Gender representations in children's media

and their influence

http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/full/10.1108/CWIS-11-2013-0065
Author(s):

Isabella Steyer(Department of English and American Studies, Karl-Franzens-Universitt

Graz, Graz, Austria)
Citation:
Isabella Steyer, (2014) "Gender representations in children's media and their
influence", Campus-Wide Information Systems, Vol. 31 Iss: 2/3, pp.171 - 180
DOI
http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/CWIS-11-2013-0065
Downloads:
The fulltext of this document has been downloaded 1037 times since 2014
Abstract:
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to draw attention to the significant
underrepresentation of females and stereotypical portrayals of both females
and males that still exist in different kinds of mediachildren are exposed to,
as well as to various negative influences these may have on children's
development. In addition, this paper intends to show up the potential positive
effects of non-sexist gender representations in these media.

Design/methodology/approach
The paper reviews studies that have been conducted on various kinds of
media, in order to gain and provide a representative overview of gender
portrayals and of possible influences they might have on children.

Findings
Women are underrepresented in children's literature, television programs,
as well as computer-related software. Traditional portrayals of females are
also still the norm in these media that children are daily faced with. Alarming
trends regarding the representations of males have also been found. The
negative influence of sexist representations on children has been shown by

numerous studies, as has been the potential of positively affecting children's

development by exposing them to non-traditional gender representations.

Originality/value
Awareness of how highly present sexism still is in media for children and of
the ways in which it may inhibit children's development is seen as a crucial
step toward change. Change in this field is needed if we want to ensure a
better, more equal future for our world.

Keywords:
Media, Children, Sexism, Children's literature, Effects, Gender inequality,
Gender representation, Television programmes, Traditional representation,
Computer
Publisher:
Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Children Consumption, Advertising and Media

http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/full/10.1108/02651330410568097
Reviewer(s):

Ronald B. Mitchell (School of Business and Public Administration, University of the

District of Columbia, USA)
Citation:
Ronald B. Mitchell, (2004) "Children Consumption, Advertising and Media",
International Marketing Review, Vol. 21 Iss: 6, pp.670 - 671
DOI
http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/02651330410568097
Downloads:
The fulltext of this document has been downloaded 699 times since 2006
Keywords:
Decision Skills, Learned Behavior, Media Influence, Children's Socialization
Review Number:
2004/3
Review Subject:

Children Consumption, Advertising and Media Edited by Flemming Hansen,

Jeanette Rasmussen, Anne Martensen and BirgitteTufteEnglish version Nikki
Lengkeek
Publisher Name:
Copenhagen Business School Press
Place of Publication:
Copenhagen, Denmark
Type:
Review
Publisher:
Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Article
Taken in its entirety this book is well written, organized and takes the reader through a rich
historical perspective of research addressing the influence advertising and media have on
children. The editors have taken pains to ensure that the reader understands the changes or
modification of influence advertising and media have on children starting from a very young age
through and including early teen years.
The book has 11 chapters. The first chapter outlines the structure of the book and provides a
highlight for each of the following chapters. The approach the editors have taken is rather
interesting in that they have provided interesting questions and detail for each of the chapters. As
examples How does persuasion knowledge develop for children over the age of 12? How does
the family influence the development of: children's advertising, persuasion and transaction
knowledge? Perhaps if the editors had taken this approach preceding each chapter in the form of
a prcis or introduction, the reader would not have to refer back to chapter one in advance of
reading each chapter.
The subsequent chapters delve into a variety of research commencing in the 1950s and end with
some ethical implications of consumer behavior principles when kids are involved and
advertising, branding and consuming the abc's of marketing in American schools.
Chapter five contains a most interesting and enlightening discussion entitled Children and
advertising politics and research in consumer socialization written by Adrian Furnham. The
author does not hold back from challenging the myths of the persuasive value of advertising
and the impact of advertising on children. The commentary begins by addressing the impact of
Vance Packard's (1957) Hidden Persuaders and the second paragraph clearly defines what the
reader will be uncovering throughout the chapter The chapter looks at the science and
politics of advertising to children where equivalent myths exist: the myth of the nave and
gullible child; the myth of the devious and avaricious manufacturer; the myth of the effectiveness
of protectionism. There is little question that advertisers respect children, especially with the

