tag:theconversation.com,2011:/ca/topics/childrens-tv-22605/articles
Children's TV – The Conversation
2024-02-23T13:49:12Z
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/215655
2024-02-23T13:49:12Z
2024-02-23T13:49:12Z
Making the moral of the story stick − a media psychologist explains the research behind ‘Sesame Street,’ ‘Arthur’ and other children’s TV
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576031/original/file-20240215-28-p8bjh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C3776%2C2832&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Children's TV shows are typically designed to improve their viewers' cognitive, social and moral development.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/usairforce/14380434613/in/photolist-nUKucP">U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Scott Saldukas/Released via Flickr</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>To adult viewers, educational media content for children, such as “<a href="https://www.sesamestreet.org/">Sesame Street</a>” or “<a href="https://pbskids.org/daniel/">Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood</a>,” may seem rather simplistic. The pacing is slow, key themes are often repeated and the visual aspects tend to be plain. </p>
<p>However, many people might be surprised to learn about the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2017.1361841">sheer amount</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17482798.2010.486127">of research</a> that goes into the design choices many contemporary programs use. </p>
<p>For <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=AEe_00wAAAAJ&hl=en">more than a decade</a>, I have studied just that: how to design media to support children’s learning, particularly in moral development. My research, along with the work of many others, shows that children can learn important developmental and social skills through media.</p>
<h2>History of research on children’s media</h2>
<p>Research on how to design children’s media to support learning is not new. </p>
<p>When “Sesame Street” debuted in November 1969, it began a decadeslong practice of <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781410605252-5/varied-role-formative-research-case-studies-30-years-rosemarie-truglio-valeria-lovelace-ivelisse-segu%C3%AD-susan-scheiner">testing its content before airing it</a> to ensure children learned the intended messages of each episode and enjoyed watching it. Some episodes included messages notoriously difficult to teach to young children, including lessons about death, divorce and racism. </p>
<p>Researchers at the <a href="https://sesameworkshop.org/our-work/research-and-insights/">Sesame Workshop</a> hold focus groups at local preschools where participating children watch or interact with Sesame content. They test the children on whether they are engaged with, pay attention to and learn the intended message of the content. If the episode passes the test, then it moves on to the next stage of production. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576035/original/file-20240215-20-3m1u5e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Puppeteer holding muppet Abby Cadabby out for a child to engage with" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576035/original/file-20240215-20-3m1u5e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576035/original/file-20240215-20-3m1u5e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=602&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576035/original/file-20240215-20-3m1u5e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=602&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576035/original/file-20240215-20-3m1u5e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=602&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576035/original/file-20240215-20-3m1u5e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=757&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576035/original/file-20240215-20-3m1u5e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=757&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576035/original/file-20240215-20-3m1u5e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=757&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">The Sesame Workshop uses muppets to teach children about difficult topics.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/SesameStreetinCommunities/d2ddd365cd8e43998a6143daa30391f8">AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews</a></span>
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<p>If children do not learn the intended message, or are not engaged and attentive, then the episode goes back for editing. In some cases, such as a <a href="https://lostmediawiki.com/Sesame_Street_%22Snuffy%27s_Parents_Get_a_Divorce%22_(partially_found_episode_of_children%27s_puppetry_TV_series;_1992)">1992 program</a> designed to teach children about divorce, the entire episode is scrapped. In this case, children misunderstood some key information about divorce. “Sesame Street” did not include divorce in its content until 2012.</p>
<h2>Designing children’s media</h2>
<p>With help from the pioneering research of “Sesame Street,” along with research from other children’s television shows both in the industry and in academia, the past few decades have seen many new insights on how best to design media to promote children’s learning. These strategies are still shaping children’s shows today.</p>
<p>For example, you may have noticed that some children’s television characters speak directly to the camera and pause for the child viewer at home to yell out an answer to their question. This design strategy, known as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2014.932288">participatory cues</a>, is famously used by the shows “Blue’s Clues” and “Dora the Explorer.” Researchers found that participatory cues in TV are linked to increased <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2017.1361841">vocabulary learning and content comprehension</a> among young children. They also increase children’s <a href="https://doi.org/10.1207/S1532785XMEP0202_4">engagement with the educational content</a> of the show over time, particularly as they learn the intended lesson and can give the character the correct answer.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/K-HGAwM4aDA?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Participatory cues are a prominent feature of children’s shows like ‘Blues Clues.’</span></figcaption>
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<p>You may have also noticed that children’s media often features jokes that seem to be aimed more at adults. These are often commentary about popular culture that require context children might not be aware of or involve more complex language that children might not understand. This is because children are more likely to learn when a supportive adult or older sibling is watching the show alongside them and helping explain or connect it to the child’s life. Known as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17482798.2016.1203806">active mediation</a>, research has shown that talking about the goals, emotions and behaviors of media characters can help children learn from them and even improve aspects of their own emotional and social development.</p>
<p>Programs have also incorporated <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650217733846">concrete examples of desired behaviors</a>, such as treating a neurodiverse character fairly, rather than discussing the behaviors more abstractly. This is because children younger than about age 7 <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/15213260802204355">struggle with abstract thinking</a> and may have difficulty generalizing content they learned from media and applying it to their own lives.</p>
<p>Research on an <a href="https://youtu.be/zDRYoINqPQY">episode of “Arthur”</a> found that a concrete example of a main character experiencing life through the eyes of another character with Asperger’s syndrome improved the ability of child viewers to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650217733846">take another person’s perspective</a>. It also increased the nuance of their moral judgments and moral reasoning. Just a single viewing of that one episode can positively influence several aspects of a child’s cognitive and moral development.</p>
<h2>Teaching inclusion through media</h2>
<p>One skill that has proven difficult to teach children through media is inclusivity. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/15213260802204355">Multiple studies have</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2017.1378111">shown that children</a> are more likely to exclude others from their social group after viewing an episode explicitly designed to promote inclusion. </p>
<p>For example, an <a href="https://pbskids.org/video/clifford-big-red-dog/1483974629">episode of “Clifford the Big Red Dog”</a> involved Clifford and his family moving to a new town. The townspeople initially did not want to include Clifford because he was too big, but they eventually learned the importance of getting to know others before making judgments about them. However, watching this episode <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2017.1378111">did not make</a> children more likely to play with or view disabled or overweight children favorably.</p>
<p>Based on my own work, I argue that one reason inclusivity can be difficult to teach in children’s TV may be due to how narratives are structured. For example, many shows actually <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/15213260903052265">model antisocial behaviors</a> during the first three-quarters of the episode before finally modeling prosocial behaviors at the end. This may inadvertently teach the wrong message, because children tend to focus on the behaviors modeled for the majority of the program. </p>
<p>My team and I conducted a recent study showing that including a 30-second clip prior to the episode that explains the inclusive message to children before they view the content can help <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2019.1601570">increase prosocial behaviors and decrease stigmatization</a>. Although this practice might not be common in children’s TV at the moment, adult viewers can also fill this role by explaining the intended message of inclusivity to children before watching the episode. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576034/original/file-20240215-30-janko5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Smiling parent sitting with two children watching TV together" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576034/original/file-20240215-30-janko5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576034/original/file-20240215-30-janko5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576034/original/file-20240215-30-janko5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576034/original/file-20240215-30-janko5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576034/original/file-20240215-30-janko5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576034/original/file-20240215-30-janko5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576034/original/file-20240215-30-janko5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Adult viewers watching TV alongside children can help kids apply the lessons the shows teach to their own lives.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/young-mother-and-her-boy-and-a-girl-spending-royalty-free-image/1339901480">miniseries/E+ via Getty Images</a></span>
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<h2>Parenting with media</h2>
<p>Children’s media is more complex than many people think. Although there is certainly a lot of media out there that may not use study-informed design practices, many shows do use research to ensure children have the best chance to learn from what they watch.</p>
<p>It can be difficult to be a parent or a child in a media-saturated world, particularly in deciding when children should begin to watch media and which media they should watch. But there are relatively simple strategies parents and supportive adults can use to leverage media to support their child’s healthy development and future.</p>
<p>Parents and other adults can help children learn from media by watching alongside them and answering their questions. They can also read <a href="https://www.commonsensemedia.org/">reviews of media</a> to determine its quality and age appropriateness. Doing so can help children consume media in a healthy way. </p>
<p>We live in a media-saturated world, and restricting young children’s media use is difficult for most families. With just a little effort, parents can model healthy ways to use media for their children and select research-informed media that promotes healthy development and well-being among the next generation.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/215655/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Allyson Snyder was a Sesame Workshop intern in 2018.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Drew Cingel, Jane Shawcroft, and Samantha Vigil do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Many children’s educational shows undergo pre-screening to make sure each episode delivers its intended message. Adult viewers watching alongside kids can help ensure the lessons are well received.
