Yuling, 18
Media Consumption (i.e., how often): 6 hours a day
Favorite Media/Technology: Overwatch
How do you and your family interact with media/technology?
I interact with my parents on WeChat. We send messages and pictures with each other. My parents often leave notifications for me on WeChat when they want to remind me of something.
How do you and your peers interact with media/technology?
I interact with my peers on Facebook and WeChat. I also like to make friends and have conversations with my peers while playing video games such as Overwatch and PUBG.
What do you use media for?
I use media to connect with my friends and parents when I need emotional and social support. For example, it is the most convenient way to receive help when I have a bad mood and need someone to talk to. In addition, it is very fun for me to play video games online. It helps me relax and escape.
What is your favorite/least favorite thing about media/technology?
My favorite thing about technology is that it gives me access to all potential information and all potential friends who I cannot meet in real life. My least favorite thing about technology is that I spend so much time on it. I can’t control the time I spent on social media, and it draws so much attention from me.
What is one thing you want the people who create the media you like to watch/play/interact with to know?
The price for purchasing some video games is not affordable, lol.
What media are you using more now because of the coronavirus (COVID-19)?
During the COVID-19 pandemic, I am using WeChat more by sending messages with my friends. We share some interesting memes and news with each other in order to release anxiety and stress due to social isolation.
Where do you get most of your information to learn more about the coronavirus (e.g., news, internet, parents, etc.)?
I get the majority of information about the coronavirus from my mother. She is worried about my physical health so that she keeps reminding me of the news about COVID-19.
What media has been helping you stay busy/stay calm during this difficult time?
I don’t think media makes me stay busy and calm at all. I feel more isolated and stressed when spending so much time on it.
What lessons have you learned from COVID-19?
Social connection and interactions with others are super important for me. It is necessary for me to build social relationships and to increase social activities after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Have you learned anything about how you use media and technology because of COVID- 19?
Now, my phone has become a more important tool than ever before to connect with people I cannot meet because of COVID-19. I wake up accompanying my phone, and I fall asleep accompanying my phone.
Interviewed by: Tingting Jin, UCLA 4 th Year Student
Kids and COVID-19: The New Coronavirus Lexicon
Talking about coronavirus with children through media can be a difficult task. It may be tougher for them to understand what is going on in the world, given the new vocabulary that is now regularly used. Recent research has found that children (ages 9-13) who knew fewer facts about COVID-19 were more likely to report being very worried about the virus than those who were more informed (Götz et al., 2020). Young children would therefore benefit from receiving more age-appropriate information from both parents and media. In fact, 65% of children around the world reported wanting to learn more about the virus through children’s television (Götz et al., 2020).
It’s important to explain what’s going on in simple, accurate terms. To help you tackle this in your programming, here are some child-friendly definitions of widely used words related to COVID-19:
Click here to download this list as a handout for your writer’s room
Virus: A type of tiny germ that can make you sick if it gets inside your body through your nose, mouth, or eyes.
Coronavirus: A group of viruses that can make people sick. COVID-19 is the newest coronavirus that is making people sick.
A pandemic happens when a sickness spreads quickly between many people all around the world.
Wearing a mask helps stop germs from entering your body and making you sick. Doctors and nurses wear them because they work with lots of sick patients and it keeps them healthy. When you wear a mask, you are being a hero by keeping yourself and your friends safe from germs.
Social distancing: Also called physical distancing. Putting space in between you and others, because germs can spread between people if they are very close. Sometimes you can’t tell if other people are sick, so it’s important to stay far apart (6 feet) from people that you don’t live with, so that you don’t share germs or get sick.
You can social distance by standing farther apart from others, and by staying home from school.
Adults need to practice social distancing too, unless they work somewhere where they have to help people up close. Then, they need to keep as much distance as possible and wear a mask.
Quarantine is staying at home to help you and your family stay healthy. Stay home as much as you can to keep yourself and others healthy. If someone you know gets sick with COVID-19, they quarantine by staying at home and away from others.
Essential workers are people who need to work during the pandemic because their jobs help the world run. For example, we still need doctors and nurses, scientists, grocery store workers, people who make and serve food, police officers, and firefighters to do their jobs during this time.
Symptomatic, Asymptomatic: Someone who is symptomatic shows symptoms, or signs of, sickness (e.g., coughing, sneezing, having a hard time breathing). Someone who is asymptomatic does not show symptoms - even though you can’t tell that they are sick, they can still spread germs and make others sick.
Being immunocompromised means that someone’s body has a harder time fighting sicknesses when germs enter their body. They need to be extra careful so that they don’t get sick.
“Flattening the curve” means slowing down how fast the sickness spreads to other people. If the virus takes longer to spread to other people, hospitals will have more time and resources to help the people who get sick.
Think of taking turns to get help in class or to use a video game, because there are only so many teachers, controllers, etc. Or, only one family member getting the flu at a time, so that there is always a doctor to take care of the person who is sick (instead of everyone getting sick all at once and not having enough doctors to help them all).
