Television definitely has a good side. It can entertain or educate, and can introduce kids to people, places or cultures which they might not otherwise be exposed. Programs can influence children to change the behavior for the better. However, the reverse can also be true: kids will undoubtedly learn things from TV that are unwanted, and it can have negative consequences for their health and academic performance.

This course will examine the effects of television on the developing child, from

infancy through adolescence. The course will address the uniqueness of children and adolescents as audiences, taking into consideration their unique consumption habits and understanding abilities of television content; focusing on content with special implications for young audiences, such as sex, violence, advertising and also discussing television's effects on identity formation. The course will inspect various options for intervention in the television-children dyadic relationship, such as parental mediation and media literacy.