Drew Cingel, Associate Professor of Communication, University of California, Davis
Allyson Snyder, Ph.D. Candidate in Communication, University of California, Davis
Jane Shawcroft, Ph.D. Candidate in Communication, University of California, Davis
Samantha Vigil, Ph.D. Candidate in Communication, University of California, Davis
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/219900
2024-01-18T18:58:37Z
2024-01-18T18:58:37Z
Trash TV: streaming giants are failing to educate the young about waste recycling. Here’s why it matters
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569957/original/file-20240117-25-bb72gg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=231%2C0%2C2585%2C1719&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://glenkeaneproductions.com/press">Trash Truck/Glen Keane Productions</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>As a new parent, I’ve had the joy of watching animated cartoons with my two-year-old son. His favourite show is <a href="https://www.netflix.com/au/title/80234731">Trash Truck</a>, on Netflix, featuring a tight-knit ensemble of five characters: a trash truck, a young boy, a raccoon, a bear and a mouse. The show offers valuable life lessons, emphasising the importance of friendship, sharing, love for animals and respect for parents. </p>
<p>But there’s a problem. The way it portrays the collection of waste grabbed my attention. It’s simply a matter of gathering mixed waste from bins and depositing it in a landfill. There’s no sign of any process for sorting or recycling waste. </p>
<p>This left me pondering why a charming cartoon series with a global audience, capable of educating the future generation about waste recovery, lacks such relevant educational content. </p>
<p>I’m a researcher who has studied waste management for the past six years. I decided to analyse similar series such as <a href="https://www.primevideo.com/detail/0U44E08N4F3GMFVIDRHREE3UU7/ref=atv_sr_fle_c_Tn74RA_1_1_1">The Stinky and Dirty Show</a> (Amazon Prime), <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@babybus">BabyBus</a> (YouTube) and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lQw4F6g3A4">Frank the Garbage Truck</a> (YouTube). A clear pattern emerged – all show waste simply being dumped. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/building-activity-produces-18-of-emissions-and-a-shocking-40-of-our-landfill-waste-we-must-move-to-a-circular-economy-heres-how-206188">Building activity produces 18% of emissions and a shocking 40% of our landfill waste. We must move to a circular economy – here’s how</a>
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<p>To make it clear, in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uoe1UwdjCQk">one episode of BabyBus</a>, a song goes: </p>
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<p>[Garbage truck sings] Garbage truck yeah yeah, looking for garbage here and there […] I have a long arm yeah yeah, look what I can do. […] [Two paper coke cups sing] Big tummy, no no no, it is going to eat me, the trash can is shaking shaking, I don’t want to go […] [Garbage truck sings] Now off to the dump […] [Discarded apple sings] No I don’t want to go to the dump […] [Garbage truck sings] Dirty trash bye bye, smelly trash bye bye.</p>
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<p>This episode dropped four years ago on YouTube. It has hit a whopping 109 million views. That shows how powerful these platforms are for reaching people.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Uoe1UwdjCQk?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">In BabyBus it’s all about “dumping trash” with no mention of sorting or recycling.</span></figcaption>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/households-find-low-waste-living-challenging-heres-what-needs-to-change-197022">Households find low-waste living challenging. Here's what needs to change</a>
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<h2>Why does waste education matter?</h2>
<p>Many nations have hastily adopted various strategies and developed policies to tackle the <a href="https://www.theworldcounts.com/challenges/planet-earth/state-of-the-planet/world-waste-facts">ever-growing issue of waste</a>. In particular, scientific literature informing these strategies and policies highlights education as an effective and sustainable solution. </p>
<p>The findings from our multiple research projects reinforce this fact. For instance, we found “<a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/ECAM-05-2021-0439/full/html">poor culture and education</a>” is one of the top three barriers to sustainably managing construction and demolition waste and treating it as a resource. In a later study, we <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352550922002445">identified education</a> as a priority to enable development of markets for recycled construction waste materials. Most recently, we found “<a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/SASBE-08-2023-0213/full/html?skipTracking=true">education, investigation and demonstration activities</a>” are the main strategy for optimising use of recycled materials in the building and construction sector. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/buildings-used-iron-from-sunken-ships-centuries-ago-the-use-of-recycled-materials-should-be-business-as-usual-by-now-200351">Buildings used iron from sunken ships centuries ago. The use of recycled materials should be business as usual by now</a>
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<h2>Screen time can be learning time</h2>
<p>The United Nations <a href="https://sdgs.un.org/goals">Sustainable Development Goals</a> emphasise the crucial role of children in achieving these global objectives. Its 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development <a href="https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda#:%7E:text=Children%20and%20young%20women%20and,words%20of%20the%20UN%20Charter.">describes</a> children as:</p>
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<p>critical agents of change […] [who] will find in the new goals a platform to channel their infinite capacities for activism into the creation of a better world.</p>
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<p>We have seen a big increase in waste education for children such as recycling programs at schools in recent years. But according to <a href="https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_940">Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory of human development</a>, the primary environmental influence on children occurs within their homes. A large part of a child’s time is <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7018039/">spent at home</a> where they often have uninterrupted access to multimedia content.</p>
<p><a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/article-abstract/2789091">Recent research</a> indicates screen time for children has surged particularly during and after COVID-19. While this trend may not be ideal, we can harness it for shaping the mindset of the next generation. In particular, it’s an opportunity to promote environmental sustainability. </p>
<p>The United States’ National Association for the Education of Young Children <a href="https://www.naeyc.org/sites/default/files/globally-shared/downloads/PDFs/resources/position-statements/ps_technology.pdf">suggests multimedia learning</a>, when used appropriately, helps children understand complicated topics while also providing positive engagement and enjoyment. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568959/original/file-20240111-29-duc80h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568959/original/file-20240111-29-duc80h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568959/original/file-20240111-29-duc80h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568959/original/file-20240111-29-duc80h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568959/original/file-20240111-29-duc80h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=568&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568959/original/file-20240111-29-duc80h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=568&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568959/original/file-20240111-29-duc80h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=568&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Streaming content is an important influence on children’s understanding of issues and their attitudes to them.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source"> Salman Shooshtarian</span></span>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/forget-old-screen-time-rules-during-coronavirus-heres-what-you-should-focus-on-instead-135053">Forget old screen 'time' rules during coronavirus. Here's what you should focus on instead</a>
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<h2>The power and responsibilities of streaming media</h2>
<p>Online video streaming has transformed the media landscape and viewing habits worldwide. The swift expansion of internet usage, the ubiquity of mobile devices and the surging demand for online video content have driven this change. </p>
<p>The global video streaming market has grown remarkably over the past ten years. By 2022, estimated annual revenue from streaming TV and video hit <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/260179/over-the-top-revenue-worldwide/">US$154 billion</a>.</p>
<p>Waste is everyone’s responsibility, as outlined in many waste management initiatives and activities around the world. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-cant-keep-putting-apartment-residents-waste-in-the-too-hard-basket-200545">We can't keep putting apartment residents' waste in the too hard basket</a>
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<p>With a global total of 1.2 billion viewers, giant streaming media companies such as Netflix (<a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/250934/quarterly-number-of-netflix-streaming-subscribers-worldwide/">247.2 million paid subscribers</a>, Amazon Prime Video (<a href="https://www.searchlogistics.com/learn/statistics/amazon-prime-statistics/">200 million paid subscribers</a>) and Disney+ (<a href="https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/disney-plus-subscribers-150-million-earnings-1235784850/">150 million paid subscribers</a> have a key role to play in educating the next generation. In particular, their animated cartoon series can influence the next generation’s attitude and behaviour. </p>
<p>Given its impact on the young, the global entertainment industry needs to be held accountable to ensure it portrays current knowledge about how we manage pressing issues such as waste.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/219900/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Salman Shooshtarian receives funding from the Australia Sustainable Built Environment National Research Centre.</span></em></p>
An essential part of managing a growing global waste problem is sorting, recovering and recycling it. But you won’t see this on children’s shows that feature waste collection.
