New Media: Interactivity Accentuates Similar Promises and Concerns

Current debates surrounding the emergence of computer technology and new media echo the promises and concerns of the past. In a recent survey of more than 1,000 parents in households with at least one working computer and at least one child between ages 8 to 17, some 70% of parents said the Internet is a place for children to discover “fascinating, useful things,” while more than 75% were concerned that their children might give out personal information or view sexually explicit images on the Internet.² Much as television critic Robert Lewis Shayon referred to television as the “New Pied Piper” in a series of newspaper articles in 1952, public commentaries in the 1980s gave voice to concerns that children were becoming “addicted” to interactive computer products.¹⁸

Following the pattern of earlier media research, initial studies about children and computers have centered on how much time children are spending with computers, their preferences for types of use, and the impact on other activities and playtime.¹⁹ And similarly, over time, the debate has shifted away from effects on children's use of time and preferences to issues of content. The interactive nature of new media offers the potential for enhanced socialization and learning for children, but also heightens the risk of exposure to inappropriate content. The promise of and concerns with children's use of computer technology, rooted in the history of media research, are explored further below.