arranged by the Arab Council for Childhood and Development

In this paper I make a brief outline of what research says in other parts of the world than the Arab region, about different kinds of influences on children of traditional and new media (books, radio, film, television, computer games, the Internet, etc.) when it comes to information, values, violence, cultural identity, etc. However, research on children and media is not well developed in many countries, but is mostly generated from relatively few countries with specific media situations – and research findings cannot simply be generalised across frontiers since the media situation and the cultural, religious, political and economic context differ between nations. There is, consequently, a great need of future research on children and media. This research should be carried out both by various nations in their own social and cultural contexts, and through increased co-operation between researchers on a cross-cultural comparative level, to give a more comprehensive view of children in the changing global and local media landscape. Children’s rights If we – in keeping with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child – by childre