Salman Shooshtarian, Senior Lecturer, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/216004
2023-11-13T00:12:23Z
2023-11-13T00:12:23Z
Australia’s media classification system is no help to parents and carers. It needs a grounding in evidence
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/557940/original/file-20231107-29-5gynl3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C5%2C3964%2C1988&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/classic-vintage-retro-style-old-television-614643728">Commonwealth of Australia/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In the era of proliferating streaming platforms, choosing what to watch on family movie night can be hard.</p>
<p>Parents have a greater need than ever for good advice to help them narrow down the options, and they should be able to turn to the government’s classification system. </p>
<p>When they do, they will usually trust that if something is rated G or PG, it’s suitable for young children. </p>
<p>You might be surprised to learn, then, the current media classification system has no basis in evidence about children’s developmental needs.</p>
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<p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/episode-choose-your-story-the-inappropriate-game-your-kids-have-probably-played-127445">Episode – Choose Your Story: the inappropriate game your kids have probably played</a>
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<h2>Where did classifications come from?</h2>
<p>Australia’s National Classification Scheme for films, games and publications was established in 1995. The Commonwealth and the states and territories agreed to replace what was then known as the “censorship” system. </p>
<p>The scheme classifies media content based on the perceived impact (very mild, mild, moderate, and so on) of elements such as violence, sex, and themes related to social issues including crime, racism and suicide. </p>
<p>The ratings aim to give effect to four principles listed in the <a href="https://www.classification.gov.au/about-us/legislation">National Classification Code</a>. One of those is that “minors should be protected from material likely to harm or disturb them”.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2D8qrfgcTjs?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">This film ratings promo was on many VHS and DVDs in Australia in the 2000s.</span></figcaption>
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<p>Initially there was no R18+ classification for games. </p>
<p>After <a href="https://theconversation.com/r18-classification-for-videogames-the-quest-continues-2835">intense debate</a> in the late 2000s, the adults-only classification was introduced in 2013.</p>
<h2>Flawed attempts at reform</h2>
<p>The Commonwealth referred classification law to the Australian Law Reform Commission for review in 2011. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.alrc.gov.au/inquiry/national-classification-scheme-review/">2012 report</a> revealed little about the efficacy of the scheme for families. </p>
<p>The review led to <a href="https://www.alrc.gov.au/inquiry/national-classification-scheme-review/implementation-13/">very few changes</a>. None were of any real significance for consumers.</p>
<p>Recommendations from the <a href="https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/review-of-australian-classification-regulation--may2020.pdf">latest review</a> of the scheme were submitted to the Morrison government in 2020. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/there-are-no-age-restrictions-for-gambling-in-video-games-despite-potential-risks-to-children-96115">There are no age restrictions for gambling in video games, despite potential risks to children</a>
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<p>There was no action on those until the Albanese government, in April 2023, announced a couple of fairly significant changes, such as <a href="https://minister.infrastructure.gov.au/rowland/media-release/albanese-government-outlines-key-reforms-national-classification-scheme">mandatory minimum classifications</a> for gambling-related content.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, however, useful information for families is still hard to come by. </p>
<h2>Vague terms not based in fact</h2>
<p>The current system is based entirely on “impact”, which is undefined. </p>
<p>The efficacy of the system in protecting children from harm or disturbance is diminished because it’s not based on evidence of children’s developmental needs. </p>
<p>For example, there is strong evidence that scary content <a href="https://smallscreen.org.au/september-2023-editorial/">poses risks</a> for children’s mental wellbeing.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/557946/original/file-20231107-17-2a7znm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A child plays a video game wearing headphones" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/557946/original/file-20231107-17-2a7znm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/557946/original/file-20231107-17-2a7znm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557946/original/file-20231107-17-2a7znm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557946/original/file-20231107-17-2a7znm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557946/original/file-20231107-17-2a7znm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557946/original/file-20231107-17-2a7znm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557946/original/file-20231107-17-2a7znm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">R18+ classifications were brought in for video games in 2013.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/little-boy-playing-video-game-dark-1587426013">Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>But unless it’s actually violent (which it isn’t always), you have to hope it will be picked up under the “themes”. </p>
<p>If we had an evidence-based system, scariness would be established as a separate criterion during the classification process.</p>
<p>Regarding violent content, <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1529-1006.2003.pspi_1433.x">there is evidence</a> as to which kinds pose greater risks than others.</p>
<p>But <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13218719.2021.1904446">a study</a> of the Classification Review Board’s thought processes around violence shows these are often at odds with the evidence.</p>
<p>For example, they tend to downplay “superhero violence”. </p>
<p>However, <a href="https://doi.org/10.12987/yale/9780300218879.001.0001">research</a> shows appealing perpetrators whose violence is justified are more likely to foster an attitude in viewers that violence is an appropriate way to resolve conflict.</p>
<p>The most recent review of the scheme recognised the need for an evidence-based system, but stopped short of recommending it. </p>
<h2>Overhaul needed to better guide parents</h2>
<p>Parents need reliable information to judge the suitability of content for children of different ages. </p>
<p>The G and PG ratings, for example, effectively lump everyone under 15 into a single age group. This means they don’t provide any guidance about whether or not content is suitable for any particular age group under that threshold. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/review-of-australian-classification-regulation--may2020.pdf">2020 review</a> suggested an additional category (PG13) could be appropriate. </p>
<p>This may help address the vast range of content lumped in the current PG category, but only if it was based on evidence about the developmental needs of children under 13. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/557944/original/file-20231107-22-2d6qf0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A mother, father and young boy sit on the couch eating popcorn" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/557944/original/file-20231107-22-2d6qf0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/557944/original/file-20231107-22-2d6qf0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557944/original/file-20231107-22-2d6qf0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557944/original/file-20231107-22-2d6qf0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557944/original/file-20231107-22-2d6qf0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557944/original/file-20231107-22-2d6qf0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557944/original/file-20231107-22-2d6qf0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Parents should have more of a say to make the Australian classification system more user-friendly.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/family-leisure-people-concept-happy-smiling-1658483641">Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>And even if PG13 was introduced, the system would still fail to address the differing developmental stages of children aged 1 to 12 years.</p>
<p>An overhaul of the system is needed, including a move away from “impact” to a test based on children’s developmental needs.</p>
<p>This could help support parents to make well-informed decisions for their children. The Commonwealth is obliged to do this under article 18 of the UN’s <a href="https://www.unicef.org.au/united-nations-convention-on-the-rights-of-the-child">Convention on the Rights of the Child</a>.</p>
<p>Policy-makers should also be seeking the thoughts of parents, who ultimately interact with the system most. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.classification.gov.au/about-us/research-and-publications/classification-usage-and-attitudes-2022">Previous government research</a> hasn’t focused on parents enough.</p>
<p>A 2022 report found 74% broad agreement with the statement “classification categories do not need to change”. But participants, only 30% of whom were parents or carers, were not given an alternative model for comparison. </p>
<p>We cannot know what participants would have said if they had been asked to consider other options, such as an age-based set of categories.</p>
<p>Research we are currently undertaking fills this gap. </p>
<p><a href="https://unisasurveys.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cV1sFcIAgFXa1gy">Our survey</a> informs parents and carers about the current Australian system and asks them to rate content using an evidence-informed framework.</p>
<p>It will provide important information about the usability of the scheme. Then, we can propose a model of classification that better reflects the needs of its primary users – one that is actually based on evidence.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/216004/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elizabeth Handsley is President of Children and Media Australia, the national peak non-profit organisation representing children's rights and interests as media users. In this capacity she made submissions and representations to the Stevens review of the National Classification Scheme. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Fae Heaselgrave is conducting research with Children and Media Australia about the usability of the Australian Classifications Scheme for parents and carers. </span></em></p>
We’re all familiar with a green ‘G’ or a red ‘MA’ on a movie poster, but those ratings don’t have any basis in what we know about child development. They’d be much more useful for parents if they did.
