In most American household, there is at least some type of media or entertainment that families use daily. Whether it be a PlayStation or a Smart TV, people use it as a means of escape or as a tool that unites families while having fun. However, many parents usually perceive that using broadcast media everyday can have negative connotations. Recently, many authors and researchers tested many experiments on the subject and expressed their opinions that proved otherwise of how it can also show long-lasting positive outcomes. So, broadcast media such as movies, video games and television shows in the US can positively enhance a child’s development and understanding of society. Though there are many complications that come with broadcast media, the positive outcomes overweigh them.

Children’s movies are accessed through modern technology and entertainment. Many movies, especially Disney movies, are gaining popularity. Avid fans loved the old and new production of Disney movies. But other than the unforgettable songs and advanced graphics, Disney movies show moral lessons to the audience and hope to apply them in their daily lives. In the essay, “Post-Princess Models of Gender: The New Man in Disney/Pixar”, the author analyzes several movies about the protagonist’s development. The movie, Cars, shows the egotistical protagonist changed-character after stumbling into a small town called Radiator Springs and meeting a few cars. The protagonist, Lightning McQueen, realized that winning the race will not make him satisfied but he understood that the friendships he made during the trip are more important in life. Therefore, he became more grounded and aware of his relationships that he hadn’t made before. In another movie, The Incredibles, the importance of family is emphasized after a superhero family is somewhat broken up and then mended. The head of the family, Mr. Incredible, first faces the antagonist alone but realizes that to defeat him, he and his family need to work together. Another movie the authors mentioned in his essay is Toy Story where Andy’s favorite toy is replaced by another toy therefore creating tension in the toy community to who is the authority figure. The two established their differences when they had the same goal of providing happiness to their owner. In these movies, the main character develops his personality into a better change of character, as Disney hopes to bring to their audience. Overall, the author analyzes further that each of the protagonists develops his character by the idea of the “New Man”. The author explains, “These lessons... become most immediately obvious to us as parents when we watch our son ingest and express them” (99). He supports Disney’s goal to young viewers and how it can set an example for the audience. He further mentions, "Disney cinema, one of the most effective teaching tools America offers its children, is not yet converting its model male protagonist all the way into a slacker, but the New Man model is quite clearly emerging" (Gillam 92). The author focuses his topic on how Disney movies pave an exemplary model of the "New Man", a term used in the essay which inhibits the protagonists' alpha role into a changed grounded person. It is true that Disney movies can impact a child's moral values by learning the changes within the protagonists from the movies. A child can learn dependency, humbleness, and acceptance from these specific movies. The child can develop his character and apply it to his or her own household and towards society.

The movie Frozen surprised viewers since it broke the usual stereotype in a princess movie. It taught the importance of love between siblings instead of romantic love. One of the characters, Anna, became an empowering role model for one daughter, mentioning that “she can finally connect with a girl who is lovely and witty and funny and real” (Cohen). In the movie, Anna does not necessarily act “feminine” as compared to past Disney princesses. She runs around the castle while expressing her love for chocolate which makes her persona relatable to children. Especially when the songs play in the movie, they express happiness and amusement so viewers can’t help but sing along. This is one way modern movies can develop a child’s positive qualities in ways they could have never done before (Cohen). 

Not only Disney movies are getting people’s attention, but the increase in Marvel/DC movies are also gaining popularity. In many of these movies, many weapons and gun violence are shown frequently which is opposes the idea to the subject at hand. It suggests the rise of gun violence in these PG-13 movies which is mentioned in a Huffington Post article by Maxwell Strachan. He explains further that the spike of media violence in movies can affect a child’s aggressive behavior; however, lack of evidence suggests otherwise (Strachan). Although the rise of gun violence has increased, it doesn’t necessarily deteriorate a child’s development since they can establish differences between fantasy and reality. Parents just need to be aware of what types of media coverage their children are watching these days. Swype is cool

Other than movies, people also watch television in the comfort of their home. Ever since television was introduced into society, people thought highly of its ability to educate viewers on what they couldn’t experience in their everyday life. It isn’t difficult for children to be intrigued by this medium since it can give knowledge about language and the alphabet before they are placed in a school environment. There was a study done to determine if television would prevent future consequences of failing school. Scientists showed the program Sesame Street to their selected audience within the lower-class. Results show that 60% of children reported to have watch the program even though most of the lower-class didn’t have access to such technology. Ever since the passing of the Children’s Television Act, there are more than 1000 educational programs in stations in the US. Several experiments have been performed since the passing of the Act on the lasting effects of these programs on kindergarteners. For example, the results of the Early Window Project showed that children who watched Sesame Street improved on vocabulary than with nonviewers. Another study was performed on whether the programs have long-lasting effects that could applied when the audience is in high school. Surprisingly, viewers had higher high school grades in the core classes than nonviewers (Huston 13-14). Most children are not easily attracted to classic core classes like Math or English however television programs play an effective role to appeal to any audience. In a sample study, Square One is a television program intended to promote interest in math and English to young students. Results show that the students greatly improved their problem-solving skills. 