improved sophistication of generations. Technology certainly has prodded children into a totally
different dimension in terms of their ability to discern when they are being sold. It is with this
new found awareness that advertisers are attempting to bring their message home and speak to
their prospects in a language that is neither demeaning nor fraught with hyperbole. It is the
opinion of the reviewer that this chapter helps to ensure the balance of opinions and research
found throughout the remaining nine chapters of the book.
Clearly, there are real ethical considerations when one sets out to develop a full marketing or
branding program addressing the teen and under teen population. The longterm campaign
featuring Joe Camel came under intense scrutiny and criticism and was finally dropped by the
company for obvious reasons successfully encouraging teens to start smoking. It is apparent
that such a flagrant departure of ethics only spurs on those intent on limiting the freedom of
advertising. Understanding the characteristics of children is key. And, determining the cultural
and social aspects of each population is basic to the formation of any plan.
After reading this text, the question that is left unanswered is: What is the purpose of the text?
It is true that the book is a reasonable compendium of historical research of the child population.
There are many interesting facts presented in a professional and compelling fashion. But all they
are is interesting facts. There does not appear to be direction for the reader. That is to say, now
that one has read the text, what does one do with the information? How should it be used? How
does it impact on the development of a plan or campaign? How should a plan be structured, what
are the pitfalls? The editors should have given more thought to and addressed the potential
application of the material presented in the text. It is interesting to note that at the conclusion of
many of the chapters there is a statement indicating that little is really known and much more
work needs to be accomplished in order to fully understand the children and the influence of
advertising and media.
As a text, the reviewer is not clear as to what the course might be and what enlightenment will
find its way to the student reading the text. Perhaps the editors meant to have the text as a
reference book that explores historical research addressing the influence advertising and media
have on children. Finally, the reviewer was left puzzled by the title of the text. Perhaps a word
was omitted such as: Consumption of or, might it have been The Influence of Advertising and
Media on Children?

Children and media in China: an urbanrural comparison study

http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/full/10.1108/07363760610655014
Author(s):

Kara Chan (Department of Communication Studies, Hong Kong Baptist University,

Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong)

James U. McNeal (McNeal & Kids, Youth Marketing Consultants, College Station,
Texas, USA)
Citation:
Kara Chan, James U. McNeal, (2006) "Children and media in China: an urban
rural comparison study", Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 23 Iss: 2, pp.77
- 86
DOI
http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/07363760610655014
Downloads:
The fulltext of this document has been downloaded 2907 times since 2006
Acknowledgements:

The work described in this paper was fully supported by a Faculty Research Grant from
the Hong Kong Baptist University (Project No. FRG/0304/II10).
Abstract:
Purpose
The current study aims to examine how media ownership, media usage and
attention to advertising vary among urban and rural children in Mainland
China and also to collect information about the contexts of media usage and
time spent on various activities including media usage.

Design/methodology/approach
A survey of 1,977 urban and rural children ages six to 13 in the four Chinese
cities of Beijing, Guangzhou, Nanjing and Shanghai, and in the rural areas of
the four provinces of Heilongjian, Hubei, Hunan, and Yunnan, was conducted
in March 2003 to May 2004. Questionnaires were distributed through 16
elementary schools and local researchers were selected and trained to
administer the data collection.

Findings
Media ownership and media exposure were high for television, children's
books, cassette players, VCD players and radios among both urban and rural
samples. In general, media ownership, exposure and usage were higher
among urban children than among rural children. However, television
ownership and television exposure were slightly higher among rural children
than among urban children. The urbanrural gap between media ownership
and media exposure was more prominent for new media such as DVD and
computer/internet. Chinese children had low to medium attention to
advertising. Rural children reported a higher attention to television

commercial than urban children, while urban children reported a higher

attention to other forms of advertising than rural children. Media usage by
sex and by age group was also reported.

Research limitations/implications
Three of the four surveyed urban cities were highly advanced in terms of
their economies and advertising development compared with all other
Chinese cities.

Practical implications
The study should serve as an advertising mediaplanning guideline for
marketers and advertisers in China. It can help marketers select the right
type of media to reach a specific agesex profile of urban and rural Chinese
children. Television, the internet and children's print media can be good
potential media for promotion to urban children. TV, children's books,
cassette tapes, VCDs and radios can be good potential media for promotion
to rural children.

Originality/value
This paper offers insights for designing media strategies to disseminate
market information to urban as well as rural children in China.

Keywords:
China, Children (age groups), Mass media, Consumer psychology, Advertising
media
Type:
Research paper
Publisher:
Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Science Direct / JGate

Computer as a Threat or an Opportunity for Development of Children

Beata Hoffmann
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S187704281404734X
Abstract
The omnipresence of the media is nowadays beyond doubt. We can say that in almost every area
of life we now have to deal with the presence of newer and newer means of communication that
are becoming the primary source of information about human life and the world. The interest in
media begins in childhood through watching cartoons and movies shown on television, played by
audiovisual equipment as well as acquired from the internet. In subsequent years, the scope of
usage of a computer widens, and it itself becomes a valuable asset to education, often exceeding
standards of aids received by conventional methods. An extremely important issue is the use of
computer technology in expanding opportunities to uniform impact on different receptors. The
learning process is being enhanced with new, hard to find in traditional teaching, means of
visualization of encountered objects, for example by showing their dynamics as well as by
revealing essential elements of the object. The use of the computer enables to widen the scope of
exercises which develop manual dexterity and through the introduction of playful elements,
makes them more attractive to children. The support of school lessons by the computer
technology allows to run classes with a larger group of students. Also, learning at home with the
computer is more attractive and significantly improves educational outcomes.
Despite the undoubted benefits of using a computer, you cannot forget about many dangers,
among which a risk of addiction, inability to function in the real world or entering into risky
relations are becoming more and more common. Importantly, these dangers refer to a greater
degree to children as their ability to control their behavior has not yet been developed.

