Jessica Bernabe 6/11/19 Jessica Bernabe 6/11/19

Emily - 7

Emily, Age 7

Media Consumption: Heavy, everyday use

Favorite Media/Technology: Tablet

How do you and your family interact with media/technology?

Sometimes we’ll go to an actual movie theatre, but usually we just hang out in our room and watch movies and shows on our tablets. Me and my sister have our own tablets, so we just watch whatever we want. My sister likes to watch PJ Max and I like ASMR and unboxing videos. Sometimes I play video games with my dad which is super fun because we try and beat the monsters together.

How do you and your peers interact with media/technology?

All of my friends like to play with their tablets. Most kids in my class don’t have phones which makes me really happy because I would be jealous if everyone else had a phone and I didn’t. My parents said that I’m not allowed to have one until I go to high school! If I did have a phone, I would use it to text my friends when we are not together.

What do you use media for?

I like to download things from the app store like puzzle games. I mostly like playing games and watching stuff on YouTube. I watch different make-up tutorials where they do scary make-up, cute make-up, artsy make-up (i.e., use masks and glitter), sometimes even cat make-up (i.e., whiskeys, ears). I also have my favorite unboxing channels where I can see what kind of toys they have, like the Shopkins’ little secret.

What is your favorite/least favorite thing about media/technology?

My favorite game to play is Block Triangle! It’s a game that’s a little bit hard, but it kind of shows me clues. I’ve been stuck on level 19 for three weeks, but I just keep on playing it until I get the hang of it and get to the next level. My least favorite thing about technology is when I’m in the middle of playing my game and my tablet dies! So usually I just have to turn on the TV and turn to something I like, while my tablet charges.

INTERVIEWED BY:

JESSICA BERNABE

UCLA 4TH YEAR STUDENT

Bardia Helmi 5/30/19 Bardia Helmi 5/30/19

Lisa - 14

Lisa, Age 14

Media Consumption: Daily

Favorite Media/Technology: Instagram

How do you and your family interact with media/technology?

My parents, especially my mom, sometimes go through my Instagram accounts, but I don’t let them follow me online. Although most of the members of my immediate family have social media accounts, we don’t really interact with one another online. As a family, we sometimes come together to watch TV and movies which is kind of the only time that we have a shared experience with media. During this “family time” my parents don’t let us use our phones too much because it takes away from the shared experience.

How do you and your peers interact with media/technology?

My friends and I are always online. Pretty much everyone that I know has an Instagram account and logs on daily even if they don’t post much. Some of my friends and I have multiple accounts, a spam account where we can post whatever we want, and a main account where every post is carefully chosen. I usually interact with my peers online by liking and commenting on their posts or responding to their stories. I also like to send my friends funny memes or interesting things that I see online.

What do you use media for?

I use media for a variety things from communication to entertainment. I often use it to connect with my friends after school and during the weekend when we don’t see each other. I also like to follow makeup and fitness accounts because they always give good tips for self-care. A lot of the fitness and fashion accounts are helpful for me because I get to see other plus-sized girls wearing cute outfits that I could see myself wearing. I feel like seeing other girls my size looking confident in their outfits gives me motivation to add more variety to my wardrobe.

What is your favorite/least favorite thing about media/technology?

My favorite thing about technology is how it facilitates life. Practically everything can be done on my iPhone, from checking the news to ordering groceries, and it seems like nowadays there is an app for everything. My least favorite thing about media is definitely the fact that there is no privacy and everything you post online can be misinterpreted. You have to be careful about what you post because it can be used against you later or it can also lead to unnecessary drama.

INTERVIEWED BY:

Bardia Helmi

UCLA GRADUATE

Vicki Harrison, MSW and Adrianna Ruggiero 5/30/19 Vicki Harrison, MSW and Adrianna Ruggiero 5/30/19

More Realistic Physical Representations in Media Will Support Youth Mental Health

HIGHLIGHTS

• A CSS study found that the majority of human characters in children’s television in the US and Canada, especially females, were portrayed as thin or very thin.

• Studies show young women have a significantly more negative view of their body

• Exposure to sexualizing media leads to self-objectification in both men and women.

For many years, parents, child advocates, and mental health professionals have expressed their concerns about the influence of mass media on children and adolescents’ perceptions of body image, body satisfaction, and self-esteem. Over the past decade, with the rise of digital media and young people’s nearly constant engagement with media and technology, there has been an increasing alarm. Sadly, the media is filled with unrealistic representations of what our bodies should look like and do not accurately reflect the range of body shapes we see within our society—female characters and models often have bodies that are smaller and thinner than average, and males are often shown as physically strong and muscular. On top of this, these characters are often portrayed as being successful, accepted, sexually desirable, and happy while overweight characters are commonly used as comic relief, are often ridiculed in social situations and regarded as unattractive.

A recent report looking at children’s television in both the US and Canada showed that the majority of human characters in children’s television, especially females, were portrayed as thin or very thin. In addition, female characters were nearly twice as likely to be sexualized in the US based on factors such as revealing or flattering clothing, long eyelashes, and sensual lips.

While many things can contribute to one’s body satisfaction (or dissatisfaction) and self-esteem, several research studies have established that children and youth are indeed vulnerable to mass media images and messages that encourage and reinforce distorted body images and unhealthy perceptions about dietary health.

In one striking example, a landmark study over the period that television was introduced to a community in Fiji demonstrated the dramatic effect these images had on young adolescent girls, showing how they internalized the Western images of beauty, resulting in disordered eating habits and patterns. Moreover, a meta-analysis of 25 experimental studies examined the immediate effect of exposure to a variety of images and found that body image, especially for females younger than 19, was significantly more negative after seeing thin media characters than after seeing average or plus-size media characters or inanimate objects.

Exposure to hundreds and thousands of these inaccurate and unrealistic images over time sends the message that they are common and normal within society, when in fact, they are difficult if not impossible for most people to achieve. In fact, these images are almost always digitally manipulated, modified and enhanced to achieve this ‘ideal’ body image, creating an even larger gap between reality and what we see in the media. The impact of not being able to look like these characters in the media is associated with decreased self-esteem, body satisfaction, depression, and eating disorders.

Moreover, exposure to sexualizing media leads to self-objectification in both men and women – which feeds a destructive cycle of measuring self-esteem by physical appearance. At a time when rates of anxiety, depression and suicide are on a steep rise, especially among young women and girls, putting a stop to these distorted media representations is long overdue and more important than ever.

While the problem remains significant, we have seen some positive improvements in advertising and marketing campaigns in recent years. For example, Aerie, the lingerie retailer, created a campaign, #AerieREAL, which intends to promote body positivity by using raw, un-retouched images that feature models of different racial backgrounds and body types and more recently, models with disabilities and other medical issues. Similarly, Dove’s Girls Self Esteem campaign has a similar mission. Many popular retail brands, such as Target, Old Navy, Nike, and Forever 21, have followed suit by incorporating a diversity of body types and/or scaling back on re-touching photos in their advertising.

In TV and film, avoiding these distorted physical stereotypes is still the exception, not the rule. There are a handful of shows making a solid effort to promote more “body positivity” through inclusion of a variety of body types and characters, but they are unfortunately few and far between. We need to see much more of this – and urgently – especially for any hope of stemming the tide of rising rates of anxiety, depression and suicide among our youth.

Inclusive and realistic portrayals can promote body acceptance and reinforce self-esteem – and wellness should be prioritized over ratings. If done well, the ensuing culture shift should open the door for a new era of creative, representative content that viewers can relate to and embrace.

To contribute to positive body diversity in media, here are some actionable insights for content creators:

Offer more realistic cultural standards of beauty through a diversity of body types and experiences.
Avoid characters fixating on weight loss and beauty.
Create characters who model body positivity and acceptance.
Deviate from cultural norms of women needing to be slender and men, strong and muscular.
Offer an alternative narrative to one featuring women and girls as sexual objects and men as fixated on female physical characteristics above all others.
Show characters who deviate from the cultural norms of beauty as romantically desirable and socially accepted, not just as sidekicks or comic relief.

Vicki Harrison, MSW

Program Director, Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing

Stanford Psychiatry Center for Youth Mental Health & Wellbeing

Adrianna Ruggiero

Senior Research Coordinator for CSS

Catherine Trinh 5/28/19 Catherine Trinh 5/28/19

Henry - 13

Henry, Age 13

Media Consumption: everyday

Favorite Media/Technology: YouTube

How do you and your family interact with media/technology?

When I was really young, my parents taught me about Internet safety (e.g.,, not releasing my real name) and how to use the Internet properly. My parents showed me how to access the Internet for information and leisure by searching up things that I like on Google or they would watch interesting videos with me. They also have certain rules that I have to follow if I want to keep using technology. For example, I can’t use it too much and I can’t buy anything without asking them.

When I find something funny on the internet I like to show my parents and sometimes they show me stuff, like funny articles and Facebook or YouTube videos. I also like to help my parents use the internet. For example, I taught them how to create a playlist for songs that they like.

How do you and your peers interact with media/technology?