CDC: Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC is a large group of people that work to stop diseases from spreading in the United States. The CDC works with scientists and doctors to help keep everyone healthy (e.g., by sending information and updates about COVID-19, like wearing masks and washing hands).
WHO: World Health Organization. The WHO is a large group of people that works to stop diseases from spreading around the world.
Definitions derived from usage in widespread pandemic coverage and adapted for children’s understanding.
Page Spencer and Jane Lurie
CSS Interns
How to move beyond tokenism in kids TV
With kids watching more content than ever, the industry should consider how it can create a more diverse on-screen landscape, writes Kevin Clark.
In April 1968, Harriett Glickman, a mother and former school teacher, wrote Charles Schulz to encourage the addition of a Black character to his “Peanuts” comic strip. The story of Glickman’s interactions with Schulz were recounted upon her death in March of this year. Schulz liked the idea but had reservations. He worried how a Black character would be received.
This was not the first time Schulz had considered questions concerning racial diversity in comic strips. A few years prior, he had discussed the issue with African American cartoonist Morrie Turner, whom Schulz had mentored. Schulz encouraged Turner to create a comic strip with diverse characters. Turner’s first attempt, Dinky Fellas, featured all-Black characters. Unfortunately, only one daily newspaper published it. In 1965, Turner changed the strip’s name to Wee Pals and added white characters. It became the first American syndicated comic strip featuring diverse characters.
Ultimately, Schulz took the step in July 1968 to add a Black character, Franklin Armstrong, to the already popular Peanuts gang. Schulz got some pushback, but also cheers.
What Glickman, Turner and Schulz did meant a lot to Black people. I applaud their vision and courage. More than 50 years later, we need the same level of courage to move media forward for all children, beyond what was done in 1968.
When my kids were growing up, it was challenging finding content for my daughter with authentic, high-quality images of Black girls. I was also frustrated seeing my young son with such a limited menu of children’s television shows which portrayed someone like himself as the main character.
With schools closed because of COVID-19, some children are spending a lot of time watching television at home. Think about what they are seeing.
There are still not enough authentic, multi-dimensional characters representing diverse perspectives in children’s media. I want children who are rich and poor, of all hues, of all faiths to see themselves in the media they consume. I want the media that children consume to help them understand others who don’t look or sound like them, who have different cultures, religions or economic status. Every child should internalize the idea that all things are possible for everyone, before broader societal narratives lead them to a different and intractable conclusion. To make this happen the aperture of the various media groups must be widened.
These aren’t new ideas. Indeed, many of the ways in which we need to widen the media groups have been oft discussed. But they bear repeating as movement is still lacking.
Move away from tokenism and embrace the culture. Too often a group of characters are put together simply to show diversity. It leads to flat characters. Giving a character an ethnic name, mentioning she celebrates Ramadan, or coloring her tan does not lead to a relatable experience for children. The characters must have accurately portrayed issues, customs, dialogue, and emotions that lead the viewer, no matter who they are, to a visceral connection. An example of this is the Oscar Award-winning animated short film, Hair Love, which is beautifully conceived and resonates with multiple audiences.
Believe that with quality work, the audience will come. There is a pervasive fear in the industry that there will not be enough viewership, nationally and, many argue, internationally, for work that features ethnically diverse characters or issues. The national and international demographics suggest the viewers are there. Generation Z, makes up 32% of the world’s population, and is the most ethnically diverse in history. According to PEW research, nearly half (48%) of Gen Z identifies as racially or ethnically diverse. And they have an estimated purchasing power of US$44 billion annually, according to the National Retail Federation. What’s more, shows that feature authentically diverse characters are not only for people who belong to that particular group, but are for all people—if the work is well done.
Enlist a diversity of writers, producers, animators, voice talent, and creative execs to develop and green-light, authentic shows that enrich everyone. In addition to inclusive writer’s rooms, crews, and characters, inclusion needs to exist at all levels of production and decision making. Creative executives are heavily involved in decisions that may lead to shows being greenlit and/or receiving the resources needed to be successful.
Currently, there are no statistics on the ethnic diversity of behind-the-scenes staff and executives in children’s media. However, we do know that only 13% of Hollywood writers are people of color. In kids television in the United States, men make up 71% of creators, 53% of writers, 80% of directors and 64% of producers, while in Canada, men make up 62% of creators, 63% of writers, 82% of directors and 57% of producers. Bottom line, it’s difficult to write or make decisions about things with which you are unfamiliar.
Examine the entire slate of offerings in light of the world’s changing demographics. Make sure the suite of media offerings represents the demographic realities of what children, their families, and communities really need and care about in a global context. To that end, children’s media should provide opportunities for children to see themselves and their communities, while also being exposed to and learn about the lives, customs, and perspectives of others.
Let’s thank Harriett Glickman, Morrie Turner, Charles Schulz, and Franklin for a great start. Now let’s move beyond Franklin. I think they’d all be proud to be the initiators of a bigger legacy.