One misconception about television is that it can deteriorate a child’s language skills but an experiment done by Rice and Woodsmall suggests otherwise. They explained how children who watch around an hour of educational television performed better on vocabulary and high school English (Huston). Another reviewed study analyzes the effects of prosocial television. Friedrich and Stein proposed the study of prosocial television towards children and whether children learn from the given television programs with the use of verbal labeling and role playing. They measured knowledge, speech and behavior, and a child’s behavior towards another child to determine the child’s prosocial content. In a previous study, scientists concluded that children who watch the show, “Misterogers’ Neighborhood”, were more self-controlled and achieved. They also concluded that “children from lower-social-status families [are] . . . associated with increased prosocial interpersonal behavior” (Freidrich 28) which insinuates that children in a lower status are more susceptible to be influenced with the effects of television. The study done recently was on 73 kindergarten children who were then assigned to varying conditions. At the end of the study, the results were stated, “. . . clear evidence that children learned the prosocial content of the television programs and generalized that learning to a number of real-life situations” (Friedrich 36). Their experiment proved the theory that the intended programs did increase their knowledge and the children can apply their knowledge unto everyday situations with the use of verbal labeling and role playing. This supports the claim that a child’s neurocognitive development can improve with the help of prosocial television programs since it also positively affected their altruistic behavior (Friedrich).

Instead of movies and television, many young adults look to video games as another form of entertainment. People play video games as another way to socialize with other players, according to the essay, Friends, Fun, Frustration and Fantasy: Child Motivations for Video Game Play. In this context, socialization is mostly involved within males since they enjoy being challenged. In their research, video game and computer use amongst children are associated with friendship quality. Another motivation for video game play is to be used as a stress reducer. Evidence suggests that frequent video game players handle stressful tasks better in a lab setting than non-frequent video gamers. Children who play with their parents increases the child’s prosocial and civic behavior. Although there are many studies that link violent game use to aggression, results in the study the scientists observe is that video game use does not directly relate to mental health problems in youth. The author’s bias explicitly suggests that video games are “health and developmentally appropriate” (Ferguson 163) to children. 

Many parents worry if their children excessively play video games that it could affect their mental being. One video game that caught the attention of many video game players and non-players is Slenderman. The horror interactive video game requires a player to collect pages while avoiding the antagonist of the game, Slenderman.  It especially caught attention to two young girls who murdered their friend claiming that Slenderman commanded them. This shocking event created concern to people worldwide, including many psychologists.  It is rare to see someone to be so influenced by an urban legend but it could consider how easily influenced children are. In these circumstances, one of the suspects was diagnosed schizophrenic so her mental state wasn’t stable. The author in the article, “’Beware The Slenderman’ Review: Don’t Believe Everything You Read Online,” mentioned that the parents are to blame since they had control of what they provide to their children. The author further explains that people couldn’t have been easily influenced to this extent since millions of people have read about Slender man before the two murderers and yet the public wasn’t swayed since they have the power to control what exists in the real-world. It is a rare occasion to see how video games could affect a child’s mindset and perspective. Since people have control on what is real or what is fantasy as the author mentioned, they have the knowledge and resources to determine themselves whether they should be affected by it (Lancaster). Therefore, children usually know the difference between reality and fantasy that they have their own sense of autonomy. 

Other than developing a sense of autonomy, children can also improve their spatial skills with video games. Dr. Bavelier shows how they can improve vision, multitasking skills, and attention. Dr. Bavelier’s team of neurocognitive experts measure the effect of video games on the brain. They found the difference between those who don’t normally play video games with those that do. Regular video game players have better vision in minuscule details. Evidence also suggest players have better focus and attention span than others. They used brain imaging to determine that their frontal and parietal lobe which are the central areas of attention and focus are more efficient. Their focus is to create video games that improve neurocognitive function while still making the game itself appealing to the consumer. They are looking for ways to improve a child’s education or hope to use these games for rehab patients (Bavelier). 

According to an article published by the American Psychological Association, researchers found that shooter video games enhanced a player’s spatial skills that can also apply to a person’s improvement on their education. The article also includes how schools are considering to incorporate video games in the classroom. In another study, the administration in a public school based in New York decided to incorporate the video game, Quest to Learn, into their classrooms.  A part of the video game allows students to play in a virtual world where they act as travel agents budget their traveling expenses to improve their math and English. The teachers say that they see a great improvement in their students as they grew excited to “learn” the subject. Salen, the executive director of the program, mentions in the end of the article that the program gives students a, “tool to manage complexity.” The students aren’t overwhelmed by the complexity of the subject since they see a program as a video game (Chaplin). The author also suggests that playing role-playing video games or games that provide strategies can increase a child’s problem-solving skills and creativity. The results of the study also increased the children’s school grades the year after. With the evidence shown, video games do show positive outcomes to children that they start to incorporate them into a school environment. 

After interacting with many sorts of broadcast media, a thought to consider is that these types of entertainment can affect a child’s general development. The public can also rely these kinds of media to improve a person’s well-being and understanding of society. Children’s movies successfully deliver moral lessons in hopes that kids could apply them into the real world. Television programs can enhance neurocognitive behavior in the early stages of childhood and develop through a child’s highs school career. Lastly, video games improve social and spatial skills that could benefit themselves in a school environment and in society. The evidence and opinions from many experiments on the topic disregard most of the public’s negative assumptions about broadcast media. Society is frequently changing with media and technology advancing every day. It is safe to say that with more technology in people’s lives they can improve their lifestyles that their grandparents or ancestors could never experience. 