I'm pretty sure my friends and I use the Internet the same way. We think it’s entertaining and useful. My friends show me things that kids my age would watch and find funny, but when I show it to my parents, they don't really find it funny. I learn about videos and games when my friends start talking about them, and I look them up when I’m at home.

My friends think YouTube is cool and use it often. They show me what other people are watching and things that I wouldn't have known about or started watching on my own. Sometimes we watch the same videos, but most of the time they have different interests so they watch different videos. If I like a video and want to share it with them, I tell them the name of the video so that they can watch it. We give each other suggestions for things to do on the Internet by sharing videos, games, articles, and music.

What do you use media for?

I mostly use technology for school or leisure. For school, I mainly use technology to write and read books. For leisure, I watch YouTube or play games, usually on my iPad. YouTube is my favorite app. I browse videos and watch the ones on topics that I like: playing games, cooking, and weird stuff. YouTube teaches me what people think about the world and what topics people like. Let's say a video gets 1 million views – that means a lot of people are interested in that topic, so my friends and I are more likely to watch that video because it's trending.

What is your favorite/least favorite thing about media/technology?

I got scammed once. I was browsing YouTube, which keeps track of the videos you watch to make the ads about what you like (my dad told me that). I saw an ad that said I could get free, unlimited Robux [a digital currency on the online gaming platform Roblox] if I tried out three apps for five minutes. I did it but I never got my free Robux.

INTERVIEWED BY:

CATHERINE TRINH

UCLA 4TH YEAR STUDENT

Nahoko Naka 5/28/19 Nahoko Naka 5/28/19

Sunny - 18

Sunny, Age 18

Media Consumption: everyday

Favorite Media/Technology: Instagram

How do you and your family interact with media/technology?

Technology is definitely useful for when my family has to contact each other. For instance, when I need a ride home, I can let one of my family members know via texting or calling. My family doesn’t use media frequently to interact with one another, though we do occasionally use Snapchat or Instagram to share pictures and videos. I can also easily contact my extended family who live in Japan by using LINE, a messaging app.

How do you and your peers interact with media/technology?

I use technology the most for interacting with my peers, especially my friends. I use a wider variety of social media to stay in touch with them. I believe many use social media to boost self-esteem. For instance, receiving likes and comments on my posts helps to boost my confidence and overall creates comfort in myself.

What do you use media for?

I use social media to increase awareness of the transgender community and break stereotypes that degrade trans people. I like to reach out to those in the LGBTQ+ community, since it’s harder to find trans people offline. I have also been recording my personal growth on Instagram, not only to see how I am changing, but to also help others find their true self and spread the message that being trans is okay. I want to be like the trans people on social media that I admire, because they had helped me out of the confusion of self-identity and discover who I am, and I want to do the same for others.

What is your favorite/least favorite thing about media/technology?

My favorite thing about social media is that I have the ability to be open about my identity and communicate easily with others. A downside is that though people have the ability to be open, at the same time they also have the ability to spread hate and stereotypes. Accounts on Instagram for people of the LGBTQ+ community are often targeted by accounts that spread negativity and false claims, hurting reputations of people like me.

INTERVIEWED BY:

NAHOKO NAKA

UCLA GRADUATE

Brooke Cullen 5/28/19 Brooke Cullen 5/28/19

Katie - 7

Katie, Age 7

Media Consumption: weekend mornings and sometimes a bit on weekdays depending on school, homework, and other extra-curriculars

Favorite Media/Technology: iPad apps like Animal Jam and Roadblocks and movies about dogs like A Dog’s Way Home.

How do you and your family interact with media/technology?

My mom usually she texts on her phone, but sometimes she uses her computer for work stuff and to look at pictures. My parents didn’t really teach me how to use my ipad, I just pressed a lot of buttons and then I eventually figured it out. My sister plays Roadblocks and Animal Jam and sometimes she shows me new apps she likes.

How do you and your peers interact with media/technology?

Friends show me new things to do and sometimes ads show you really cool stuff. My friend showed me Animal Jam and then I wanted to get it and then I showed my sister! I also use computers at school for art and coding.

What do you use media for?

I love playing my favorite apps called Animal Jam and Roadblocks. In Roadblocks, there’s jumping and running. In Animal Jam, you have an animal and can move it around using your finger. You can also explore the whole world using your animal. At school, we use the school computers in the computer lab. There’s something called stop motion where you can make stuff. Also, there is a program called ‘star-typers’ where you put your fingers on the home keys and learn how to type fast! There’s also code.org which is like, fun coding.

What is your favorite/least favorite thing about media/technology?

I like the stories especially in dog movies. I like Buddies and I just saw A Dog’s Way Home with my mom. I liked it but...not certain characters. I don’t like the dog catchers in movies because they kidnap the dogs, and they have to go away from home and the people they love. In A Dog’s Way Home, the dog catcher was always being mean to people’s dogs, he just wanted money.

INTERVIEWED BY:

BROOKE CULLEN

UCLA 4TH YEAR STUDENT

Camilla Poli 5/23/19 Camilla Poli 5/23/19

Theo - 11

Theo, Age 11

Theo is an 11-year-old boy that was diagnosed with autism. He received his first iPad at the age of four and, in 2017 he received his own iPhone. Theo prefers to be alone, but interestingly technology has given him the opportunity to be more communicative and interactive.Theo’s mother provided the answers during our interview.

Media Consumption: Daily

Favorite Media/Technology: iPhone/Youtube

How do you and your family interact with media/technology?

During weekdays, Theo typically plays with his phone 1-2 hours after school and sometimes watches a movie after dinner in bed with his brother. As Theo was the first child growing up with digital technology, I would often co-view and interact with Theo as he was engaging with technology.

How do you and your peers interact with media/technology?

Theo often prefers to spend time alone than with other. However, through media and technology he is able to be more interactive with others.

What do you use media for?

Theo uses media to help him interact with others and research information. When Theo was only a child he used to watch the same movies over and over again. So often, that he knew all the words by heart. In fact, he has developed an incredible ability not only to learn quotes from the movies he watches but also knows how to use them at perfect moments in real conversations. He can make everyone in a room laugh without noticing that what he said was funny. He just knows when and how to reply in social interactions using mostly what he learned in movies.

What is your favorite/least favorite thing about media/technology?

Theo’s favorite activity at the moment is to watch all kinds of videos on YouTube. Technology offers him the opportunity to explore different types of media while learning at the same time. Every time he learns something new that intrigues him, he will inform himself about it by watching YouTube videos on that topic. Thus, technology helps him to access information quickly without requiring face-to-face interaction.

“Bizarrely, his use of technology is the one thing he has in common with neurotypical children.”
- Theo’s Mom

INTERVIEWED BY:

CAMILLA POLI

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE MAASTRICHT IN THE NETHERLANDS 4TH YEAR STUDENT

Briana Nicole Southern 5/23/19 Briana Nicole Southern 5/23/19

Mike - 13

Mike, Age 13

Media Consumption: only after finishing homework and during weekends

Favorite Media/Technology: Playing video games

How do you and your family interact with media/technology?

I’m only allowed to play video games on weekends but sometimes we are too busy that I don’t have a chance to play at all. When I do play on weekends, I play for about 10 hours throughout the whole weekend. My mom sets limits on how long I can play, and I am unable to play when my grades in school start to slip.

How do you and your peers interact with media/technology?

All of my friends and cousins play Fortnite. We always plan to play together. Video games, especially Fortnite, are the hot topic at school and it helps me stay connected with my friends. The games also allow us to have discussions about other topics such as music, clothing, and movies. Playing Fortnite makes me feel “cool” because everyone else plays the game.

What do you use media for?

I play video games to have fun and stay connected with my family. Media helps me to be socially connected to my friends and to those I see less often. It also helps to keep me entertained and gives me something cool to do with my friends.

What is your favorite/least favorite thing about media/technology?

I like how entertaining video games can be. With Fortnite, in particular, I am able to pick my own characters and make them dance. I also like being able to play by myself or with friends and family. I don’t like the the violent aspects of Fortnite, but for the most part I find it very enjoyable and fun.

INTERVIEWED BY:

BRIANA NICOLE SOUTHERN

UCLA GRADUATE

Armine Ter-Barseghyan 5/21/19 Armine Ter-Barseghyan 5/21/19

Milena - 7

Milena, Age 7

Media Consumption: 30 minutes on school days, 1 hour on weekends.

Favorite Media/Technology: WillHero (iPad game)

How do you and your family interact with media/technology?

Most of the time, I play games on my iPad by myself, especially WillHero! When I watch YouTube videos I usually watch those alone since they’re more for kids, like PBS kids, Ben & Holly’s little kingdom, and ASMR slime videos. I also watch a lot of Armenian movies and TV shows with my family, but we do that on the big family T.V. when everyone is done with work and school!

How do you and your peers interact with media/technology?

My friends and I take turns playing games on the iPad when we hang out and sometimes we watch videos together too, like on YouTube. We also like making TikTok videos – they’re super fun and there are lots of videos that are made for two people to be in together which is even more fun!

