screen culture -- The changing of childhood -- A research agenda -- Notes -- Recommended sources for additional readings -- References -- Index.

"This book offers an overview on children and television from the accumulated global literature in this field of the past 50 years, combining both the American tradition, influenced heavily by developmental psychological studies, as well as the European tradition, characterized by more sociological and cultural studies perspectives to the field. Similarly, it draws together a methodological diversity from both the quantitative-experimental and survey research, together with the qualitative-ethnographic and interview research of children and television."--Jacket.