Keywords

hildren;

computer;

learning process;

education

The 'nag factor' and children's product categories.

http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?sid=90860bfd-94b5-45ed-b742-b431e56252de
%40sessionmgr114&vid=0&hid=116&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d
%3d#db=e6h&AN=21110472
Authors:

Bridges, Eileen1 ebridges@bsa3.kent.edu

Briesch, Richard A.2
Source:
International Journal of Advertising. 2006, Vol. 25 Issue 2, p157-187. 31p. 9 Charts.
Document Type:
Article
Geographic Terms:
UNITED States
Abstract:
When products are designed for the youth market, should marketers focus on parents? Or
does it make more sense to target children directly? In the latter case, marketers in the
USA often rely on the 'nag factor', reaching children so they will influence their parents'
purchase decisions. Such influence may be observed as an apparent increase in varietyseeking behaviour. For product categories aimed at children, this study observes no
difference in response to promotional activities (temporary price cuts, in-store displays
and feature advertisements) between households with children and those without.
However, households with children show greater sensitivity to price and greater variety
seeking in the carbonated beverage and children's breakfast cereal categories. Further, the
present results are consistent with recent public policy research findings, in that media
advertising may be driving children's requests for brands in these categories. Because
advertising messages cannot be completely prevented from reaching children, if one goal
of American public policy is to promote healthy eating and reduce child obesity, it may
be more effective to improve education and/or implement taxes that activate a price
response in children's food categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Author Affiliations:
1
Kent State University
2
Southern Methodist University
ISSN:
0265-0487
Accession Number:
21110472

Sage

Children's usage of media technologies and psychosocial factors

1. Jan Heim

1. SINTEF ICT, Oslo, Norway, jheim@Sintef.no

1. Petter Bae Brandtzg

1. SINTEF ICT, Oslo, Norway

1. Birgit Hertzberg Kaare

1. University Of Oslo, Norway

1. Tor Endestad

1. University Of Oslo, Norway

1. Leila Torgersen

1. Norwegian Institute Of Public Health, Osio, Norway

Abstract
Media use has changed considerably during the past five years and earlier research has produced
contradictory results on how media use links to children's psychosocial factors. This study charts
the access to and use of several media technologies among 825 Norwegian schoolchildren
between 10 and 12 years of age. The questionnaire contained items concerning children's selfconcept, parental monitoring and social competence. It found that children engage with different
kind of media activities and some of these are significantly related to psychosocial factors,
however, these correlations were in general quite small. Entertainment usage was associated with
low scholastic competence. Both utility usage and heavy advanced usage of new media were
related to self-perceptions of athletic competence. Low social acceptance was linked to Gameboy
usage and advanced usage of media. Finally, there was a relationship between experienced
parental monitoring and utility usage of media technology. The possible implications for these
empirical relations are discussed.
http://nms.sagepub.com/content/9/3/425.abstract

Mobile media and children

1. Leslie Haddon

1. London School of Economics and Political Science, UK

1. Leslie Haddon, London School of Economics and Political Science, 3 Clifford
Lodge, 36 Clifford Road, New Barnet, EN5 5PF, UK. Email:
LesHaddon@aol.com

Abstract
This article explores a range of research issues relating to children and mobile media, including
the potential growth of childrens screen time, the regulation of childrens use of these media, the
challenge of managing increasing media options, effects on childrens perception of time,

problems posed for parental surveillance and the domestication of mobile media within peer
groups. All of these are viewed in the context of broader societal change, evolving norms of
childhood and parenthood, cross-cultural variation and the existence of diversity amongst
children and youth.
http://mmc.sagepub.com/content/1/1/89.abstract

Children, Media, and Methodology

1. Daniel R. Anderson

1. University of Massachusetts at Amherst

1. Katherine G. Hanson

1. University of Massachusetts at Amherst

Abstract
Media effect studies on children have focused on time spent with media relative to some
outcome. We argue that researchers should examine quantity as the sole measure of media input
only when it is of theoretical significance. In most circumstances media content and form are
more important than time spent. A media diet metaphor is proposed as an alternative approach
that includes both amount of exposure and program content across media platforms. Quantity is
relevant primarily for hypotheses that concern time displacement (such as TV viewing displacing
physical exercise) or other medium-general effects. In addition, technological advances have not
yet been exploited that can allow new methodologies for studying media use and impact. As
examples, eye tracking and magnetic resonance imaging are discussed to illustrate how new
approaches can provide researchers with opportunities to ask different questions and to provide
new perspectives on old questions.
http://abs.sagepub.com/content/52/8/1204.abstract