What do you use media for?

I mostly use media for playing games and watching videos when I’m bored and not at school or my afterschool activities. Sometimes I use it for my art to find stuff to draw and color.

What is your favorite/least favorite thing about media/technology?

My favorite thing about media is that it’s so fun and that there’s so much I can do with it. I don’t get bored with it because there are so many games and videos I could watch, and even ones that I can play with my friends.

I don’t like when there’s no Internet when I try to watch videos in the car and also when games don’t load.

INTERVIEWED BY:

ARMINE TER-BARSEGHYAN

UCLA GRADUATE

Brandon Levian 5/21/19 Brandon Levian 5/21/19

Ashton - 14

Ashton, Age 14

Media Consumption: about 10-15 hours a week

Favorite Media/Technology: Online video games and Instagram

How do you and your family interact with media/technology?

My family and I do not interact very much with media or technology together. The very few times that we do usually involves watching a show together on Netflix. That said. my parents actively monitor my digital activities. For example, they ensure that my social media posts are appropriate, and they monitor the television content that I am exposed to.

How do you and your peers interact with media/technology?

My main form of digital interaction with my peers is through online video games, specifically, Fortnite. The game is less about winning for me, and more about interacting with my friends. I have even made new friends that I have not met in-person through playing the game. Aside from video games, Instagram and Snapchat also help me to stay connected with my peers. Sadly, it is quite easy to be excluded from social circles if you are not active on both social media platforms.

What do you use media for?

I mainly use media as a means of staying connected with my friends. We often use social media to get invited to parties and to invite other people to our own parties. I also use media to complete my homework assignments. They often require me to use a laptop and have access to the internet.

What is your favorite/least favorite thing about media/technology?

My favorite thing about media and technology is that it allows me to remain connected to my friends during times that I normally would not be allowed to hang out with them. For example, my mom almost never allows me to go out with friends during the school week, but social media and online video games allow me to stay in constant contact with them.

My least favorite thing about media and technology is how distracting it can be. Not only am I distracted by media when I am attempting to do my homework, but it is getting to the point where one form of media distracts me from another form of media. The constant feeling of “needing to stay in the loop” is what causes me to become distracted by media, and it can take quite a toll on my mental health.

INTERVIEWED BY:

BRANDON LEVIAN

UCLA GRADUATE

Kristen Gillespie-Lynch, Nicholas Tricarico, Billy Pinkava, Bella Kofner, and Jin Delos Santos 4/2/19 Kristen Gillespie-Lynch, Nicholas Tricarico, Billy Pinkava, Bella Kofner, and Jin Delos Santos 4/2/19

How Can we Improve Media Representations of Autism?

Collaborate with Autistic People

Have you ever seen an autistic character on TV? Chances are, you answered yes. Since Rain Man introduced autism to the general public in 1988, autistic characters have become increasingly common on TV [1] and in movies. Learning about autism from autistic characters can help people understand and accept autism. Indeed, high quality contact is linked to more positive attitudes toward diversity [2]. However, media representations also have the potential to decrease autism acceptance by promoting stereotypes [3]. So, how can we improve media representations of autism? Hint: You would get the same general answer if you asked other types of minorities how to represent their identities more accurately.

Shows with autistic characters are often developed with substantial input from clinicians and family members of autistic people. For example, the puppeteer behind Julia, an autistic character who is wholeheartedly accepted by her peers on Sesame Street, uses her experiences as the mother of an autistic child to create a believable character. Yet autistic people themselves are generally NOT part of the process of developing autistic TV characters. This lack of involvement is surprising given that autistic people are often more knowledgeable about autism than others [4] and bloom socially through engagement in theatre [5].

By leaving autistic people out of the process of developing autistic characters, we risk creating one dimensional characters that represent only limited aspects of the autism spectrum. Indeed, most autistic TV characters are highly gifted and eloquent, albeit with social difficulties. Not only are savant-like characters overrepresented in media representations of autism, the gifts autistic characters exhibit show repetitive tendencies on the part of content creators. For example, the autistic characters in two separate TV shows (Touch, one of the few shows to portray a non-speaking autistic character, and Waterloo Road, one of many shows with verbally precocious autistic characters) demonstrated savant skills by reflecting on the Fibonacci sequence. Repetitive representations of autism may reinforce stereotypes while also depriving the large population of autistic young people of role models they can identify with.

We, 3 autistic college students, 1 autistic college graduate and a professor, would like to share personal reflections from the autistic members of our team about how media representations of autism get it right, get it wrong, and can get it better.

What do you like about how autism is represented in the media?

Billy: I would say in the past 10 years alone, we’ve come pretty far in the way autism is shown in the media. 10 years ago, the characters you saw on TV shows who had autism were side characters whose only defining characteristic was their disability. Today, you see characters on the spectrum who are stars of their own show like Atypical (2017) and the Good Doctor (2018) and are portrayed as complex characters in their own right. On the Good Doctor, Shaun is shown to be going through personal struggles of his own unrelated to autism such as him having not fully recovered from the trauma of his older brother’s death when they were kids.

Jin: I think Adam (2009) was a good portrayal if you consider the fact that the titular character is not only autistic. He’s depressed (his father died shortly before the film’s start) and that exacerbates the classic withdrawn symptoms that might present in someone who’s autistic. I heard complaints from someone that he didn’t end up “getting the girl” at the end and that this reflects negatively on autistic people and their ability to get into relationships, but personally it felt clear that they weren’t right for each other at the time (I didn’t like Beth anyway). It’s not like they made Adam void of sexual attraction (an issue with disability representation in general), because he very clearly voices it. I think Adam is a good look into someone who has to navigate depression and anxiety along with functioning differently in general.

What do you NOT like about how autism is represented in the media?

Nick: One of the biggest problems with characters with disabilities, not just autism, in media is that when writing a character with a disability, one can fall into the trap of writing a disabled character before one writes a character with a disability. In layman’s terms, the disability becomes the character instead of informing it. However, I’d argue a bigger problem is a hesitancy to portray people with autism who can be unpleasant on purpose. One example of this is The Good Doctor, where all of the ideas the autistic doctor has worked. It would have been a lot more interesting if something that he thought of didn’t work and he would have to take the responsibility of having made a decision that caused a patient’s death.

Billy: One of the biggest problems with how autism is represented in the media is that when a character with autism is portrayed on television, they’re presented as one dimensional characters whose depth is the stereotypical symptoms of their disability. Like Nick said, their disability becomes their character. In Atypical, the main character Sam, who has ASD, is portrayed as hopelessly naive with no idea how to approach social, and by extension romantic situations. We’re also presented as savants with total brilliance in one area, but disabled in all other areas. This goes back to Rainman (1988), in which Dustin Hoffman’s character is portrayed as a math genius, but is unable to take care of himself and lives in an institution.

Bella: Unfortunately, the media doesn’t include everyone on the autism spectrum. While the Good Doctor has an autistic character named Shaun who works as a surgeon in a hospital, there are not a lot of TV shows that show how autistic people struggle to get jobs. Sheldon, a scientist that shows autistic symptoms on the show Big Bang Theory, lived with his friends before he got married which is in contrast to stereotypes about how autistic people live in society as people who can’t have jobs or get married.

How can media content creators better involve autistic people in the process of developing media?

Nick: The best way to write a character with autism is to have it inform their character instead of being their entire character. For example, in Mary & Max (2009), Max is a man who is a social outcast because of the way the world has treated him. This is not always obviously reflective of autism.

Bella: Directors could research what life is like for autistic people. Although some shows illustrate how autistic people deal with their lives, they need to include autistic characters who display diverse symptoms. Autistic people can exhibit great strengths in technology, so directors could hire them to work at their companies. People can interview autistic people so that viewers can understand what life is like for autistic people. If TV shows could show how autistic people struggle to live in society, then society would understand more.

Here are some actionable insights for storytellers:

Media creators should employ autistic people as writers, actors, technicians and in other roles helping to create autistic characters. Rather than just having one isolated autistic character in each show, thus magnifying the sense that autistic people are different from “the norm,” diverse communities of people should be represented.
Greater representation of non-speaking autistic people is needed. Autistic characters should be as complex as any other character, with autism one aspect of their multifaceted identities. Autistic characters should have opportunities to succeed and to fail, to help and to be helped, and autistic people should play a central role in helping to create them.

Kristen Gillespie-Lynch

The graduate Center; City University of New York

Collaborator of the Center for Scholars and Storytellers

Nicholas Tricarico

The College of Staten Island; City University of New York

Billy Pinkava

The College of Staten Island; City University of New York

Bella Kofner

The College of Staten Island; City University of New York

Jin Delos Santos

Hunter College; City University of New York

References

1Morgan, J. (2019). Has autism found a place in mainstream TV?. The Lancet Neurology, 18(2), 143-144.

2Corrigan, P. W., Larson, J., Sells, M., Niessen, N., & Watson, A. C. (2007). Will filmed presentations of education and contact diminish mental illness stigma?. Community mental health journal, 43(2), 171-181.