Elizabeth Handsley, Adjunct Professor of Law, Western Sydney University
Fae Heaselgrave, Lecturer in Communication and Media, University of South Australia
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/215603
2023-10-24T19:18:14Z
2023-10-24T19:18:14Z
More Bluey, less PAW Patrol: why Australian parents want locally made TV for their kids
<p>Australian kids today have greater access to screen entertainment than any generation before. Across smartphones, tablets, laptops and the old-school TV set, streaming services mean there is an endless supply of kids’ content from around the globe.</p>
<p>But as our new research shows, many Australian parents still want Australian-made content for their kids because it reflects local experiences. It also tends to balance fun with education. </p>
<h2>What is happening to Australian kids’ content?</h2>
<p>In 2020, the federal government <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-30/government-screen-funding-local-content-quotas/12716976">removed quotas</a> for local children’s television on free-to-air commercial networks. This has had a significant impact on what is available on our screens. </p>
<p>In August, the Australian Communications and Media Authority <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/aug/01/australian-made-childrens-tv-content-found-to-have-collapsed-between-2019-and-2022">found</a> Australian children’s content on commercial broadcasters had dropped by 84% between 2019 and 2022. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, with Network 10 now a subsidiary of global media conglomerate Paramount, pay TV children’s channel Nickelodeon moved from cable to <a href="https://tvblackbox.com.au/page/2023/08/01/australia-welcomes-first-premium-free-to-air-nickelodeon-channel/">free-to-air</a> in August this year. </p>
<p>So at a time when Australian kids’ content is disappearing from TV screens, hit overseas shows like PAW Patrol (a program about cartoon rescue dogs), SpongeBob SquarePants and Blaze and the Monster Machines are more available to Australian families than ever before. </p>
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<img alt="A woman lies on the couch with a remote, and a young child." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/555218/original/file-20231023-15-1lg691.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/555218/original/file-20231023-15-1lg691.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555218/original/file-20231023-15-1lg691.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555218/original/file-20231023-15-1lg691.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555218/original/file-20231023-15-1lg691.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555218/original/file-20231023-15-1lg691.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555218/original/file-20231023-15-1lg691.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">There was a huge drop in locally made children’s shows on Australian commercial TV between 2019 and 2022.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/mother-and-son-watching-tv-together-11589677/">Helena Lopes/Pexels</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
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<h2>Our research</h2>
<p>We surveyed Australian parents as part of a <a href="https://www.actcresearch.com/">broader research project</a> on Australian children’s television cultures. </p>
<p>The national survey involved 333 parents of children 14 years and under between August and October 2022. </p>
<p>We asked about how Australian families find, watch and value local kids’ TV in an era of streaming services and global distribution. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/cheese-n-crackers-concerns-deepen-for-the-future-of-australian-childrens-television-147183">Cheese 'n' crackers! Concerns deepen for the future of Australian children's television</a>
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<h2>Our findings</h2>
<p>Our research suggests Australian parents strongly value local TV content for their kids. Of those surveyed, 83% say it is important their children see Australian-made programs. As a New South Wales dad-of-one explained:</p>
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<p>[local TV] leans into our unique heritage without alienating those who have other experiences. Teaching about what it means to be Australian without creating a firm definition. </p>
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<p>When asked what characteristics make “good” Australian children’s shows, parents said relatability, positive messages and humour were key. A Queensland father described how local shows instil </p>
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<p>Australian values like fair play and helping your mate as opposed to the US-style ‘look out for number one’. </p>
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<p>Parents also explained how humour was relaxed but not crude. As a mother-of-two remarked “poop jokes are fine” – a reference to how rude moments from <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/ishabassi/bluey-pony-pooping-scene-removed-american-audiences">Bluey have been cut</a> by international distributors. </p>
<h2>Showing Australian reality on TV</h2>
<p>Perhaps unsurprisingly, parents identified Bluey as the show most watched by their youngest (65%) and oldest child (39%). </p>
<p>Most parents also highlighted education as an important feature of Australian children’s TV. Many drew contrasts with international content to make the point that Australian children’s television tends to pair education with fun and does not “talk down” to children. </p>
<p>Highlighting <a href="https://www.littlejandbigcuz.com.au">Little J & Big Cuz</a> – an animated series about two Indigenous Australian children living with their Nanna – a Tasmanian father celebrated how local kids TV </p>
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<p>doesn’t shy away from the reality that kids experience and incorporates the wide variety of ‘real Australia’ without being cliched. </p>
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<p>A mum from a Canadian-Australian household noted how, unlike overseas content, local shows such as Kangaroo Beach highlight things that are important to Australian life, such as water and sun safety. Similarly, a Melbourne mum emphasised how local specificity is important for young children.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>it can be hard to explain why we can’t get snow in the winter in Australia.</p>
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<h2>Kids are still watching TV on TV</h2>
<p>In an era of seemingly endless streaming services, we asked about the devices parents use to access children’s television. </p>
<p>A huge 95% of surveyed households still use television sets to watch children’s shows and content. But the most popular “channels” are almost exclusively streaming services, such as ABC’s video-on-demand services (93%), Netflix (73%), YouTube (66%) and Disney+ (60%). The next most popular devices were tablets (53%) and smartphones (30%), while older children often used computers (21%). </p>
<p>Streaming services without clearly demarcated “kids” sections or that are not well-known for “all-ages” entertainment were less frequently used than those with prominently placed areas for children’s programming. </p>
<p>Four times as many parents identified Disney+ as a service their children use compared to Prime Video, despite Prime Video having a similar number of Australian <a href="https://www.afr.com/companies/media-and-marketing/aussies-added-189-000-streaming-services-despite-cost-of-living-crunch-20230501-p5d4j2">subscribers</a>.</p>
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<p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/an-idealised-australian-ethos-why-bluey-is-an-audience-favourite-even-for-adults-without-kids-168571">'An idealised Australian ethos': why Bluey is an audience favourite, even for adults without kids</a>
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<h2>Safety is key</h2>
<p>We also asked parents about what features and functionality they value in streaming services. </p>
<p>They are concerned about safety, with participants identifying parental settings and controls as the most important feature of streaming services so their children don’t end up watching inappropriate content. </p>
<p>Parents also emphasised the importance of streaming services having content that can be watched together, with nine out of ten parents watching TV with their kids (usually at weekends). </p>
<p>Bluey was the show parents were most eager to watch with their children (60%) Other programs parents were happy to watch with their kids included time-tested Disney movies like The Lion King and Frozen and Australian favourites like Play School and Little Lunch – a program set in a suburban primary school. </p>
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<p>
<em>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/peppa-pig-has-introduced-a-pair-of-lesbian-polar-bears-but-aussie-kids-tv-has-been-leading-the-way-in-queer-representation-190648">Peppa Pig has introduced a pair of lesbian polar bears, but Aussie kids’ TV has been leading the way in queer representation</a>
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<h2>What now?</h2>
<p>At a time when audiences have access to shows from across the globe on multiple devices, the Australian parents in our research still value content that communicates local experiences and culture. </p>
<p>However, with protections for the Australian children’s television sector <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-19/cut-to-kids-tv-quotas-hits-local-production/100386500">removed</a> it remains to be seen how long can locals such as Bluey fend off overseas rivals like PAW Patrol. </p>
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<p><em>If you’re a parent or guardian with children up to 14 you can participate in our current research on the role of local children’s TV by taking this short <a href="https://swinuw.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_esoPSi9RUH6ScKy">survey</a>.</em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://www.actcresearch.com/">Australian Children’s Television Cultures</a> is a Swinburne University of Technology project in collaboration with RMIT University.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/215603/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Liam Burke receives funding from the Australian Children's Television Foundation (ACTF).</span></em></p>
New research finds 83% of surveyed Australian parents say it is important their children see Australian-made programs.