Kevin Clark, Ph.D.
Professor of Learning Technologies and Director of the Center for Digital Media Innovation and Diversity at George Mason University and a children’s media consultant.
This post originally appeared on KidScreen
https://kidscreen.com/2020/05/25/how-to-move-beyond-tokenism-in-kids-tv/
[c] Brunico Communications Ltd. Reprinted with permission.
How to avoid picking up prejudice from the media
News, entertainment, and social media shape how we behave toward different groups of people. How can we limit negative influences?
This is an article written from our friends and colleagues at the Greater Good Science Center that can shed some light on avoiding prejudice in the media.
In 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, killing more than a thousand people and leaving tens of thousands homeless.
That was terrible. But news media may have turned this natural disaster into a disaster for American race relations by repeatedly broadcasting images of black people who were often described as “looting” in the catastrophic wake of the storm. According to a study by James Johnson and colleagues, these types of images may lead white people to endorse harsh treatment of black evacuees (by, for example, not allowing them to seek refuge in another parish). Participants were not any less likely to help white evacuees, suggesting that racial stereotypes of blacks as criminals may have played a role.
News media aren’t the only problem. In another study, the researchers found that exposure to hyper-sexualized rap music (as compared to non-sexualized rap music or no music) led participants to feel less empathy for a young black woman who was pregnant and in need of assistance—which was not the case for a young white woman in a similar situation. Why? Because exposure to the hyper-sexualized rap music seemed to have activated a stereotype that black women are more sexually promiscuous.
Other minority groups—“out-groups” in relation to the majority—are portrayed negatively in media as well. Research shows that Latinos are often depicted as low status, criminal, and as sexual objects, while East Asians and Native American characters are rarely seen in the media. When they are, East Asian characters are commonly depicted as devious villains and Native American characters tend to be depicted as animalistic and savage. Middle Easterners are often portrayed as terrorists in both news and entertainment media. These stereotypic depictions can lead us to feel and behave more negatively toward these groups.
Yes, media have historically shown minority groups in a negative light, and these portrayals can exacerbate prejudice and discriminatory behaviors. But sometimes media are our only way of connecting with minority groups at all. Indeed, media may be the only contact some people have with minority groups, especially those living in homogenous communities.
Here are steps we can all take to limit the negative impact of stereotypes in the media—and maximize the positive benefits media may have on our attitudes toward out-groups.
When media impact is positive
In a study we conducted at the University of Toronto, people reported on how much they saw different social groups (like Latin Americans, the elderly, and gays and lesbians) in the media each day for 10 days. We also asked them report on all the direct social interactions they had with these groups each day, and their attitudes toward them.
We found that media contact consistently predicted more positive attitudes toward social out-groups. Importantly, seeing groups in the media was a stronger and more reliable predictor of positive intergroup attitudes than directly interacting with these groups.
This is likely because people were not having direct social interactions with many different out-group members very often, but they were frequently seeing a wide range of out-groups in the media. Even in Toronto, one of the most diverse cities in the world, people report few direct social interactions with out-group members. This demonstrates just how important media is for providing opportunities for cross-group contact.
Our findings echo the results of other experiments. In a series of studies, Edward Schippa and colleagues found that watching media interactions with gay and transgender characters were related to more positive attitudes toward gay men and transgender people in general. They call this dynamic the parasocial contact hypothesis, which states that we can have one-sided interactions with media characters, perceiving them as real people and feeling like we could know them in real life. When we have these interactions with out-group media characters, we may feel better about the out-group as a whole.
But we’re not just being exposed to different groups through media—we’re also being exposed to interactions between members of different social groups. When we watch other members of our group have positive interactions with out-group members, we learn that positive interaction is possible. This appears to reduce our own concerns about interacting with the out-group.
Indeed, studies have found that when people consume media that include positive interactions between in-group and out-group characters, they seem to feel more positively toward those groups, and they show more interest in interacting with members of those groups.
How to minimize the impact of negative stereotypes
It is clear that seeing groups presented in a positive way is important for improving intergroup attitudes—and, clearly, if journalists and media-makers want to have a positive impact on society, they should think carefully about how they portray minorities.
However, if we as individuals are not able to avoid seeing negative depictions of minority groups, then it’s important to find ways to buffer ourselves—and our children—against their effects.
The first step is to recognize negative stereotypes in the media when you see them, label them as stereotypes, and resist their influence on how you respond to the group. There is some evidence that actively challenging stereotypic responses when they occur is an important tool in combating our explicit and implicit prejudices.
Moreover, you can deliberately expose yourself to more diverse representations of other groups.
Studies have found that people who have had more social interaction with minority group members are less likely to be affected by negative media depictions of these groups. This may be explained by the fact that they have more varied representations of what members of this groups are like, and therefore do not allow a single, negative representation to shape how they treat people from that group. Even if you are not able to do this by directly interacting with minority group members, you can consume media with counter-stereotypical depictions of these groups. Doing this repeatedly over time may reduce the extent to which you rely on stereotypes to shape your attitudes and behavior toward these groups, similar to the way direct social interaction does.