3Draaisma, D. (2009). Stereotypes of autism. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 364(1522), 1475-1480.

4Gillespie-Lynch, K., Kapp, S. K., Brooks, P. J., Pickens, J., & Schwartzman, B. (2017). Whose expertise is it? Evidence for autistic adults as critical autism experts. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 438.

5Corbett, B. A., Gunther, J. R., Comins, D., Price, J., Ryan, N., Simon, D., ... & Rios, T. (2011). Brief report: theatre as therapy for children with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 41(4), 505-511.

Kim Wilson 3/6/19 Kim Wilson 3/6/19

The Power of Talking to Kids

“Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women.”

-Maya Angelou

I have spent a lot of years as an executive in children’s content at public broadcasters. I’ve interviewed lots of young girls, and talked to them about many topics. Recently-with the Dream Gap research from Barbie- I wanted to chat with more girls. Such interesting research! Mostly, I talked to young girls I know, to see what they thought of the results of this research: that by the age of 5, girls begin to lose self-confidence in their intelligence and abilities. This was more than for my job, it was for me, other women, and girls for the future! A lot at stake.

As always, the girls had a lot to say, and I loved how quickly they came up with reasons for the results. Two young girls said that boys see boys when they watch TV...that most lead characters on shows are boys, making boys seem like they are smarter, because they are leaders. The girls are right. In North America, 65% of protagonists in kid’s shows are boys, with girls only being the main character about 35% of the time.

I spent last weekend with one of my best friends, her young daughter and her daughter’s bestie. The girls spent almost the whole time choreographing dance routines, so I wasn’t sure if they would be interested in this research. But it only took them a moment to talk about how they mostly hear about men in school. The historical leaders, presidents, prime ministers, heroes, astronauts and other people they are told about. They don’t hear about famous women nearly as much. They said they want to hear more about women leaders!

On my way home from the weekend away, I chatted with two 10 year old girls on my street about The Dream Gap Project. They agreed that girls would feel smarter if they saw more role models, and felt strongly about changing the names of all the schools. “They are all named after men,” one said. “That’s why we have to fight for girl power, ” said the other.

I felt so girl powered up after the weekend that I just wanted to say “Thanks, Barbie” for doing the research that can get lots of girls talking. All good movements start from the ground up, so we need our girls to feel empowered. Now we just have to find ways to make girls more present on tv shows, in school, and at the forefront of the world around them. I’m totally in and feel like I have to do my part. Girl power, indeed!

Because we love talking to kids, here’s a video we shot at the Center for Scholars and Storytellers with boys and girls reacting to the Dream Gap research.

Directed by Eliza Rocco

Kim Wilson

Media Advisor & Consultant of The Center for Scholars and Storytellers

Disclosure: This blog post was written independently and reflects the author’s own views. It was written in support of the Dream Gap project and was paid for by Barbie.

To learn more about Barbie's work to close the Dream Gap click here.

Nicole Martins, Ph.D. 1/28/19 Nicole Martins, Ph.D. 1/28/19

Media and Relational Aggression Among Youth

Does violence in movies and TV increase aggression in children? What about "emotional" violence — taunting, name-calling, cyberbullying, and other forms of social exclusion — the purpose of which is to harm another? Are so-called "mean girls" in TV and movies cool?

As I greeted my fourth-grader off the bus the other day, we began our regular after-school chat between mouthfuls of his afternoon snack.

“What happened at school today?” I ask. “Madison got in trouble with the teacher for being mean to Emily,” he says.

“Oh. What was Madison doing?”

“Well, we were playing this game at recess, but Madison kept changing the rules so that Emily would always lose, or would not know how to play. Emily started to cry and then the teachers came and sent Madison inside.”

It sounds like my son has a mean girl in his class. These types of “mean girl” behaviors — social exclusion, and name-calling — are known as relational aggression. I’ve spent the last decade researching this type of behavior among young people and despite the reputation for relational aggression and its gender bias as something that “mean girls do,” research shows that boys can be just as mean with their friends as girls.

So where do children learn these kinds of relationally aggressive behaviors?

As one might expect, children learn from behaviors modeled to them (e.g. at home or at school). But this also includes TV violence and violence in movies — and, less overt, dramatization of the threat of violence and its power over girls and boys. And the threat of violence is implicit in social exclusion behavior because its purpose is to "remove" a person from the group and even drive that person to harm themselves. Indeed, my research demonstrates that exposure to televised relational aggression is related to children’s use of relational aggression at school.

Unfortunately, relational aggression is quite prevalent in children’s films and television. A study I conducted with Dr. Barbara Wilson, found that 92% of 150 shows that are popular among elementary school children included some form of relational aggression.

Moreover, the ways in which this kind of violence was portrayed in movies and TV increased the chances that children would imitate it. For example, relational aggression was often enacted by attractive perpetrators, who were rarely punished for the actions, and a majority of the relationally aggressive interactions were meant to be funny, which further minimized any potential consequences to the victims.

This is particularly problematic because follow-up studies have shown that relationally aggressive characters tend to be well-liked by children viewers because they are attractive and funny. When children like characters who do antisocial things, they are more likely to excuse the aggression, and as a result, more likely to report they would imitate the behaviors in the future.

Clearly, there is room for improvement when it comes to how we feature relationally aggressive conflicts in children’s media representations.

Here are some actionable insights for storytellers:

When using a relationally aggressive plot point, show the consequences to the victim. Perhaps the victim can verbalize hurt feelings, or the consequences of a false rumor can be shown.
The perpetrator of the relational aggression should be punished in some way. An added bonus: there is research to show that viewers like seeing a disliked perpetrator getting what they deserve.
Avoid rewarding relationally aggressive behavior. For example, a verbal ‘put-down’ should not be used to get a laugh. These kinds of actions are easily imitated by young children, but they are not yet able to understand how and when such a joke should be used.

If storytellers could take some of these steps to avoid portraying relational aggression in an appealing light, it could go a long way in shaping how the millions of impressionable young viewers perceive relational aggression and their subsequent behavior.

Nicole Martins, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Media at Indiana University

Collaborator of the Center for Scholars & Storytellers

Maya Götz, Ph.D., and Dafna Lemish, Ph.D 1/12/19 Maya Götz, Ph.D., and Dafna Lemish, Ph.D 1/12/19

What scared you as a child?

Have you ever been afraid in front of the screen as a child?

We asked this question to 631 university students in eight different countries around the world. We found that universally, the vast majority of them could recall in great detail a childhood experience that scared them so deeply that it was burned in their memory – including the sight, sound, and emotions it aroused. Many of them related stories of how, till today, they will be wary of swimming in the ocean, sleep with a light on, and are petrified of clowns...

So what is it about TV and films that scare children? In this study we discovered the seven elements of fear: The threatening appearance of a character (remember the wicked witch in The Wizard of Oz?)
A character behaving threateningly (like the profoundly evil character in A Nightmare on Elm Street)
A character children identify with being under threat and helpless (so many stories of participants recalling being traumatized by poor Bambi alone in the cold, dark forest after his mother was shot by the hunter...)
Stories that make children aware, for the first time, of threatening scenarios within their experience, or the possibility of these (“who would want to hurt the USA?” thought a shocked child after viewing the 9/11 news coverage)
Stories in which safe places are deliberately breached (Chucky the doll cuddled in bed turns to be sadistic)
Music and sound that signify danger (remember the dum dum, dum dum dum in Jaws?)
Scenes depicting injury and homicide (a T.Rex chewing on a bleeding human in Jurassic Park)

About 70% of the programs inducing fear that children were exposed to were not age-appropriate (e.g., thrillers, science fiction, violent action-adventures). But many programs that most parents and professionals would not consider problematic, induce fear reactions as well – from Disney animated movies to even educational programs. For example, little Dumbo’s trunk reaching out to his caged mother was painful to watch for many children. Similarly, scenes from the classic Wizard of Ozthat included the Witch and the monkeys elicited strong fear experiences.

Many of our participants shared impacts of a traumatic experience that haunts them in adulthood as well. Even as grown-ups, they check under their bed before going to sleep, they struggle emotionally with images of bodily harm that are stuck in their minds, they experience reoccurring nightmares, and they even confessed to discussing these issues currently with their therapist...

How does a child cope with such negative experiences? Just like older viewers, they avoid programs that scare them, they look for support of those around them, and they creatively develop mental strategies such as thinking about something happy before falling asleep.

What, then, should creators of content for children consider in trying to avoid traumatizing children?

Avoid severe fear experiences such as inflicting bodily harm or undermining children’s trusts in cuddling toys, and the safety of their home and family – they do not promote a positive relationship with oneself, others, and the environment.
Do not avoid dramatic tension altogether – children need to build resilience to threat and anxiety, but at the level that is appropriate for their level of development.
Encourage a thrill experience, rather than a fear one, an experience where the child feels safe being scared by offering predictable happy endings, employ humor to break the tension, avoid presenting bodily harm. Movies such as Toy Story,The Lion King or Harry Potter could be a thrill experience but just if the child is ready for it – and for most children that is after 7 – 8 years.