Liam Burke, Associate Professor and Cinema and Screen Studies Discipline Leader, Swinburne University of Technology
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/197006
2023-01-18T13:47:57Z
2023-01-18T13:47:57Z
A librarian recommends 5 fun fiction books for kids and teens featuring disabled characters
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/504976/original/file-20230117-21-ulm0kf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=34%2C0%2C5708%2C3837&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">There's a small but growing number of books for younger readers that feature main characters with disabilities.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/smiling-pupil-in-wheelchair-holding-books-royalty-free-image/486073752?adppopup=true">Wavebreakmedia/iStock/Getty Images Plus via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Disability representation is slowly increasing in books geared toward children and teens. </p>
<p>In 2019 the <a href="https://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/the-numbers-are-in-2019-ccbc-diversity-statistics/">Cooperative Children’s Book Center</a> at the University of Wisconsin-Madison – a library that allows teachers, librarians and researchers to view books before deciding which ones to buy – found that only 3.4% of books it received from publishers included a character with a disability.</p>
<p>The CCBC website recently added a <a href="https://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/diversity-statistics-book-search/">diversity statistics book search</a> with categories for physical, cognitive and psychiatric disabilities or conditions. In 2022, the center received 165 books that included a character with a disability, up from 126 in 2019.</p>
<p>As <a href="https://experts.okstate.edu/rebecca.weber">an academic librarian</a> who also has a disability, I’m happy to recommend the following five children’s books that treat disability as a part of life and living.</p>
<h2>1. Maria Gianferrari (author), Patrice Barton (illustrator), “<a href="https://www.worldcat.org/title/953843150">Hello Goodbye Dog</a>” (2017)</h2>
<p>Moose loves her girl Zara – and she hates saying goodbye. When Zara goes to school, Moose wants to go too and keeps showing up, even though dogs aren’t allowed. What will Zara, her parents, the principal, her teacher and the other kids in Zara’s class do? </p>
<p>This fun picture book is perfect for preschoolers and kindergartners. While Zara uses a wheelchair, her disability isn’t the focus of the story. Readers will have fun seeing what Moose is up to this time and learn that sometimes dogs can go to school.</p>
<h2>2. Kelly Fritsch, Anne McGuire, Eduardo Trejos, “<a href="https://www.worldcat.org/title/1143634427">We Move Together</a>” (2021)</h2>
<p>All bodies are different – whether disabled or nondisabled – and everyone matters. These are the themes of this easy reader. With its vibrant illustrations, simple text and portrayals of a wide variety of people, “We Move Together” is a great introduction to the concepts of community, disability and accessibility for readers in kindergarten through second grade, while older readers can learn more about accessibility and disability rights in the glossary.</p>
<h2>3. Darren Lebeuf, Ashley Barron, “<a href="https://worldcat.org/en/title/1204288075">My City Speaks</a>” (2021)</h2>
<p>A girl who is blind and her dad explore the city and its sounds. They wait at a crosswalk, play in the park, take a bus, avoid a rainstorm and eat ice cream. Words and pictures help the reader feel the rhythms of the city. Readers in preschool through second grade will enjoy this story because of its colorful illustrations and rhythmic text. </p>
<h2>4. Ali Stroker, Stacy Davidowitz, “<a href="https://worldcat.org/en/title/1192305488">The Chance to Fly</a>” (2021)</h2>
<p>Nat Beacon is the new girl in school with a talent for wheelchair racing, but when the 13-year-old gets the chance to audition for a summer production of the musical “Wicked,” she knows the theater is where she belongs. How does she tell her parents? </p>
<p>This novel for readers in fifth, sixth and seventh grades explores themes of independence, friendship and first love.</p>
<h2>5. Melissa See, “<a href="https://worldcat.org/en/title/1263864983">You, Me, and Our Heartstrings</a>” (2022)</h2>
<p>Daisy and Noah are two of the best musicians in their high school orchestra and dream of attending Juilliard, the prestigious performing arts school in New York City. When their performance of an original piece goes viral, they have to deal with the world’s interpretation of them and their relationship. </p>
<p>This rom-com of a novel combines disability representation with themes of friendship and romance. Great for readers in grades nine to 12. </p>
<hr>
<p>For more books featuring characters with disabilities, check out the American Library Association’s <a href="https://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/schneider-family-book-award">Schneider Family Book Award</a>. For a wide variety of diverse titles, see <a href="https://diversebooks.org/resources-old/where-to-find-diverse-books/">We Need Diverse Books</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/197006/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rebecca Weber is a member of the American Library Association and volunteers on the RUSA Accessibility Assembly and the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). </span></em></p>
Disability representation in books is an important part of diversity and inclusion.
Rebecca Weber, Associate Professor Library, Oklahoma State University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/190648
2022-09-21T20:01:18Z
2022-09-21T20:01:18Z
Peppa Pig has introduced a pair of lesbian polar bears, but Aussie kids’ TV has been leading the way in queer representation
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/485228/original/file-20220919-62030-igrjib.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C973%2C546&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Channel 5</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Peppa Pig’s first same-sex couple, a pair of lesbian polar bears, were recently introduced after <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/sep/08/peppa-pig-introduces-its-first-same-sex-couple">a petition to include a same-sex family</a> received nearly 24,000 signatures. </p>
<p>Children’s television has often been a place to push the boundaries of diverse representations onscreen. In particular, Australian children’s TV has been a global leader in screen diversity, including gender and queer representation. </p>
<p>Emmy-winning Australian series <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10614090/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_6">First Day</a> (2020-22) tells the story of a transgender girl starting high school. </p>
<p>Another Emmy-winner, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8747140/">Hardball</a> (2019-21) includes gay dads for one of the lead characters. </p>
<p>Even recent updates to The Wiggles’ line-up has placed a greater emphasis on gender diversity, including <a href="https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/music/the-wiggles-announces-four-new-band-members-with-focus-on-diversity-gender-equality/news-story/dbc914965a83332c857e7665b3639ba0">adding a non-binary unicorn</a>.</p>
<h2>Diverse representation</h2>
<p>Children’s TV is often less risk averse than programming aimed at adults. </p>
<p>The ABC is <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1329878X16687400">empowered</a> to take risks with representations of gender and sexuality in children’s programming because of its publicly funded role.</p>
<p>But such progressive portrayals can sometimes chafe with outdated expectations of children’s television. In 2004, Play School <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07380560802314128">faced controversy</a> for showing lesbian mothers.</p>
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<p>As social acceptance has progressed, Australian children’s TV has been able to achieve more queer representations.</p>
<p>Talking to the Queering Australian Screens <a href="https://djomeara.com/phd-research/">research project</a>, television professionals often praised the genre for its openness to new ideas, representations and bringing in new talent.</p>
<p>Tony Ayres, Creator of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nowhere_Boys">Nowhere Boys</a> (2013-18), observed those who commission children’s TV are “generally very open to diverse representation”.</p>
<p>This representation happens behind the scenes, too, with Ayres describing how these shows often give new talent their first credit.</p>
<p>David Hannam, who has written for several kids’ TV shows including <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dance_Academy">Dance Academy</a> (2010-13), said children’s television “has led the way”.</p>
<p>Speaking of his time at the Australian Children’s Television Foundation, Hannam noted the foundation had an “almost charter responsibility” to show diversity on screen, “with great caution and responsibility”.</p>
<p>Julie Kalceff created First Day, which starred a young trans actor, Evie McDonald, as a trans girl starting high school.</p>
<p>When she was developing the show, Kalceff shared that she was initially concerned about what would be allowed on children’s TV:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>There were no trans people on television. There were no TV shows with trans actors in the lead role. I thought there’s no way the ABC is going to do this. And there’s no way they’re going to do it with kids’ TV. But to their credit, the ABC was so supportive, and was so behind the project from the beginning.</p>
</blockquote>
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<h2>What audiences want</h2>
<p>It is not only TV producers who are eager to widen representation in children’s television. Audiences are also seeking out more inclusive content. </p>
<p>Just like Peppa Pig in the UK, there have been calls in Australia for more diversity in animated hit Bluey, with the show adding its <a href="https://10play.com.au/theproject/articles/bluey-introduces-first-auslan-signing-character-in-a-new-special-episode/tpa220616bswgm">first Auslan signing character</a> in June.</p>
<p>One of our research projects, Australian Children’s Television Cultures’ <a href="https://www.swinburne.edu.au/news/2022/05/new-research-shows-the-way-families-watch-TV-is-changing/">2021 survey</a> found 90% of Australian parents believe diverse representation is an important element of children’s TV.</p>
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<p>As one father explained:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Diversity on screen helps children learn about people with different upbringings from their own, expanding their empathy for and curiosity about other people.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In contrast to the controversy Play School received nearly 20 years ago for its inclusion of same-sex parents, a mother praised the show for “doing a fantastic job” of depicting diversity in relationships.</p>
<p>Not everyone believes Australian television is doing enough. One survey respondent praised the way shows like Bluey reflect Australian culture, but said he would “love to see more LGBT representation […] It would be nice as a kid to know you’re valid.”</p>
<h2>Uncertain futures</h2>
<p>The streaming era has changed how families and children watch TV. This raises concerns about the future of Australian children’s content. </p>
<p>The recent <a href="https://theconversation.com/cheese-n-crackers-concerns-deepen-for-the-future-of-australian-childrens-television-147183">removal of quotas</a> for Australian networks to air a minimum number of hours of children’s television, alongside the absence of quotas on streaming services, has led to <a href="https://tvtonight.com.au/2022/09/producers-slam-hypocritical-networks-as-australian-childrens-tv-plummets.html">a reduction</a> in the production of local kids’ TV. </p>
<p>From Play School to Bluey, children’s TV has reflected the richness of Australian cultural life. There is a risk that if Australian child audiences need to rely on international content, future generations will not see themselves on screen. </p>
<p>With the loss of local voices, Australian kids’ TV may also lose its ability to push boundaries of diversity and inclusion.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/cheese-n-crackers-concerns-deepen-for-the-future-of-australian-childrens-television-147183">Cheese 'n' crackers! Concerns deepen for the future of Australian children's television</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p><em>We are conducting a survey of parents and guardians with children aged up to 14 about how families watch kids’ TV in the streaming era. You can participate <a href="https://swinuw.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1YXJ1rpH2KSxNZk">here</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/190648/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Damien O'Meara is a Research Assistant for the Australian Children's Television Cultures research project at Swinburne University of Technology.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Liam Burke receives funding from the Australian Children's Television Foundation (ACTF).</span></em></p>
Australian children’s television is a leader in onscreen queer representations, due in part to its primarily cultural role.