We can use these same strategies with our children in order to minimize the negative impact of stereotypes. First, we need to explain to our children what stereotypes are and why they are harmful. When you consume media with your child, you can point out stereotypes when you see them and explain to your child why that stereotype is not representative of the group. You should also encourage your child to consume media with counter-stereotypic examples of out-group members and positive interactions between members of diverse groups.
While some news coverage during and after Hurricane Katrina activated and reinforced stereotypes, much of it had the opposite effect, raising awareness about racial inequality. For example, several articles discussed how race influenced the response of the US government and the media to this horrible tragedy. This hopefully created greater awareness of racial inequality and issues facing the black community for those who read these articles.
Although stereotypes are still broadcast to us through media, we can resist their influence when we acknowledge that they exist and that they are a problem. Moreover, we can use media as a tool to come into contact with different social groups that we may otherwise not have contact with and to learn about their experiences. In doing so, we may reduce our prejudices and foster more egalitarian attitudes in ourselves and our children.
Amanda Sharples, PhD
Elizabeth Page-Gould, PhD
This article originally appeared on Greater Good, the online magazine of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley.
Adrian - 7
Media Consumption: 50-90 minutes per a day on weekdays and 1 hours on weekends
Favorite Media/Technology: iPad, and computer games, educational videos on youtube
How do you and your family interact with media/technology?
Technology has helped me and my family in many ways one of them being communication. Through technology, we can comfortably communicate with each member of the family through email, cell phones, and social networking websites.
How do you and your peers interact with media/technology?
I interact with my peers through media and technology by sending emails to them, talking through video game platforms and also updating each other about our classes via text messaging or social media.
What do you use media for?
I mostly use media to communicate with my family members, friends, and also class mates.
What is your favorite/least favorite thing about media/technology?
My favorite media is email because it is very secure and no one can access my information unless I permit them. WhatsApp is my least favorite media because it has become boring these days.
Interviewed by: Danial Beyk, UCLA 3rd Year Student
Camila - 14
Media Consumption: Day: 5-6 hours, Week: 35-42 hours
Favorite Media/Technology: TikTok/iPhone
How do you and your family interact with media/technology?
My family and I use TikTok all the time together. They always want to make funny videos with me, and it honestly makes me laugh a lot. Sometimes we will make funny videos on what parents usually say to kids or how they have their own ways of parenting us. I also call and text my parents especially when I’m at school if I have to stay longer or anything like that. I enjoy sending my sister TikTok videos while she’s at college and text her more than I usually text my parents. We also make TikTok videos with my cousins and we show it to the rest of our family too.
How do you and your peers interact with media/technology?
My friends and I are always texting each other throughout the day when we don’t see each other at school. During lunch time, we’re always making TikTok videos and posting them. We all come together to be in the videos, and it brings us closer as friends. Without TikTok I wonder what we would do since we make one at least once a day just to keep up with other people and to have fun with everyone too.
What do you use media for?
To stay in contact with my parents, family, and friends and also be able to talk with my friends when we need help with our assignments or homework for school. I also use it to make content and post new videos. I enjoy viewing videos and that’s how I get inspiration to make new content and see what is currently trending too.
What is your favorite/least favorite thing about media/technology?
I think one bad thing about using media is that sometimes we get so caught up into it that all we do is focus on that and not even do other things. Sometimes I do get tired of all my friends looking at their phones when we are together, and I wish we could just talk more. My favorite thing about media though is that it helps me to learn new things and help me with certain subjects I don’t fully understand. It can also entertain me whenever I feel bored or feel like talking to someone.
Interviewed by: Joselyn Paz, UCLA 3rd Year Student
Dennis - 18
Media Consumption: About 3.5 hours a day
Favorite Media/Technology: Youtube
How do you and your family interact with media/technology?
My family and I interact by texting in a group message and calling each other. We do not interact with each other on social media. We do the majority of our interactions through face-to-face contact, so we primarily reserve interactions via media/technology for times when we absolutely need to. For instance, I may need to contact my mother to pick me up at a certain location. My dad, brother, and I do share some interesting news stories sometimes, though.
How do you and your peers interact with media/technology?
My friends and I interact with each other through social media apps like Snapchat and Instagram. I’d say we do the majority of our communications through media and technology. We really like sharing our interesting occurrences via the Snapchat story (and Instagram story) function, where we essentially post a photo or video that stays up for a full day. We can see who has viewed that post, and our friends can reply to each other’s stories. We all find this to be very entertaining, and an efficient way to stay connected. I will also frequently text my friends, and share funny stories and pictures in group chats.
What do you use media for?
I use media for entertainment and school necessities. When I want to enjoy myself, I will watch various food and travel shows on Youtube and Netflix. I also like to use social media to stay connected with my friends and stay up to date on what is happening. However, media is not strictly for leisure, as I also use social media to stay connected with peers for group assignments, and to get prospective internship opportunities. For instance, using Google, I will see that there is a certain internship opportunity and a college nearby, and then I will then email the coordinator to see if they will be interested in me.