Parents, on their part, should –

Avoid exposing children to age-inappropriate content. They are not ready emotionally to watch thrillers as preschoolers!
Develop media literacy competencies in children: e.g., explain to them that the hero/ine of the series will be back next episode, that the music is meant to make you feel scared for fun, etc.
Be there with them when they experience tension and exhibit anxiety – reassure them of your support and protection, explain to them the difference between fantasy and reality, offer a favorite stuffed animal or blanket.
Stay away from potentially scary content before bedtime.
Do not leave any lingering fear to settle and become a phobia – help them process it, seek help if needed.

Want to learn more about…

fear experiences and also learn what 510 children from 5 countries told us about their nightmares from screen - Click here to check our book.

Maya Götz, Ph.D.,

Head of the International Central Institute for Youth and Educational Television (IZI) and Head of the PRIX JEUNESSE Foundation.

Dafna Lemish, Ph.D.,

Professor and Associate Dean, The School of Communication and Information, Rutgers the State University of New Jersey.

Yusra Farzan 12/29/18 Yusra Farzan 12/29/18

Cultivating Hope

We have all heard the phrase “have hope”, however, is it simply a feel-good emotion thrown around or is it wishful thinking or is there some truth to the statement?

Growing up in a conservative Middle Eastern country, in a somewhat traditional Sri Lankan home, I was always hopeful of realizing my goal of becoming a journalist – preferably a political reporter using my pen as my tool to change the world and make the invisible visible. When my peers were taking the conventional route of getting married young for stability or choosing financially viable careers, I never lost sight of my goal and with a great support system, I completed my undergrad education and landed a journalism gig straight out of school. I believe I achieved what I set out to do because I was always hopeful that I can create my own reality.

Youth and Hopelessness

I think of kids today and I worry because the news, so easily available at our fingertips, and pretty much every headline seems like an assault on the very notion of hope – school shootings, families torn apart at the border, trans rights under attack, climate change being refuted etc. And then the content children are exposed to – including superhero movies – have the hero resorting to violence or killing the bad guy to come into power. This constant influx can result in the youth feeling hopelessness that the world around them is beyond their control.
Yet, research has found that adolescents who are hopeful enjoy academic success, develop strong friendships, are more creative and better at problem solving, have lower levels of anxiety, are less likely to drop out of school and do not give up when faced with obstacles.

Can We Learn Hope?

Thankfully, the work of American Psychologist Charles ‘Rick’ Snyder, a pioneer in hope research, shows us that hope can be learnt.
He adopted a three pronged approach to understanding hope: goals, agency and pathways. According to this approach, individuals who are hopeful have the motivation and a clearly defined plan to achieve their goals.
It is not just a general feeling that good things will come rather it is the focus on goals, setting it apart from optimism and wishful thinking. Having hope is to imagine a happy ending and figuring out the means to get there. This is good news for anyone who has a part to play in shaping the next generation.

Barriers to Hope

In order to cultivate hope in the next generation, it is first important to understand some of the triggers of hopelessness.
We live in an age where we are constantly bombarded with information from digital platforms to social blogs. It is no surprise that all ages are avid consumers of social and digital media and this is especially true for pre-teens and teenagers. Increased exposure to digital information can have a positive impact on a teenager as it helps normalize diversity in the world around them, increasing awareness on political and social issues that impact them (for example, the Parkland survivors were instrumental in increasing the number of younger voters in the recently concluded midterms) and even encourage them to explore forms of self-expression like creating blogs.

However, this increased exposure can also have a detrimental effect on cultivating hope.

Instant gratification is one of the downsides of the digital age. Teenagers today are no longer willing to follow the advice that slow and steady wins the race rather, their short attention spans and their need for immediate results is affecting their willingness to work hard in achieving their goals. For example, gone are the days where teenagers poured over books to complete an assignment, now they would rather get the cliff notes version on the internet to quickly put something together.

Peer acceptance is important for teenagers and they are always worried about how they will be perceived by their friends. Teenagers today glean their approval rating from the likes and comments they get on their social profiles and spend a great deal of time trying to prune their online identity, sometimes with a disconnect to who they are. The constant pressure to be someone you are not can result in them not feeling good about themselves leading to a lack of hope and self-doubt. British vlogger Dina Tokio in her book Modestly talks about how she stopped playing sports when she started wearing the hijab because she thought she did not look good playing soccer wearing the hijab. This resulted in her developing body image issues in her later teenage years.

Cultivating Hope

All hope is not lost and there are some ways, research has shown, to cultivate hope:

1. Set clear, attainable goals – Create a big picture of what is important to you and what you want to achieve. A great way to do this is by creating a vision board or writing a personal mission statement. Think about where you want to be in terms of academics, relationships, family, personal interests and it even helps to add bucket list items like places you want to travel to. Then arrange your goals in the order of importance. This is helpful for adolescents with little hope so they do not get distracted by trying to achieve everything in a short span of time and resulting in burnout.

2. Set a clear task plan for achieving goals – Someone with low hope thinks all goals need to be accomplished all at once and this can be very overwhelming for them. By creating a step-by-step task plan, those with low hope can celebrate the completion of each task keeping them motivated till they achieve their goal. For example, if you want to buy a new car, start by creating a checklist of task beginning with narrowing down on car options to checking details of requirements such as registration and insurance.

3. Visualize different paths to a goal – If you suffer from low hope, chances are one of your greatest challenges in achieving your goals is the inability to move past obstacles and abandoning your goal at the first sign of a hurdle. Visualizing different paths to a goal will help in overcoming obstacles that seem insurmountable and will give you the motivation to take the road less traveled.

4. Identify ‘hope providers’ – As you take on new tasks and dive into the unknown to achieve your goals, it is important to surround yourself with motivators. This can be parents, friends, your partner, or even a teacher – someone you can turn to when you encounter obstacles or just need reassurance that you are on the right track.

5. Bombard yourself with stories of success - Hopeful people are inspired by the stories of success, especially when they are faced with obstacles. Make sure to capture the full story of a person’s success and the failures they had to go through to achieve their goals. Research has shown that seeing the underdog in movies attaining their goals against all odds can act as a motivator and make people more hopeful. For example, even seemingly innocent cartoons such as Mulan and Frozen showcase the main character going through hardship before achieving success.

6. Enjoy the journey – More often than not, the focus is on attaining the goal without focusing on the joys in achieving it. By creating a task checklist, this can be avoided by celebrating little milestones along the way!

Journalist-turned-Marketer Yusra Farzan currently serves as a Project Manager at the Center for Scholars + Storytellers, UCLA. Previously, she has managed strategic communications, content development and cultural insights tracking for Fortune 500 and leading UAE brands. She is passionate about the empowerment of underprivileged youth of color and in increasing representation and inclusion in media and marketing.

In her leisure time, she likes reading and traveling. Connect with Yusra on LinkedIn here.

This blog was originally created to support Baylor University in hosting its Technology Innovation Request for Proposal: Improving Character Strengths of Adolescents through Technology Innovation.

Tyler Samstag 12/29/18 Tyler Samstag 12/29/18

What are Character Strengths?

Character strengths are virtues. Character strengths such as love, gratitude, hope, patience, generosity, joy, wisdom, and forgiveness can shape people’s understanding of who they are and their understanding of self.

How can digital technology be used to build character strengths in adolescents? Can adults play a role in encouraging the development of character strengths in adolescents? When and how are character strengths developed? Is there a critical time frame to capitalize on for their development? How can we encourage the development of virtues in youth? The Technology and Character blogs posted here explore these questions.

Bridging the Second Digital Divide: Designing Opportunities for Content Creation

For over two decades, talk of the “digital divide” has regularly permeated discourse around educational technology. The term--which gained popularity in the mid-1990’s--originally referred to disparities between those with consistent access to computer technologies and those without. In an era where mobile devices are nearly ubiquitous, however, the digital divide has taken a radically new form. Although digital inequity still persists, such disparities today lie less in access to technology than in how it is used. As the amount of time that young people spend in front of screens increases, a notable gap has emerged in schools and homes alike between those who use technology as passive consumers versus those as active creators. Such inequities have been described as the second digital divide.

A Changing Landscape

For many young people today, the tools needed for digital content creation are readily available to them via mobile devices and an array of websites and apps. Such strides in access, however, are a relatively new phenomena of the last decade.

Looking back 20 years, access to technology was not so universally available. In the mid-1990’s, a series of prominent governmental publications found that although more American households were connected to the nation’s information infrastructure, certain households gained access to new technologies significantly faster. Two reports by the U.S. Department of Commerce, for instance, found that “minorities, low-income persons, the less educated, and children of single-parent households” were disproportionately “information ‘have-nots’” with alarmingly less access to information resources that included telephones, computers, and the internet. They describe this digital divide as one of America’s “leading economic and civil rights issues.”

In the early 2000’s, The Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD)--an intergovernmental economic organization of 36 member countries--reported a rise in the digital divide in countries across the world, separating “those who live in a digital and connected world from those who are left behind on the analogous side of the divide.”

