Wednesday, May 30, 2012 This year the American Academy of
Pediatrics (AAP) has made “Children and the Media” one of its
new strategic priorities. Our journal has published a host of
studies on the effects of media — both good and bad — on
children, which has helped the AAP as it turns attention to this
topic. In addition to educating families about the media in our
offices, we can advocate for homes and local schools to take a
hard look at whether their media curriculum is being directed to
better educate children and teens about the adverse — as well as
beneficial — effects of media in shaping who they are and what
they do with their lives. To help us think more about how
pediatricians might partner with our school educators, Dr.
Victor Strasburger, a national expert on the influence of media
on children and teens, shares his thoughts in a commentary (doi:
10.1542/peds.2011-3213) this week. He challenges all of us to do
more in regard to raising media awareness in our patients and
families, and to join up wi