What is your favorite/least favorite thing about media/technology?
I do not like that people excessively rely on it. For instance, I will be out with my friends to eat and while we are waiting, we will all be on our phones checking social media instead of talking with each other. I do it sometimes too, it’s almost like a reflex. I think people are so used to checking their notifications and news feeds, that they do have to do it to comfort themselves. Social media is obviously very important and serves many useful functions, but it can be detrimental if you are spending too much time on it. I have read some research that face-to-face communication has a myriad of psychological benefits, so it may be better for us to try and hold off on checking our phones when we are out with friends or family.
Interviewed by: Eric Choi, UCLA 4th Year Student
Gael - 11
Media Consumption: About 7 hours per day
Favorite Media/Technology: Roblox
How do you and your family interact with media/technology?
I mostly use media by myself, but when I do, it is with my older brother. We usually play on the Nintendo Switch together and play Super Smash Bros. There are also times where we spend time by watching YouTube videos together. I also use my phone for contacting my family members, such as my mom checking up on me or sending my siblings funny TikToks and memes.
How do you and your peers interact with media/technology?
Me and my friends usually play together through media. When using Roblox, we play together online and even sometimes call each other to discuss strategies on how to beat the game. We often communicate through text messages as well, but we mostly do phone calls.
What do you use media for?
I mostly use media for entertainment. When I am bored and have nothing to do, I usually use media to play with my friends on Roblox or watch YouTube videos about gaming. I also use media for interacting with my friends and talking to people online.
What is your favorite/least favorite thing about media/technology?
My favorite thing about media is being able to talk to people, especially my friends when we are not seeing each other face to face. I also like how I am able to be entertained at all times. You can’t really get bored online, since there are so many things you can do. My least favorite thing about media is censorship. For example, in Roblox, we are not able to say numbers or misspelled words which is annoying since it limits us when discussing strategies.
Interviewed By: Berenice Carranza, UCLA 4th Year student
Ethan - 2
Media Consumption: No more than 30 minutes a day Monday-Thursday, with longer movie nights Fridays/about 10 hours at most a week
Favorite Media/Technology: TV, with music in second place
How do you and your family interact with media/technology?
He FaceTimes his mom when she travels for work. It’s not very often, once or twice a year. We’re both engineers, so technology is kinda what we do all day long. I try not to have my phone out around him, but we do have movie nights on Fridays. After a long day at work and daycare, it’s nice to just hang out all three of us and watch something, usually Disney movies.
How do you and your peers interact with media/technology?
He doesn’t have any peers, he interacts with other kids at daycare but they only listen to music. There is no TV there. If he goes on a playdate, they like to play with toys and stomp in mud puddles, not watch media.
What do you use media for?
Just entertainment. I’m not convinced when he’s watching TV that he’s learning anything, so it’s whatever he wants. We let him pick what to watch or see what music he likes. He loves to watch trash trucks on YouTube, and Bollywood dance music videos. He has shown a lot of interest in typing on my laptop. Like a kinder-hacker.
What is your favorite/least favorite thing about media/technology?
He loves TV, Netflix, Amazon Kids. He also likes to listen to music or episodes of his shows where they sing and dance and sing to it, interact with the dance videos. He likes the power of it. His least favorite thing is seeing things that are dark or scary in what he watches. He doesn’t like that, he gets scared and doesn’t understand it isn’t real.
Interviewed By: Spencer Beck, UCLA 3rd Year Student
Sally - 16
Media Consumption: Total screen time daily average: 5 hours
Favorite Media/Technology: Spotify
How do you and your family interact with media/technology?
We all use media/technology to watch TV together, and dance to music together. I am very careful with my phone and I make sure not to bring it to the dinner table so I am able to have quality time with my family.
How do you and your peers interact with media/technology?
Through texting and getting in touch with them for homework help. Sometimes my friends get distracted by their phones when we are together but I do my best to make sure that I am present and am socializing with them.
What do you use media for?
I use it to communicate and get more information on things through many social media apps, like Whatsapp. I am also able to connect with family that I do not see often.
What is your favorite/least favorite thing about media/technology?
My favorite thing about media/technology is taking pictures. My least favorite thing about media/technology is all the negative news and activity that comes through it.
Interviewed by: David Kashanirokh, UCLA 3rd Year Student
Lisa - 10
Media Consumption: 3-5 hours on weekdays and 5-7 hours on weekends
Favorite Media/Technology: iPhone, Instagram, Youtube, Tik Tok
How do you and your family interact with media/technology?
We watch tv together, our favorite shows are reality tv like survivor. We watch a lot of movies when there is nothing to do. I use my phone when I want to talk to my dad when he’s at work. I also talk to my grandparents a lot on the phone when they don’t come over to visit. My sister, mom and I all have instagrams that we use a lot and send photos we like to each other but my dad doesn’t.
