Prosocial Media

Abstract

Children and adolescents spend a great deal of time with a variety of media, raising the important question of whether media might influence the socialization of children. Although copious research has found consistent links between violent media content and children’s aggression, research has also found that prosocial media influences the development of prosocial behavior for both children and adolescents. Thus, in this chapter we review theoretical justifications for why and how prosocial media content impacts young people, and then synthesize existing research on the effects of different mediums of prosocial media on child outcomes. This review includes traditional media (e.g., TV, movies, video games, music, books) and new media (e.g., cell phones, tablets, social media). We then discuss the policy implications of links between prosocial media and prosocial behavior, and provide important avenues for future research.