Improving Children’s Critical and Creative Thinking Using Media: Through Traditional and Digital Media

This book addresses the most common questions raised by parents regarding the impact of media on children. It offers insights on suitable media choices for children, fostering healthy media usage, determining appropriate age for media consumption, and navigating related technologies. Additionally, practical suggestions are provided on integrating media literacy into everyday situations with children.

This book explores theories surrounding the effects of media violence, the importance of teaching online ethics, children’s fear toward film characters, shielding children from distressing news, promoting advertisement literacy, exploring media’s role in sexual education, and cultivating critical thinking skills to discern media clichés. These topics are thoroughly explored and discussed within the book. By engaging with this book, parents will acquire a practical level of media literacy that empowers them to support their children’s growth in critical and creative thinking. It equips parents to navigate the challenges that arise when using both traditional and digital media effectively.

Audiences of this book include parents, caregivers of children, educators, and anyone involved in working with children.

Mania Alehpour is pursuing her second PhD at UNSW. In her current PhD thesis, she is investigating how adolescents use social media to improve their mental health. For her first PhD, she studied children’s interpretation of critical concepts in animated movies. Throughout her career, she has focused on various aspects of media and children.