Damien O'Meara, PhD Candidate, Media and Communications, Swinburne University of Technology
Liam Burke, Associate Professor and Cinema and Screen Studies Discipline Leader, Swinburne University of Technology
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/186184
2022-07-18T12:27:30Z
2022-07-18T12:27:30Z
Children are bombarded with violence in the news – here’s how to help them cope
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/473709/original/file-20220712-14-brwdj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5105%2C3388&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">With the ever-increasing media coverage of mass shootings in the U.S., even the youngest children are now repeatedly exposed to violent images on TV and online.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/mixed-race-girls-watching-television-royalty-free-image/155770779?adppopup=true">Blend Images/Inti St Clair/Tetra Images via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Over 100 mass shootings have taken place in the U.S. since the rampage in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, 2022. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/06/02/mass-shootings-in-2022/">Not a single week in 2022</a> has passed without at least four mass shootings. </p>
<p>With gun violence, war and other tragedies in the news, children are often exposed to scary images and information. </p>
<p>Parents and caregivers are faced with the dilemma of wondering how to speak with their children about the unspeakable. How can adults help children feel safe when imagery about tragedies abounds throughout the media?</p>
<p><a href="https://mediaschool.indiana.edu/people/profile.html?p=nicomart">We</a> are <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Y8kCgXEAAAAJ&hl=en">communication scholars</a> who specialize in children and media. We have extensively studied <a href="https://doi.org/10.23860/JMLE-2021-13-3-8">children’s views</a> of and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2958.2011.01417.x">responses to</a> violence in the media. Our research findings and those of other scholars offer insights into how news can contribute to children’s fears and on how to help children cope. </p>
<h2>Surrounded by news and information</h2>
<p>In an era of 24-hour news coverage, it is likely that children will come across disturbing news content. For some kids, this exposure is deliberate. Teenagers report that they find it important to follow current events. And <a href="https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/research/report/2019_cs-sm_summarytoplines_release.pdf">more than half of teens get their news from social media</a> and slightly fewer get their news from YouTube. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17482798.2018.1548366">Children under 12</a> show little interest in the news, yet many still encounter it. Young children’s news exposure is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/01463373.2012.669340">almost always accidental</a>, either through <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1527476416652692">background television viewing</a> or through family discussions of current events. </p>
<p>No matter how much parents or caregivers try to shield children, then, they are likely to come upon the news. </p>
<h2>The news as a catalyst for fear</h2>
<p>Several studies have examined children’s fear responses to news. Six months after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, Boston-area <a href="https://doi.org/10.1542%2Fpeds.2013-4115">parents reported</a> that children who viewed more news coverage on the day of the attack were more likely to display symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, have behavior problems and show hyperactivity and/or inattention than children who watched less news. </p>
<p>More recently, an <a href="http://www.br-online.de/jugend/izi/english/publication/televizion/33_2020_E/Goetz_Mendel_Lemish-Children_COVID-19_and_the_media.pdf">international survey</a> of over 4,000 9-to-13-year-olds from 42 countries found that over half of the children were scared by news stories about the COVID-19 pandemic. </p>
<p>Fear and anxiety can also be spurred by exposure to news events that are more commonplace. In a 2012 study of elementary school children in California, nearly half of them said <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/01463373.2012.669340">they saw something on the news that made them scared</a>. The news stories that were most frequently mentioned were natural disasters, kidnappings and burglaries. </p>
<p>Sadly, we live in a country where gun violence is common. A 2022 study found that children’s exposure to news coverage of mass shootings not only made them afraid for their personal safety, but was correlated with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/15205436.2021.1996609">the belief that their school and society at large were dangerous</a>. </p>
<p>Whether catastrophic or common, fear reactions endure. A survey of college students found that 50% of them <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0093650211422538">could remember a specific news story</a> that they had seen during childhood that frightened, worried or upset them. The effects included feeling scared and being unable to sleep. And 7% of participants said they were still frightened of that event at their present college age. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">How to talk with kids about tragedies and traumatic events.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Age of the child matters</h2>
<p>Clearly, media can frighten children and adolescents. But <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/hcre.12069">decades of research</a> show that fright-inducing content does not affect all children the same way. Young children demonstrate what researchers call “perceptual dependence,” which means that they react to stimuli in terms of what those stimuli look, sound or feel like. </p>
<p>This often comes as a surprise to parents, but it helps explain why preschoolers may cry when they see movie characters like the Grinch or E.T. Preschool children are more likely to be frightened by something that looks scary but is actually harmless than by something that looks attractive but is truly harmful. </p>
<p>As children mature, they develop the capacity to be frightened by abstract threats. Studies of children’s reactions to <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Desert-Storm-Media-Hampton-Communication/dp/1881303349">news coverage of wars</a> show that although children of all ages are affected, younger kids respond mainly to the visual aspects of coverage such as homes torn apart, whereas older children are more responsive to abstract aspects such as fears that the conflict will spread. </p>
<h2>How to help children cope</h2>
<p>Just as age affects how children absorb the news, age also influences which strategies are most effective in helping children cope. Noncognitive strategies typically involve avoidance or distraction. Closing one’s eyes, holding on to an attachment object, leaving the room or avoiding news altogether are examples. These strategies work best with younger children.</p>
<p>Cognitive strategies require the child to think about whatever is frightening them in a different way, with an adult often providing a verbal explanation to help. These strategies work <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2015-46439-006">best with older children</a>. When dealing with depictions of fantasy, for example, a cognitive strategy that is quite effective is reminding children that what they see “is not real.” </p>
<p>Unfortunately, mass shootings are real. In these cases, the adult can emphasize that the news event is over, that it was far away or that such events are rare. Providing a reassuring message – that the child is safe and loved – <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17482798.2011.558261">also helps</a>. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Mental health experts say parents need to initiate age-appropriate conversations with their children about mass shootings.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Recommendations for the youngest kids</h2>
<p>For kids under 7, it is critical to limit exposure to the news. Watching a tragedy on the news can include graphic images and sounds. Very young children will not understand that what they see are replays of the same event and not another tragedy happening again. </p>
<p>Reassure the child. Kids at this age are most worried about their personal safety. It’s important to make them feel safe, even when the adults themselves are worried, as studies show that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/pai.13660">fear is contagious</a>. </p>
<p>Distraction is also helpful. Although it is important to listen and not downplay concerns, doing something fun together that takes a child’s mind off what is happening can go a long way. </p>
<h2>How to help kids in the 8-12 range</h2>
<p>For kids between the ages of 8 and 12, it is still important to limit exposure. Admittedly this is more challenging as children age. But making a concerted effort to turn off the news is helpful, especially if the child is sensitive. </p>
<p>Talk about news. If kids go online, try to go with them. Consider setting URLs to open to nonnews portals. </p>
<p>Be available for conversation. Ask kids about what they know. Correct any misconceptions with facts. Listen carefully and ask what questions kids have, and then respond honestly with a focus on the basics. Reassure children that they’re safe and that it is OK to feel upset. </p>
<p>Do something to help. Consider ways to help survivors and their loved ones. </p>
<h2>Dialing in with teens’ needs</h2>
<p>When it comes to teens, it is critically important to check in. In all likelihood, teens learn of news events independent of their parents. But parents and caregivers should offer to talk with them to get a sense of what they know about the situation. This also gives the adult an opportunity to listen to underlying fears and offer insights. Again, try to address concerns without dismissing or minimizing them. </p>
<p>Help teens develop news literacy. If parents or caregivers disagree with how a news event is portrayed in the media, they should discuss this with their child. Emphasizing that there can be misinformation, repetition or exaggeration might help teens put tragic events into a wider perspective.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/186184/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
The unending stream of violence on news and entertainment programming can have a negative impact on kids of all ages.