How do you and your peers interact with media/technology?
My friends love FaceTime. We get in a FaceTime group chat so we can all talk. We either talk on the phone app or text. When we are hanging out we search up funny videos on youtube like try not to laugh videos. I send them photos of things I do on snapchat and comment on their posts on instagram.
What do you use media for?
I talk to family and friends who I don’t see all the time by using instagram and snapchat. I also use instagram to see what people are doing. I like watching Dr. Pimple Popper and the LaBrant family on youtube. I can see cool videos on TikTok and try new dances from TikTok.
What is your favorite/least favorite thing about media/technology?
My favorite thing about my phone is that I can talk to all my friends and family. I got my iPhone earlier because my older sister has one so that was cool. I don’t like when everyone is using a phone to do other things when I am trying to show them a new dance move I learned. I have to tell them to put down the phone.
Interviewed by: Jordan Kay, UCLA 3rd Year Student
Jayson - 9
Jayson, 9
Media Consumption: 3 hours per day
Favorite Media/Technology: Roblox on iPad
How do you and your family interact with media/technology?
I like to play video games on my iPad and my PS4. My favorite game to play is Roblox on my iPad. I also like to watch movies on Disney+ and Netflix with my parents and my grandparents while we eat dinner.
How do you and your peers interact with media/technology?
I talk to my best friend on Messenger. He will video call me on there or we text through there too but only during the weekends. My mom lets me know when he is calling or texting me since it is through her phone.
What do you use media for?
I mostly use my iPad and PS4. I use my iPad to play games, watch videos and movies and read to do homework. I use my PS4 to also play video games.
What is your favorite/least favorite thing about media/technology?
My favorite thing is that I can always do something on there. I can play games and talk to my friends and watch movies with my family. I don’t really have a least favorite thing.
Interviewed by:
Sheridan Lomeli
UCLA 4th Year Student
Zaza - 4
Zaza, 4
Media Consumption: 2 hours per day
Favorite Media: iPad with Disney Plus Application
How do you and your family interact with media/technology?
I like to watch Frozen and Cinderella with Daddy before bed. My favorite thing to watch is Frozen though. Sometimes I like to watch Finding Nemo with Jagger.
How do you and your peers interact with media/technology?
I like to watch Frozen with my friend Lilly. We wear our Elsa dresses. We like the new Frozen movie too.
What do you use media for?
I like to watch movies like Frozen or princess movies. I like to play princess games and the Daniel Tiger Game. I also like to watch Paw Patrol Videos.
What is your favorite/least favorite thing about media/technology?
My favorite thing to do is watch Frozen movies. I do not like when Daddy takes away my iPad.
Interview by:
Alexis Ingrassia
UCLA 3rd Year Student
Elise - 16
Elise, 16
Media Consumption: Around 4 hours per day
Favorite Media/Technology: iPhone
How do you and your family interact with media/technology?
Media and technology use is a huge part of our daily life. I feel that it really connects us all and makes the world feel a little smaller. Being half Montenegrin and half Persian, we have family settled all over the world - Montenegro, Switzerland, Iran, New York, and even more. Media and technology has allowed me to keep in touch with my family much more frequently than I would be able to without media. I remember the times before Facetime and social media...we were hardly able to speak to each other. Now, I’m always able to send memes to my cousins and Facetime my grandparents. I feel much closer to them, for they are just a phone call away. As well as this, my siblings are settled all over California for school so I am able to talk to them every single day, even whilst walking between classes. And when my family and I come home from school or work, we love to unwind together with a movie or show that we can laugh to and make commentaries about.
How do you or your peers interact with media/technology?
My peers and I love to use media to talk to each other, send memes, and funny Snapchats. One of the best feelings is finding a page that has the same sense of humor as you and sending its content to someone whom you know will appreciate it. My friends and I love to make each other laugh. We also love to watch shows together, especially the ones no one knows about. I love to find foreign series or soap operas and recommend them to my friends. I am also fascinated by cultures all over the world. I love being able to do research on art and music in these cultures - this brings me a lot of joy. You’ll often find me listening to various kinds of music from all over the globe.
What do you use media for?
As you could probably tell from my previous responses, I definitely use media the most for connecting with others. I feel as though I am able to connect with my friends and family and build our relationships much more with media than I would be able to without. I also think technology is so amazing and useful for school. I absolutely love to use my iPad for taking notes. Having everything such as notes, books, and files stored on there has allowed me to truly study anywhere. Instead of carrying everything with me, I just need my iPad so even if I have a busy day out, I can still study in little intervals throughout my day. I even sync the notes to my phone so I can study on my phone as well. This ability has helped me so much in increasing my productivity.
What is your favorite/least favorite thing about media/technology?
