Fear in Front of the Screen
Children's Fears, Nightmares, and Thrills from TV
By (author) Maya Götz, Dafna Lemish, Andrea Holler
Publication date:
17 January 2019Length of book:
270 pagesPublisher
Rowman & Littlefield PublishersISBN-13: 9781538121221
Experiencing fear in front of the screen is a common phenomenon in childhood, and a focus of public concern. Yet, research has encountered ethical and methodological challenges and has focused largely on the effects of watching disturbing news. In this innovative book, this universal experience is investigated in depth via two complementary studies:
1) a retrospective study of experiences related by 626 undergraduate students from eight countries; and 2) a study of the current nightmares induced by watching television of 510 children in five countries.
The results presented in this book highlight the most common elements of fear in front of the screen more generally, followed by a focused analysis of the unique features of fear that characterize different developmental stages: pre-school, middle childhood, pre-teens and teenagers. The rich descriptions distinguish between the negative experiences of fear versus the positive experiences of thrill, and explores gender and cultural differences. Finally, the book offers implications for media producers and policy makers as well as for parents and educators.
1) a retrospective study of experiences related by 626 undergraduate students from eight countries; and 2) a study of the current nightmares induced by watching television of 510 children in five countries.
The results presented in this book highlight the most common elements of fear in front of the screen more generally, followed by a focused analysis of the unique features of fear that characterize different developmental stages: pre-school, middle childhood, pre-teens and teenagers. The rich descriptions distinguish between the negative experiences of fear versus the positive experiences of thrill, and explores gender and cultural differences. Finally, the book offers implications for media producers and policy makers as well as for parents and educators.
Fear in Front of the Screen provides the results of two scientifically rigorous research studies providing an in-depth understanding of children and adolescent media-induced fear reactions across the globe. This book would be an excellent addition to the reading list of any graduate-level course on children and media. It would also serve as a useful text for undergraduate students taking courses on media effects, broadly speaking, or children and media, in particular. Parents may also find this book useful, as the presentation of results are clear and accessible to a wide variety of audiences, and the concluding chapter provides a clear set of guidelines on how to support children. Finally, scholars exploring children’s media-induced fear responses – or, children and emotion more broadly – would be well-served by reading and citing this book.