Nicole Martins, Associate Professor of Communication Science, Indiana University
Erica Scharrer, Professor of Communication, UMass Amherst
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/175292
2022-01-20T12:50:19Z
2022-01-20T12:50:19Z
BBC licence fee – could scrapping it be the end of public service broadcasting in the UK?
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/441695/original/file-20220120-13-b8s0yf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=53%2C0%2C5079%2C3417&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-home-screen-of-bbc-iplayer-catchup-tv-streaming-service-on-iphone-94592293.html?pv=1&stamp=2&imageid=33C8AA36-AF3C-4E9B-B652-133DA81430E3&p=5379&n=0&orientation=0&pn=1&searchtype=0&IsFromSearch=1&srch=foo%3dbar%26st%3d0%26pn%3d1%26ps%3d100%26sortby%3d2%26resultview%3dsortbyPopular%26npgs%3d0%26qt%3dbbc%26qt_raw%3dbbc%26lic%3d3%26mr%3d0%26pr%3d0%26ot%3d0%26creative%3d%26ag%3d0%26hc%3d0%26pc%3d%26blackwhite%3d%26cutout%3d%26tbar%3d1%26et%3d0x000000000000000000000%26vp%3d0%26loc%3d0%26imgt%3d0%26dtfr%3d%26dtto%3d%26size%3d0xFF%26archive%3d1%26groupid%3d%26pseudoid%3d803708%26a%3d%26cdid%3d%26cdsrt%3d%26name%3d%26qn%3d%26apalib%3d%26apalic%3d%26lightbox%3d%26gname%3d%26gtype%3d%26xstx%3d0%26simid%3d%26saveQry%3d%26editorial%3d%26nu%3d%26t%3d%26edoptin%3d%26customgeoip%3dGB%26cap%3d1%26cbstore%3d1%26vd%3d0%26lb%3d%26fi%3d2%26edrf%3d0%26ispremium%3d1%26flip%3d0%26pl%3d">Iain Masterton/Alamy</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>UK culture secretary, Nadine Dorries, recently announced that the BBC’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2022/jan/18/bbc-licence-fee-freeze-funding-gap-programmes-services-tim-davie">licence fee</a> is to be frozen for two years and that a new funding mechanism for the corporation will follow after 2027. This statement created shockwaves within the media industry and beyond. Many accused the government’s move of being sheer cultural vandalism and the destruction of a global brand. </p>
<p>The announcement was followed by a statement in the House of Commons, during which there was, perhaps, a change of tack as Dorries <a href="https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2022-01-17/debates/7E590668-43C9-43D8-9C49-9D29B8530977/BBCFunding?highlight=licence%20fee#contribution-6AF6C93F-01FC-44E9-B28B-61D7C8F0FAB">stated</a>: “It is not a policy; we are announcing a debate and a discussion”, suggesting that no decision had been made on abolishing the licence fee.</p>
<p>Many have seen the announcement as a political knee-jerk reaction, a diversionary tactic even, in the current political climate where the prime minister appears to be <a href="https://theconversation.com/boris-johnson-polling-is-now-so-bad-that-it-makes-sense-for-conservative-mps-to-get-rid-of-him-175255">fighting for his political career</a>. This comes following a spate of revelations concerning Conservative Party parties during lockdown. </p>
<p>But the licence fee announcement needs to be seen as part of a wider legacy in which the government has questioned the relevance of the whole idea of Public Service Broadcasting (PSB) and its role in the 21st century. </p>
<h2>Previous attempts at change</h2>
<p>At the end of 2020, then culture secretary, Oliver Dowden, asked whether or not PSB was “fit for purpose” and whether we still <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-uk-public-broadcasting-still-fit-for-purpose-in-the-digital-age-150298">needed public service broadcasters at all</a>. In October 2019, his predecessor, Nicky Morgan, hinted that the licence fee would be replaced with a <a href="https://theconversation.com/bbc-licence-fee-culture-minister-hints-at-a-future-in-competition-with-netflix-for-uk-public-broadcaster-125469">Netflix-style subscription charge</a>.</p>
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<p>We can go back even further to a pre-multi-channel age when Margaret Thatcher’s government established a <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/sir-alan-peacock-british-economist-who-also-chaired-the-peacock-committee-on-the-financing-of-the-bbc-in-the-1980s-9647924.html">committee to consider the future funding of the BBC</a>. Alternative funding models were debated – advertising being one of Thatcher’s preferred option in place of the licence fee – but all were ultimately dismissed as unworkable and unfeasible.</p>
<p>The alternative models of funding – subscription (how do you put radio stations behind a paywall?), advertising (not good given the competition for dwindling advertising revenue), a direct government grant (how many broadcasters would bite the hand that feeds them?) – are all problematic.</p>
<p>So in many ways, this latest announcement follows in a long line of attempts to rattle the BBC’s cages by governments who may feel under threat or who feel that the corporation needs radical reform. </p>
<h2>The impact on the BBC</h2>
<p>The BBC isn’t perfect – even its most ardent supporters would, I’m sure, agree. However, freezing and then withdrawing the licence fee will have a number of implications.</p>
<p>There will inevitably be an impact on the range of services that the BBC can offer as a public service broadcaster. The “assured source of funding” that was established in the early days of the BBC under Lord Reith, has allowed it to take risks, to provide access to all, importantly including minority audiences. The BBC’s director-general, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2022/jan/18/bbc-licence-fee-freeze-funding-gap-programmes-services-tim-davie">Tim Davie</a> has said in response to a question on the possible culling of channels, that everything is on the agenda – nothing can be ruled out. </p>
<p>With an estimated loss of close to £300m, what the BBC can offer will suffer. High-end quality drama, factual programming, news and current affairs – with local journalism undoubtedly suffering. The BBC’s provision for children and young people could also be hit. Its CBeebies and CBBC channels provide popular, original British content. The broadcaster’s educational Bitesize content is also a much relied upon resource for teachers, school-age children and their parents. </p>
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<p>And it’s not only the in-house produced content that would suffer, but commissioned programmes and series from the independent production sector would also face cuts, thereby jeopardising one of the UK’s key sectors, the creative industries.</p>
<p>In my small corner of the world, the licence fee announcement also has implications for Welsh and Welsh-language (and Gaelic) broadcasting. The BBC will be the sole funder of the Welsh-language television channel, S4C, when the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) grant is ended. Although the government announced that it was providing an additional £7.5m for the channel, that needs to be balanced with the £300m loss to the BBC. The BBC also provides the only Welsh-language radio service, Radio Cymru. These services could not be run on commercial lines, underlining the importance of PSB in Wales. </p>
<p>In a wider political context too, this latest announcement has fuelled the debate over devolving broadcasting powers to Wales.</p>
<p>In December 2021, the Welsh Labour Government and Plaid Cymru announced a new <a href="https://gov.wales/co-operation-agreement-full-policy-programme-html">Co-operation Agreement</a>, which outlined a number of policy commitments over the next three years. Among the policies the Welsh government proposes is a new shadow Broadcasting and Communications Authority, which would draw up plans for the devolution of broadcasting and communications powers. What remains unclear, however, is what devolving broadcasting would entail - and it could be quite a battle as the UK government would need to agree to any demands coming from Wales.</p>
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<p>In the light of Dorries’ statement on the licence fee, the First Minister of Wales suggested that the announcement strengthened the argument for the devolution of broadcasting powers – currently residing in the DCMS – to the Senedd (Welsh parliament). </p>
<p>Some may argue that this is a storm in a teacup. Others might say that on current form, the BBC licence fee may outlast the current culture minister. However if, as expected, the licence fee is frozen at current levels and is subsequently replaced by a different system, we can be sure that the broadcasting ecology of the UK will change radically and that this could herald the end of public service broadcasting as we know it.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/175292/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jamie Medhurst receives funding from The Leverhulme Trust</span></em></p>
What could the British public lose when the BBC licence is pulled?