This divide, they asserted, had impeded full participation in work and had reduced political efficacy.

Research in the last decade, however, paints a picture where young people are increasingly growing up in environments where technology is readily accessible. In 2012, for instance, an average of 94% of students across OECD countries reported that they had a computer at home. And although a 2015 Common Sense Census reported a 25 percentage-point gap in home computer access between children from lower- and higher-income households, the gap in mobile ownership had “virtually disappeared,” with 96% of lower-income families possessing a mobile device in the home. Similarly, a 2017 Common Sense Census exploring media use by kids ages zero to 8 reported that the percentage of homes with a mobile device grew from 52% in 2011 to 98% in 2017.

The Second Digital Divide

Although gaps in access to technology have virtually disappeared for many young people in the past decade, equal access by no means implies equal opportunity.The OECD has utilized data from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), an international assessment measuring reading, math, and science literacy of students 15 years of age, to track international shifts in how technology is used across the world.

In the analysis of the 2006 PISA results, the OECD concluded that despite increased access to technology, a second form of digital divide emerged between those with “necessary competences and skills to benefit from computer use” and those without. Similar to the divide of the decade prior, such competencies were linked to students’ economic, cultural, and social backgrounds.

Furthermore, this report emphasized that although students increasingly appear technologically ‘savvy,’ this alone does not mean that they have developed the skills and competencies that make them “responsible, critical and creative users of technology.” As children are increasingly exposed to technology at a young age, it is imperative that educators and content creators alike resist conflating digital nativism and the ease in which students navigate technology with the 21st century skills and capacities needed to leverage it as a tool in their favor.

Consuming Vs. Creating

As ownership of mobile technology grows, it has become instinctive for many young people to travel between home and school with personal devices in hand. As such, most young people interact with media regularly throughout the day: at home before and after school, while waiting for the bus, in the hallways, and even in many of their classrooms. Recent research provide a glimpse into screen time among teens and tweens.

Specifically, for the first time, the 2015 Common Sense Census quantified time teens and tweens spent using devices for different functional purposes. Oververall, they found that mobile devices accounted for nearly half of all screen time among teens outside of school, and although devices were used to code, write, or make art and music, time dedicated to content creation paled in comparison to that spent watching videos, listening to music, or playing games. The “passive consumption” of media, according to the report, accounted for 39% of time on devices, while a mere 3% was dedicate to content creation.

Opportunities for Content Creation

With increased access to technology comes new opportunities for students to learn, collaborate and create beyond the confines of the traditional classroom. As such, a number of exemplar applications have emerged that support young people in moving beyond mere passive consumption, and instead empower young people to actively leverage their devices as content creators.

Digital Promise’s 360° Story Lab, for instance, supports young people in producing 360° media to create experiential stories that share youth perspectives. Their global campaign “Join MY World 360°” encourages youth worldwide to create immersive media related to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

Similarly, a number of new authoring tools provide opportunities for non-technical users to seamlessly create immersive 360° stories, including Google’s Tour Creator and IRL Lab’s SocialVR. The latter provides users a simple drag and drop platform to combine 360° photographs and video with user-generated annotations, such as audio recordings, still images, and text.

Scratch, a programming language developed by the MIT Media Lab supports even the youngest learners in programing their own interactive stories, games, and animations as well as proving a moderated online community to share digital creations with others around the world. Currently, there are over 42 million projects shared to this community.

Based on Karen Brennan and Mitch Resnick’s research of the Scratch platform, the active creation of content using programming has supported young people in developing computational thinking competencies including an ability to view computation as something they can use “for design and self-expression.” “Young people should feel empowered to ask questions about and with technology,” Brennan and Resnick assert. This, they state, leads young people to feel less disconnected between “the technologies that surround them and their abilities to negotiate the realities of a technological world.”

Considerations for developers:

Although most young people have access to technology today, disparities exist between those who use technology to consume versus those who use it to create.
When designing technology, consider integrating opportunities for users to create their own media in addition to interacting with pre-made content. This might take the form of drawing an illustration or recording an animated video.
As not all young people might have experience using technology to create their own content, consider scaffolding opportunities step-by-step for greater support.
Look for inspiration in existing communities of youth-created content, such as the Scratch online community.

Tyler Samstag

Tyler is the Director of the Center for Creativity at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit, a regional service provider for 42 public school districts in Western Pennsylvania. Interested in the intersection of education, technology, and design, Tyler regularly supports schools in the thoughtful integration of new technologies and teaching practices. Tyler holds a master’s degree from Teachers College, Columbia University and graduated from the Mind, Brain, and Education program at Harvard University, where he was an Urban Scholars Fellow. Connect with Tyler via LinkedIn and Twitter.

This blog was originally created to support Baylor University in hosting its Technology Innovation Request for Proposal: Improving Character Strengths of Adolescents through Technology Innovation.

Molly Schleisinger 12/28/18 Molly Schleisinger 12/28/18

The power of human: Re-inventing technology to prompt more social connection

In the past year, we have been asked – by startups and seasoned companies – if it might be time to build modern digital friends for young children. After all, today’s kids spend a tremendous amount of time on digital devices – anywhere from 3 to 7 to 11 hours per day. If they are going to use their digital devices solo anyway, it makes sense for them to have “someone” to play with, right?

Would children benefit from owning a compassionate and intelligent robot or an on screen “friend” app that can listen to them and respond in ways that build on products like Alexa or Siri?

As we pondered these questions, however, the literature on digital toy and app use give us pause. Might we be reducing children’s opportunities to develop the very skills that they need to grow up to be socially-sensitive and compassionate humans – real life human-to-human social interaction. This unease is fueled a basket of recent studies describing how digital technologies seem to compromise social engagement.

Social Interaction

Social interaction is the foundation of what it means to be human. Humans are born into a social world and the very essence of learning starts with a socially primed brain. Human-to-human, back and forth – contingent – interactions support language growth, cultural practices, and even brain development.

A majority of digital apps actually disrupt opportunities for social interaction. For example, during app play, contingent caregiver-child social interaction dissipates compared to the elaborate contingent interactions observed during more traditional play. Similar results in the pre-app era revealed parents use fewer words when their toddlers played with a digital toy sorter compared to playing with a non-digital version. The non-digital toy essentially prompted greater parental language that creates the foundation for contingent interaction between caregivers and children.

Some e-book research also points to restricted interactions between caregivers and children compared to reading traditional books. When reading e-books, caregivers are less likely to ask questions or to start conversations because if they interject they interrupt the audio narration – limiting social interactions. The same pattern occurred in our lab when parents and children read either a traditional book or battery-operated, touch-sensitive console book together in the pre-e-book era. This is notable, as children still learn more when reading e-books with caregivers than when reading e-books solo.

Impact of Caregivers

There is also a growing body of data revealing that the simple presence of caregivers using digital technology is impacting toddlers. Our lab has found digital devices that distract parents from their toddler makes it tougher for toddlers to learn novel words. This complements work indicating caregivers using digital devices in front of their 7- to 24-month-olds relate to infant distress. Traditional contingent play between moms and infants was disrupted when moms were asked to use a digital device and ignored their infants for two minutes. Although moms resumed playing with their infants again, the infants exhibited distress when the social integration was disrupted by the tech. Critically, even after moms resumed playing, distress lingered for infants’ whose parents frequently use digital devices in front of them.

Though the research is still limited, the trickle of studies that do exist suggest that apps and digital devices are often designed in ways that discourage all-important contingent social interaction. But it does not have to be this way. Digital devices could support social connectedness and prompt live, human-to-human social interaction.

Video chat offers a prime example. Our lab examined how contingency with or without digital devices supports children’s word-learning. Toddlers were taught novel verbs live in a room with a researcher, live on video chat with a researcher, or while watching a prerecorded video of the researcher. Toddlers learned better from live and video chat interactions than the non-contingent video – meaning the contingent social interaction mattered for learning, not the medium. Digital technology that involves contingency may be one key for prompting social interactions that spur socially-fueled outcomes.

This brings us back to the question of modern digital friends. If we want to support social development, maybe it is not quite time for digital friends. There is something about the back and forth social contingency between live people that is a kind of human glue – a glue that bonds the foundation for social skills and for learning. How can we create more opportunities like video chat – or more apps – that support in-person joint interaction or even play?

Challenge

The challenge for the industry is how to encourage live, in person social interactions from digital toys and apps. How can designers create digital toys and apps that prompt more human-to-human connections? How can we harness the power of human while still enjoying the reach and unfathomable possibilities of digital tools?

Actionable Insights

Start with apps like Pokemon GO to glean inspiration from, and brainstorm new apps that encourage person to person interaction, AND are engaging and meaningful, not just a replication of the hit game.

Think Geocache. How could you create games that teens could use in pairs to find a “National Treasure” while learning about the history of a city or area? How could they solve a great riddle with their friends?

Products like Alexa and Siri are motivating the digital friend movement. Now twist the idea. Ask how these products already encourage greater interaction with the digital device, but how could they actually prompt in-person social interaction instead?

