Impact of digital media on emotional, social and moral development of children

Digitalni mediji imaju velik utjecaj kako u životu odraslih, tako i u životima djece. Svatko ih doživljava na drugačiji način, ovisno kako su mediji predstavljeni i prikazani. Utjecaj medija može biti pozitivan i negativan. Posebno osjetljivu skupinu korisnika čine djeca koja su inače više podložna vjerovanju informacijama koja im se nude i pokazuju. Na tržištu postoji mnogo „alata“ koji ograničavaju korištenje medijskih sadržaja. Glavnu ulogu moraju odigrati roditelji. Potrebno je steći povjerenje djece te ih upućivati na stranice primjerene njihovoj dobi, objasniti im da postoje i osobe koje im ne žele dobro. Mediji mogu izazvati ovisnost kod djece i preporuča se ograničiti vremenski dnevni pristup istima. U ovom radu govoriti će se o utjecaju medija na onu najranjiviju i posebnu skupinu korisnika, a to su djeca. Prvi dio rada govoriti će općenito o samim medijima i društvu što obuhvaća društvene odnose kao i odnose djece s medijima, pa sve do socioloških i psiholoških aspekata. Zatim, u drugom dijelu biti će govora o jačini medija u konstruiranju društvene stvarnosti što čini medijsku kulturu i pismenost, pojavu tzv. spektakularnih naslova koji navode na negativne reakcije te suvremene komunikacijske alate. Postavlja se pitanje da li digitalni mediji imaju više pozitivnih ili negativnih utjecaja na emocionalni, društveni i moralni razvoj djece.Digital media is one of the most influential tools of today. Not only has it become a great part of every adult's experience, but children are becoming more reliant on it as well. Opinions differ based on cultural norms and standards and its influence could be considered both positive or negative depending on one's perception. To protect vulnerable groups from being targeted, sensitive interest categories are specially regulated. Children can't disassociate the difference between paid advertising and tend to believe everything they say. Many precautions are set in place using restrictive tools to filter unwanted content. Search engines don't allow targeting these groups and traditional marketing tools such as OOH advertising does not allow the use of children in ads meant for adults. Regardless, parents carry the main role in protecting children from inappropriate content. Establishing trust is crucial to point them in the right direction and explain the possibilities of not so well-meaning people. Based on proven research we now know that media can be addictive. It is advised to set time restrictive boundaries and shorten children's screen time. Although it creates great learning foundations, it can also have several negative effects on children's development and quality of life. This thesis will discuss the media's influence on children, the biggest part of sensitive interest categories. We’ll start with general information on media and society itself followed by social relationships, children, and media. The second part is going to elaborate on the media’s power in constructing our reality made of culture and literacy. The purpose of using shocking headlines, therefore, causing negative reactions and all about the modern communication tools. So the question in place is; where does the digital media fall on the scale of positive and negative aspects of emotional, social, and moral development in children