My favorite thing about media is being able to access information at any time and any place. It feels as though we have the world in our hands. I would say my least thing about media is how easily it can be used in the wrong or damaging way. Yes, there’s so much content and information that can be accessed through technology but this can also mean that media can be extremely alluring and distracting at the same time. However, I truly see it as a blessing. Of course media comes with its ups and downs, but if you use it wisely and carefully, it can really benefit your life.
Interviewed by:
Noor Said
UCLA 3rd Year Student
Avi - 15
Avi, 15
Media Consumption: 3 hours a day
Favorite Media/Technology: Messenger
How do you and your family interact with media/technology?
My parents and I mainly use media and technology to keep in touch with each other. When there is something we need to ask each other or get in touch for some reason, we use our phones as a means to reach each other. We rarely set a time to get together for a movie night or to watch TV shows.
How do you and your peers interact with media/technology?
My friends and I mainly use media and technology to talk while at home and see what each other are up to. I don’t spend much time on social, but some of my friends spend more time than they should on Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. We don’t really play games online or anything since we prefer to hang out in person and play basketball.
What do you use media for?
My use of media is mainly to stay connected with family and friends. I like to keep in touch and engage with friends when at home instead of scrolling through social media. I also like to use media to find out the cool things my friends are doing or to find some interesting experiment videos on YouTube.
What is your favorite/least favorite thing about media/technology?
My favorite thing about media and technology is that it lets me stay connected to my friends and see what they are up to, even when I am at home. It is a great way to stay in touch and to make plans with friends on days that we would not normally see each other. My least favorite thing about media and technology is how everything is about trying to impress other people. People will post things of them being happy and having a good time, but they hide their real feelings so others don’t see what they are really going through.
Interviewed By:
Aaron Dan
UCLA 4th year Student
Parsa, 16
Parsa, 16
Media Consumption: 8 hours/day
Favorite Media/Technology: Iphone/ Instagram
How do you and your family interact with media/technology?
My family doesn’t have much rules about when and how I can use social media- I think they are way more lenient now about this stuff rather than when I was young. My sister is older than me so I kind of followed her footsteps when it comes to creating an Instagram page and snapchat. My parents got me my phone when I was 11. I have the Iphone XR right now, but I want the Iphone 11. Sometimes, we watch TV and I go on my phone when we are all eating, but usually we do not eat together so it doesn’t matter.
How do you and your peers interact with media/technology?
My friends and I interact mainly over Instagram. We use it as a form of communication and a place to post memorable moments of our times together. I tend to care about how many followers I have because in my generation it is respectable to have a high amount of friends and the amount of followers a person has translated to how popular and how much influence the person has. We also enjoy texting and facetimeing each other. Sometimes, I help my friends with their homework via facetime or texting them the answers. I also use it to follow people’s everyday lives because I am afraid of missing out. Usually when there is big news, it appears on Instagram within a couple minutes. Me and my friends also use it to do our homework and check our grades or watch videos to help us understand complex concepts.
What do you use media for?
I use Instagram for entertainment and to socialize with people that I do not see every day. For example I use it to stay in touch with many of my friends from other neighboring schools. I often check Instagram at least 40 times because he messages a lot of people on the app. I use it to keep up with friends and family. I would say I mainly use media for communication, school, and entertainment. I watch Netflix on it, I check my grades on it, I share my location with my mother and sister so they are not worried about me, I use it to text and facetime my friends, I order items on Amazon and order food through Ubereats.
What is your favorite/least favorite thing about media/technology?
My least favourite thing is social media even though I use it every day. It has made me insecure because I see better looking people that are rich and have nicer bodies but I know that they are only showing the best of their life and not all of it. I always compare my life to their life and it isn’t fair because no one posts about their bad days. I think social media has shaped me to become someone who always wants to please others and it has forced me to do things that I would not normally do simply because it’s cool. It has made me participate in trends such as fashion or activities. I can see both negative and positive effects on me. It has made me insecure but it has made me more social and given me more social skills. Social media definitely keeps me up way later than usual and interferes with my focus on homework and other activities. I check my phone about 100 times per day and I usually am on it for about 8 hours a day. Due to spending so much time on my phone, my grades have been suffering as well as my sleep. I am often tired because I do not get good sleep at night because I am constantly awakened by the notifications of my phone. Some negative aspects of social media are lack of sleep and distractions that it causes and a decrease in my grade.
Interviewed By:
Parmiss Salahshori
UCLA 3rd Year Student
Riley - 9
Riley, 9
Media Consumption: 4-5 hours a day, Weekend = all day
Favorite Media/Technology: TikTok and her IPad
How do you and your family interact with media/technology?
We watch tv together sometimes but not a lot. I mostly use my phone or iPad.
How do you and your peers interact with media/technology?
Sometimes I use snapchat to talk to my friends about stuff. Mostly we talk about how hungry, bored, or thirsty we are. At school, we use our phones to make TikToks and when we are at someone’s house we usually watch TV.
What do you use media for?
I like to use Tiktok and Roblox and sometimes streaming services such as Netflic, Hulu and Disney Plus. I also use the app Vinkle to edit videos and Gacha Life. I mainly use it to talk to my friends. If my friends don’t answer, I use my tablet to watch TikToks.