Molly Schleisinger is a postdoctoral fellow at Temple University where she leads the Playful Learning Landscape initiative and publishes on play and technology.

Kathy Hirsh-Pasek is the Lefkowitz faculty fellow in psychology at Temple University and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. She has published 14 books, hundreds of articles and is an expert in the areas of play and learning, early childhood, language and literacy and STEM development.

This blog was originally created to support Baylor University in hosting its Technology Innovation Request for Proposal: Improving Character Strengths of Adolescents through Technology Innovation.

Dr. Lynn Oldershaw 12/28/18 Dr. Lynn Oldershaw 12/28/18

Cultivating Patience

“Patience is a virtue, virtue is a grace. Both put together make a very pretty face.”

As a young child, I loved this rhyme and eagerly embraced the virtue of patience because I honestly believed it held the promise of a prettier face. I figured that patience was a small price to pay for a better looking nose. Now as an adult, I recognize more clearly the merits of patience…while sadly accepting that none of them involve the reconstruction of my somewhat flawed nose. But I digress.

Dr. Sarah Schnitker, an expert on patience, defines it as “the propensity to wait calmly in the face of frustration or adversity.” She identifies three types of situations in which patience can be displayed: Daily Hassles (e.g., waiting in a long line, traffic jams); Long-Term Goals and Life Hardship (e.g., getting a job, coping with a serious illness); and Interpersonal (e.g., dealing with a difficult person).

We are regularly faced with such situations, and the research shows that the more we respond to them with patience, the better off we are. Compared to impatient individuals, those who display patience tend to have better mental health, lower levels of depression, and are more successful at reaching long-term goals. Patience leads to better social interactions, better physical health, and greater satisfaction. Patience is clearly an important and necessary skill for children to develop.

But the reality is that today’s youth are impatient, and they know it. In one survey of adolescents and young adults, 80% said they expect to receive a quick reply when they send an email, and express annoyance when this doesn’t happen. When presented with the statement, “I have little patience and I can’t stand waiting for things,” the majority agreed.

To understand why, one need only consider the technologically advanced society many of today’s youth have known their whole lives. It is a society where speed and immediacy are valued and rewarded; where information, entertainment and communication are just a click away. Retailers offer same day delivery. Smartphone apps eliminate the wait for a taxi, a Starbucks coffee, even a date. Movies and TV shows stream in seconds. Books download instantly. There’s fast food, high-speed internet, instant messaging…the list goes on. As a society, we seem to place less emphasis on patience and more on speed and instant gratification. In fact, one survey actually found that the use of the word “patience” declined by 48% in American books over the 20th century. According to Dr. Schnitker, “technology is eroding our patience.”

Which begs the question: Are there ways in which technology and media can actually promote it?

Show patience in action: As with any character virtue, patience can be modeled by the onscreen characters viewers most readily connect with and aim to emulate, commonly those seen as intelligent and successful. Having such characters display patience across a variety of situations is a good first step towards inspiring young viewers to do the same.

We also know that viewers relate best to same-sex media characters, stressing the need for content creators to ensure that patience is displayed and modeled equally by both male and female characters. This is especially important in light of research suggesting that males are more impatient than females.

Focus on Emotion Regulation: Given that the hallmark of patience is the ability to remain calm in frustrating situations, efforts to help kids regulate their emotions will go a long way in helping them develop patience. Dr. Schnitker used this knowledge to provide patience training for adolescents, and discovered the importance of having participants work through the stages of emotion regulation in a step-by-step manner. Specifically, having them identify:

a) what they are feeling;

b) why the situation triggered those feelings;

c) strategies to calm themselves (e.g., meditation);

d) ways to reframe the situation (e.g., this traffic jam gives me more time to listen to music I love).

Creating media properties that feature these steps, and specifically target the three types of patience described earlier, will help provide kids with the practice and tools they need to display patience when emotionally triggered in their everyday lives. This could be accomplished through apps where kids put themselves in given situations and work through the steps, or through media properties with storylines where fictional characters do the same.

Emphasize the value of patience: Too often, kids today believe that patience means inactivity or laziness, expressing concern that if they’re patient, they won’t get anything done. But that’s not what the research shows. Dr. Schnitker found that adolescents who patiently pursued their goals actually exerted more effort toward attaining them, and were more satisfied in their goal pursuits. Being patient and calm allowed the adolescents to more effectively engage in working toward their goals.

This is the message that media can help kids realize: Patience isn’t about disengaging. On the contrary, patience is about active and calm engagement while waiting to achieve the end goal. That’s what leads to success.

Video Games

Knowing little about video games myself, I turned to my son (our resident expert) to better understand if and how video games could instill patience in those who play them. He offered up some thoughts on how patience was required and reinforced through gameplay. Here’s what I learned:

The virtual worlds of many games today are so realistic, players feel as if they are actually living the experience in real time. For instance, to get from point A to point B, players are required to physically travel there. And the greater the distance, the longer the journey. Given that the more valuable and desirable items are typically placed furthest away, getting to them takes a long time…a situation that nicely mirrors real life. This gameplay feature basically rewards players for putting in time and effort in pursuit of something desirable, which is what patience for long-term goals is all about.

In games where you level up, there is usually a main story as well as side quests or missions along the way. If players are impatient, and complete the main story too quickly, the game ends. Players come to learn that a better, more satisfying strategy is to do a bit of the main story as well as some side quests, back and forth, so that they have a richer experience. Also by the time they do get to the end, their ability to successfully complete the main story is dependent on the skills they gained along the way (through the various side quests and missions.) Once again, players are rewarded for displaying patience.

Grinding is also an interesting aspect of gameplay. This is when players perform a repetitive, often boring, action in order to gain power or experience that will benefit them in the next stage of the game. Grinding effectively corresponds to real life situations and the patience required to attain long-term goals. In fact, when I went to a gaming forum discussing the pros and cons of grinding (apparently some gamers like it, others don’t), I came across this one entry that sums it up well: “For sure, grinding requires patience, but it allows someone who’s willing to put in the time an eventual 100% chance of success.” Nice!

Patience is a quiet virtue that can easily be overlooked in today’s busy, hurried, noisy world. That’s why media efforts to highlight its value, and to help today’s youth cultivate it within themselves, are so relevant and necessary.

Dr. Lynn Oldershaw is a developmental psychologist who has worked for the past 18 years in children’s media, first as an Executive in Charge of Production for Programming at the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., and currently as a children’s media content consultant for production companies in Canada, the US, and Europe.

Prior to working in children’s programming, Dr. Oldershaw was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Western Ontario, and was the Research Director of CAMH’s Child Psychiatry Program in Toronto. Her research and clinical work focused on the factors that contribute to the social, emotional and intellectual development of children.

This blog was originally created to support Baylor University in hosting its Technology Innovation Request for Proposal: Improving Character Strengths of Adolescents through Technology Innovation.

Jen Rowe 12/28/18 Jen Rowe 12/28/18

Forgiveness

Elsa had a point: How developing the ability to “let it go” can help youth to cope and maintain social relationships

It’s more than just a catchy Disney tune; the ability to let it go - where “it” is whatever shade is being thrown, tea is being spilled, or any other form of wrongdoing has taken place – is an important character trait. Developing the ability to forgive as a child or adolescent sets one up for success in relationships. Their understanding of and ability to forgive may evolve as youth develop but, all in all, it helps them to cope with social and personal situations.

Understanding forgiveness

Forgiveness is a tricky thing. It’s something that emotions and the ego can get in the way of. It’s something we need to do to move forward in certain situations. It’s something that often involves our relationship with others. And, sometimes, it’s even something that only we can give to ourselves.

Forgiveness comes in three forms:

Forgiveness of others - When one forgives someone else for something
Forgiveness from others - When one is forgiven by someone else for something
Forgiveness of yourself - When one forgives themself for something.

Forgiveness also needs to be genuine. Simply saying the words, “I’m sorry” don’t mean that someone actually is sorry. Saying these words is something that’s often encouraged in childhood and continues to be put in practice into adulthood. In order to teach young people how to really apologize, they need to be guided to understand what a wrongdoing is and how they should have approached a situation. Additionally, they need to be taught how to express their emotions. These are things that should start in childhood and continue throughout adolescence.

Why forgiveness is important

Kids can be cruel. A 2012 study talks about how an adolescent’s adjustment is related to just how they cope with negative experiences among others in their age group. They took a look at just what kind of potential forgiveness has as a way to cope with these kinds of negative experiences. It turns out that:

Adolescents who were more forgiving were likely to engage in more effective forms of coping and less likely to seek revenge when bullied;
Forgiveness might be a valuable coping strategy for both victims and bully-victims because youth who respond to bullying in more negative ways perpetuate victimization and other relationship problems with their peers; and
The act of forgiving may also help the development of the ability to identify remorse and express empathy.

Further research confirmed that forgiving is good for you because it can reduce the burden on mental health. By being forgiving of ourselves and others, the connection between stress and mental illness can be eliminated. In other words, forgiveness can help young people to both overcome and let go of negative experiences among peers, and it can have a positive effect on their social development and mental health.

