KEY IDEAS FROM CHAPTER 13​​​​​​

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1. There’s plenty of violent, gory, aggressive, and sexually explicit content in many different forms of media, including racist speech and depictions of hate. Not only can people can be victims or perpetrators of harassment, stalking, and cyberbullying, but their social media data can also be exploited and misused in ways that create personal, social, financial, and even physical risk.

2. While many parents believe that children need special television programs, music, or movies, others do not see the need for children to be restricted to special child-friendly content. They see children as members of a family whose learning occurs from full participation in the ordinary practices of life in the home.

3. Online predators take advantage of children and use grooming as a form of sexual abuse, inviting them to share photos and videos and using other coercive tactics to psychologically prepare the child for online sexual relations.

4. Video game players appreciate the feeling of mastery that comes from controlling your destiny in a series of increasingly challenging tasks. Game addiction can occur when people lose all sense of time during game play and begin to prioritize gaming over other life interests and daily activities. Digital detox programs create a type of temporary abstinence that help people raise awareness of excessive use.

5. There are many benefits and risks of media, but because people tend to prioritize immediate gain over longer-term consequences, we tend to think that other people are more likely to be harmed by media while we ourselves are generally immune from harm.

6. Pornography is a form of media that has benefits, risks, and harms that affect people’s sense of purpose, their self-esteem, and their sexual relationships. New forms of media literacy are emerging to help people minimize these risks.