What is your favorite/least favorite thing about media/technology?
I like to call my friends when I’m bored and play stuff. My least favorite thing is when people leave negative comments on my videos. I often try and block people who do this because it is mean and not necessary.
Interviewed By:
Howard Dafney
UCLA 4th Year Student
Tehila, 13
Tehila, 13
Media Consumption: Every night before bed
Favorite Media/Technology: Exclusively slime or baking videos on YouTube via her mother’s iPhone
Background: Tehila has autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and is almost entirely non-verbal. Her language comprehension is proficient, but her language production compromises her ability to effectively communicate with others. Tehila and her family are devout Jews and live in an Orthodox Jewish community. Because of this, the family does not own any televisions or computers and solely relies on cell phones for their digital media input, which the children are given very limited access to. According to her mother, Tehila is allowed to use her mother’s iPhone every night before bed to watch videos on YouTube.
*Answers to the following questions were constructed using an interview with Tehila’s mother and direct observation.
How do you and your family interact with media/technology?
Tehila’s nightly routine consists of bathing, watching slime videos while playing with slime, and then watching slime and/or baking videos while laying down, respectively. On average, she watches videos for 1-2 hours before falling asleep. Tehila rarely sleeps through the night, and when she wakes up, she will continue watching videos to help her fall back to sleep. Because of the household rules surrounding technology and Tehila’s preference of being alone, only Tehila’s mother co-views videos with her. Co-viewing allows her mother to engage with the media and Tehila at the same time. She is able to talk about the content, encourage imitation, and provide Tehila with the verbal labels for each respective object and action that is featured. This promotes Tabitha’s language, cognitive, and social-emotional development.
How do you and your peers interact with media/technology?
Tehila does not have access to technology at school, which is where she sees her friends. Regardless, she often prefers to be alone and enjoys watching YouTube videos by herself.
What do you use media for?
Tehila exclusively uses digital media to watch either slime or baking videos on YouTube. These particular videos are soothing to her because they feature her favorite things: slime and chocolate. While watching slime videos, Tehila often plays with slime in real life and imitates the actions she is seeing on video. Imitation is an important aspect of language development, cognitive development and learning, and is especially important for children with ASD because of the positive associations between imitation and social-communicative abilities. The social component of imitation is imperative for children with ASD to generalize learned behaviors to other settings or with other materials.
What is your favorite/least favorite thing about media/technology?
Tehila’s favorite activity is watching slime or baking videos on YouTube and playing with slime in real life. Technology offers visual demonstrations to Tehila and provides her with opportunities to further explore and learn more about the activities she is most interested in.
“I encourage Tehila to use digital media. When she is watching videos she is so happy! It always calms her down and makes her laugh, even on the worst days.”
- Tehila’s mother
Interviewed By:
Katie Wilcox
UCLA 4th Year Student
Nyana - 11
Nyana, 11
Media Consumption: Daily: 4 hours during the week, 7 hours during weekends Weekly: 34-38 hours per week
Favorite Media/Technology: TikTok, Youtube, Instagram/iPhone
How do you and your family interact with media/technology?
I usually use social media apps on my phone by myself. Sometimes my mom takes my Instagram pictures because she’s a photographer. However, my mom and dad don’t have Instagram so they don’t see what I post. I also like to watch TV with my dad—our favorite show is Super Girl.
How do you and your peers interact with media/technology?
My friends and I make TikToks on the yard at school. Sometimes we video chat on Facetime or SnapChat which is really funny. We basically just send each other funny videos and teach each other new TikTok dances.
What do you use media for?
Sometimes I use the internet for homework but I usually just use it to watch YouTube videos, play games on apps, and learn TikTok dances. I don’t use Instagram as much.
What is your favorite/least favorite thing about media/technology?
My favorite thing about media and technology is that it’s hard for me to get really bored when I have so many cool things on the internet to watch and play with. I think a bad thing is that sometimes people get bullied on social media or post things that are inappropriate.
INTERVIEWED BY:
Amber Barnes
UCLA 4TH YEAR STUDENT
Emma - 11
Emma, 11
Media Consumption: I use media on a daily basis for at least a few hours per day.
Favorite Media/Technology: Phone and computer- texting, Youtube
How do you and your family interact with media/technology?
Every morning I call my mom on my phone because I don’t live with her. When I’m living with my mom, I call my dad with our Alexa.
How do you and your peers interact with media/technology?
I text my friends and watch YouTube videos with them. But a lot of my friends use social media, but I’m not allowed to have social media profiles.
What do you use media for?
I mostly use media for school. In class we all have laptops to take notes and use an iChinese reader. I also use media to watch DIY videos and stay in touch with my friends and parents.
What is your favorite/least favorite thing about media/technology?
My favorite thing about technology is that I can watch videos and text my friends and family. My least favorite thing is that it can be distracting and other people can use it for the wrong reasons.