The challenge teens face in exercising forgiveness

According to Everett Worthington Ph.D, teens’ immediate responses to being wronged by someone else are motivated by hormones...and there are lots of hormones at play for this age group. Also, he says that “the part of the brain that helps someone to have self-control – and the ability to control their immediate responses – doesn’t fully mature until about age 26. That means that the urge for payback is strong and can be hard to overcome, but patience and putting oneself in the other person’s shoes in order to let go of hard feelings will pay off in the end.

Special considerations for adolescents related to forgiveness

Think about the last time you were faced with having to forgive or ask for forgiveness. It probably had to do with a social situation involving one other person or a group of other people. This 2018 study discusses that “by its very nature, forgiveness is an interpersonal process, and to fully understand the forgiveness process, the perspectives of both the victim (who may grant forgiveness) and the perpetrator (who may seek forgiveness) is needed.” Adolescence is a critical time for social situations and research shows that there are differences in how different aged young people both understand wrongdoings and approach forgiveness. There’s a sort of spectrum that kids move through as they develop an understanding of the consequences of their actions and the nature of forgiveness. For example – two opposite ends of this spectrum are that:

Younger children negotiate with forgiveness, claiming that they’ll forgive in exchange for something they want/need; and
College-aged youth view it more as a means to maintain social relationships.

It’s important to consider just how much of an understanding of forgiveness youth have at their age and stage of life.

Another consideration is that, given the media- and technology-based culture we live in, cyberbullying is a looming threat to young people. But Quintana-Orts and Rey’s (2017) research shows that the promotion of forgiveness can help to prevent cyberbullying. This is a huge opportunity for those in content development and creation. That the very virtual landscape in which cyberbullying happens could potentially prevent it through stressing its importance and educating on how to achieve it, ultimately helping youth to overcome wrongdoings by letting go and practicing forgiveness, is really exciting!

Developing the ability to forgive through technology and media

Everything we’ve discussed in this post ladders up to the importance of having an ability to let it go – not an easy thing to learn, difficult to practice at any age, but something that can set adolescents up for success in life and relationships. Luckily, media developers and creators can play a positive role in helping young people to learn to let things go and forgive others. Here are some actionable insights you can consider that can show teens the importance of forgiveness and help them to develop the ability to forgive:

Show forgiveness in action and its effects or, on the flip side, include a narrative that shows what happens if forgiveness doesn’t happen in a given situation - the consequences of being unforgiving.
Require forgiveness as an action for participation in a given medium’s narrative.
Portray intergenerational forgiveness. Help youth to understand consequences as it relates to relationships with persons of a variety of ages because it’s not just among their friends and same-aged peers that forgiveness will need to happen in life, it will need to be present in relationships with parents and other family members, teachers, coworkers, etc. Humans of all ages make mistakes.
Help young people to understand what it feels and looks like to forgive - this comes down to having an understanding of expression and mannerisms, but also the feelings associated with being forgiven and being forgiving.
Consider empathy-based content where the user virtually experiences what it’s like to be in someone else’s shoes – this would work particularly well in augmented reality or virtual reality platforms.
Consider a narrative that helps youth to understand how their hormones play a role in their impulses and self-control, or incorporate self-control related actions into their engagement with or participation in the content.

Jen Rowe holds a Master of Science in Communications Innovation and leads the communications team for a national Canadian non-profit. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

This blog was originally created to support Baylor University in hosting its Technology Innovation Request for Proposal: Improving Character Strengths of Adolescents through Technology Innovation.

Laura Hazlett 12/28/18 Laura Hazlett 12/28/18

Generosity

“It is the heart that does the giving; the fingers only let go.” —Nigerian proverb

One of the most beautiful things about true generosity is that it comes from the heart. More than what you give, it is about being giving— approaching the world and your relationships with a feeling of abundance and a readiness to give what you can to make others’ lives even just a little bit better.

What is generosity, really?

According to the University of Notre Dame’s Science of Generosity Project, generosity is “the virtue of giving good things to others freely and abundantly.”

This definition is really helpful because it breaks down generosity into two essential components:

1) Giving good things to others

Despite what many people might think, it doesn’t take a large donation to be generous. You can be generous in many ways: with your time, with your love and support, with your things. All it takes is giving a good thing (however you define that!) to someone else.

2) Giving them freely and abundantly

Giving freely means giving without reservations, without strings attached or any expectations of being given anything in return. Giving abundantly means giving often and from a place where you feel that you have enough of what you want to give — a smile, a hot meal, a moment from your day — for yourself and for others. This is what makes giving a gift, rather than a burden.

What can science tell us about generosity?

The Greater Good Science Center, based at the University of California, Berkeley, conducted an extensive review of The Science of Generosity. Here are a few of their key takeaways.

Giving makes you happy.

People report being happier when they spend money on others rather than themselves, both in the lab and in the real world, regardless of the amount of money (even $5 was enough to make a difference!). A study with male undergraduates found that helping other students pick up spilled objects uplifted their mood, and a study with over 29,000 adults found that people who volunteered for religious organizations were happier than people who did not.

Happiness makes you give.

Students who recalled a time they had spent money on someone else felt happier. What’s more, those that reported feeling happiest were most likely to spend money given to them during the experiment on someone else, suggesting a positive feedback loop between happiness and giving. This may apply across cultures too — data from 136 countries showed that people who give to charity are happier. In another study, participants who completed a writing task that made them feel positive feelings were more motivated to perform acts of kindness for others than participants who completed a neutral writing task.

Giving is good for your health.

A study of 1,118 diverse older adults in New York City found that giving social support was associated with better health, and that more generous people had better health regardless of the support that they themselves received. Another study found that participants who performed acts of kindness for others over a period of six weeks reported more positive emotions and gene transcriptional changes that are associated with positive health outcomes. Giving support can also reduce your stress response by dampening sympathetic nervous system activity.

Giving is good for your relationships.

A daily diary study with 69 romantic couples found that acts of putting your partner first, or acts of sacrifice, were associated with greater positive emotions. Moreover, the people who did not expect or want sacrifice in return for their own reported the greatest relationship satisfaction.

Emotions that connect you to others or to the natural world inspire generosity.

Empathy, compassion, connectedness, and gratitude— emotions that connect you to others — have been found to motivate people to cooperate more, give more, and help more. Awe and elevation, emotions that take you outside of yourself, were also found to result in greater willingness to volunteer and help strangers.

How can we cultivate generosity through digital media?

1) Nurture emotions that support generosity. Focus on ways that media might be able to prompt or predispose us to the emotions that result in a more generous mindset: happiness, empathy, compassion, connectedness, gratitude, awe, and elation. This insight has deep roots in philosophical and religious traditions as well. According to the Dalai Lama XIV, “Generosity is the most natural outward expression of an inner attitude of compassion and loving-kindness.”

2) Tie generosity into identity. Research suggests that people are more willing to give when they see generosity as a part of who they are. Perhaps digital media can ask us to perform small acts of kindness for others, or point out the things we already do, and redefine generosity as something that we already have within us.

3) Build in reflection. A meta-analysis showed that community service only had positive effects on adolescent’s academic, personal, social, and civic achievement when they reflected on the meaning of the experiences. Maximize the benefits of giving by prompting moments of reflection.

4) Teach mindful giving. Most of us know that giving is good, but we don’t necessarily know how to give freely or abundantly. Digital media might be able to help teach us how by giving structured cues that encourage us to step outside of ourselves, to give without needing to be appreciated for it, or needing it to be received in a certain way. Letting go of expectations and learning how to give simply because it feels good and is part of who you want to be in the world can be a source of growth and joy.

5) Create community. Part of the power of giving is the positive ripple effect it can have in our relationships and community. Generosity is contagious. Teenagers give more when they think their peers also give, and people also feel good (even elated!) when witnessing acts of kindness that others perform. By connecting us in new and creative ways, digital media can help start and spread those ripples.

Generosity as a strength

Performing even the smallest acts of generosity can make a difference in your health and happiness. Sharon Salzberg, a meditation teacher and writer, goes even farther. She argues fiercely and beautifully that generosity is a strength, “a powerful force, an inner resource, a real tool for changing how we relate to ourselves, to others and to our world.”

Rather than passively “giving up” something for someone else, generosity is really about deciding to “let go.” It is freeing and empowering to give without feeling attached to an outcome or a need to be appreciated for it. Even better, the more you give love and generosity, the more you inspire love and generosity in others. Here lies the true strength in generosity. Not only can it make us happier and healthier as individuals, but it can be a powerful tool for positive change in our relationships, community, and society.

Laura Hazlett is a first year PhD student in Social Psychology at UCLA. She studies how social connection affects our brains and bodies, and why it has such a powerful effect on our health. In her free time, Laura loves cooking for friends, going for long runs, listening to her favorite podcasts, and traveling.

Laura is part of the Social and Affective Neuroscience Lab: https://sanlab.psych.ucla.edu/

This blog was originally created to support Baylor University in hosting its Technology Innovation Request for Proposal: Improving Character Strengths of Adolescents through Technology Innovation.