Jamie Medhurst, Reader in Film, Television and Media, Aberystwyth University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/167695
2021-09-10T05:04:01Z
2021-09-10T05:04:01Z
Round the Twist’s fans grew up – and their love for the show grew with them
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/420418/original/file-20210910-21-wi4asv.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=3%2C1%2C1273%2C716&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Australian Children's Television Foundation</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Australian kids’ TV show Round the Twist gained an international following when it was first broadcast in 1989-1990. Broadcast over four seasons up until 2001, young audiences were thrilled by the supernatural adventures of the lighthouse-dwelling Twist family. </p>
<p>As its original fans have grown up, a veritable cottage industry has emerged around Round the Twist nostalgia. </p>
<p>There is an <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/realthing/what-happened-to-bronson-from-round-the-twist/7772866">ABC podcast</a> devoted to tracking down the child actor who played Bronson in season one. A <a href="https://talesfromthetwists.wordpress.com/">recap podcast</a> covers each episode. Buzzfeed is filled with pieces such as “<a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/caitlinjinks/wtf-moments-from-round-the-twist">21 Of The Most WTF Moments From Round The Twist</a>”. </p>
<p>In 2016, Netflix promoted one of its most successful Original series, Stranger Things, with a trailer <a href="https://www.facebook.com/NetflixANZ/videos/when-stranger-things-happen-are-you-going-round-the-twist/1322548944445647/">in the style of the Round the Twist title sequence</a>, including the iconic theme song. In creating this mash-up trailer, Netflix acknowledged the intergenerational appeal of these two often creepy dark fantasy shows.</p>
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<p>In 2017, the Sydney Story Company <a href="https://www.actf.com.au/news/10401/round-the-twist-s-bronsons-to-be-reunited-for-cinema-screening-in-sydney">staged a special cinema screening</a> of Round the Twist featuring live commentary from two of the three actors who played Bronson. In 2018, the UK’s largest supermarket chain, Sainsbury’s, used the show’s theme song <a href="https://www.tvadmusic.co.uk/2018/10/sainsburys-halloween-2018/">for their Halloween advertisements</a>. The Australian band Tinpan Orange regularly perform a plaintive, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbZKrnXOfGc">haunting version of the song.</a> </p>
<p>Earlier this year, every episode was released on Netflix Australia; and now a stage musical adaptation <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/sep/07/round-the-twist-australian-childrens-tv-show-to-become-stage-musical">has been announced</a>.</p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-when-television-hosts-take-their-shows-home-they-fuel-nostalgia-136240">Friday essay: when television hosts take their shows home they fuel nostalgia</a>
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<h2>Horror, but for children</h2>
<p>The production house for Round the Twist, the Australian Children’s Television Foundation, <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/jennaguillaume/the-oral-history-of-round-the-twist">had to fight</a> to find a home for this horror-inflected children’s show. According to ACTF founder and the show’s producer Patricia Edgar, one French company who was in discussions to co-finance the show called it “<a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/jennaguillaume/the-oral-history-of-round-the-twist">disgusting”</a>. </p>
<p>Round the Twist is remembered as a challenging, subversive show: one that combines horror, dark fantasy and the grotesque. Ghosts make frequent spooky appearances, but ultimately turn out to be friendly spirits needing the family’s help to finish their business and move on. </p>
<p>Skeletons come to life; Santa Claus becomes “Santa Claws”; love spells go wrong; and monsters really do live under the bed.</p>
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<p>The show has evidently left a lasting impact on its former child viewers. Horror and dark fantasy for children often leaves an impression: TV tends to be how young viewers first encounter these genres.</p>
<h2>New life through nostalgia</h2>
<p>Round the Twist is what media scholar Kathleen Loock describes as a <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1527476417742971">“dormant” TV show</a>: shows that continue to be meaningful to the original audience or find new audiences long after they go off the air. </p>
<p>These dormant shows are a key part of <a href="https://theconversation.com/in-my-end-is-my-beginning-why-tv-streaming-services-love-exploiting-your-nostalgia-50765">Netflix’s business model</a>, and part of <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1057/9781137375889_1">the contemporary nostalgia wave</a> operating across television and the internet.</p>
<p>Because Netflix is not dependent on high ratings or constricted by limited airtime, they can afford to license long-cancelled series like Round the Twist. Their hope is previous fans will re-watch the show and post about it on social media, attracting more subscribers. </p>
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<p>By hosting these shows, Netflix is able to attract adult viewers who find the nostalgia appealing; but also adults who now have children of their own, and who want to introduce their children to shows they loved as a child. </p>
<p>Round the Twist is joined on the platform by other 1990s shows like Goosebumps and Spellbinder, and other series – like Lost in Space, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and the Baby-Sitters Club – have been rebooted with a 21st century spin, soliciting an <a href="https://cstonline.net/family-watch-together-tv-netflix-and-the-dark-intergenerational-fantasy-by-djoymi-baker-jessica-balanzategui-and-diana-sandars">intergenerational conversation</a> between existing adult and young new fans. </p>
<p>Nostalgia has also proven a potent tool in launching stage musicals. Simon Phillips, who is slated to direct Round the Twist, also directed the stage musical adaptations of Muriel’s Wedding in 2017, and Priscilla Queen of the Desert in 2006.</p>
<p>Just as Round the Twist’s release on Netflix caused a stir, nostalgia will surely draw in the crowds to the musical: the producers already have the advantage of the beloved theme song to entice fans who first watched the show more than 30 years ago - as well as a whole new generation who have discovered it on streaming.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/muriels-wedding-the-musical-is-a-deeply-satisfying-tribute-to-australias-most-loved-dag-87855">Muriel's Wedding: the Musical is a deeply satisfying tribute to Australia's most-loved dag</a>
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<p><em>Our research project, Australian Children’s Television Cultures, aims to find out more about the kids’ TV shows we remember. <a href="https://swinuw.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2nLAOj9X5VUfPvw">Let us know</a> which shows from your childhood have stuck in your mind the most. You can also follow us <a href="https://twitter.com/_actc_">on Twitter</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/167695/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jessica Balanzategui receives funding from the Australian Children's Television Foundation.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Djoymi Baker receives funding from the Australian Children's Television Foundation (ACTF)</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Joanna McIntyre receives funding from The Australian Children's Television Foundation (ACTF). </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Liam Burke receives funding from the Australian Children's Television Foundation (ACTF)</span></em></p>
A stage musical adaptation is just the newest addition to the cottage industry which is Round The Twist nostalgia.
Jessica Balanzategui, Senior Lecturer in Cinema and Screen Studies, Swinburne University of Technology
Djoymi Baker, Lecturer in Cinema Studies, RMIT University
Joanna McIntyre, Lecturer in Media Studies, Swinburne University of Technology
Liam Burke, Associate Professor and Cinema and Screen Studies Discipline Leader, Swinburne University of Technology
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/157360
2021-03-19T15:53:28Z
2021-03-19T15:53:28Z
Waffles and Mochi: why children’s food shows need to focus on healthy eating
<p>Michelle Obama’s new TV show, <a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/81035680">Waffles and Mochi</a>, aimed at young children, is a fabulous idea. The idea is to show children where food comes from and some ways of cooking it from scratch – instead of just buying pre-made meals from the supermarket.</p>
<p>How a child eats can have a serious impact on their overall health and wellbeing throughout life. So, children should be encouraged to enjoy a healthy lifestyle, and to eat a varied diet that is rich in nutrients. And their parents should be made aware of meeting <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK109829/">dietary requirements</a> in a way that supports a long and healthy life. Habits learned at a young age, such as healthy eating, have been proven to carry <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2678872/">through to adulthood</a>. </p>
<p>I am extremely passionate about educating children (and their parents) about good nutrition. A part of this is encouraging them to cook and try new foods, which are nutritious and beneficial to them. Children are like <a href="https://theirworld.org/news/early-learning-sets-up-young-children-for-life#:%7E:text=Their%20brains%20are%20developing%20faster,child's%20brain%20is%2090%25%20developed.&text=%22Children%2C%20especially%20in%20the%20early,actively%20making%20sense%20of%20it.%22">little sponges</a>. They require stimulation and encouragement to soak up information and learn by experience. So a bright and entertaining TV show that also informs is a great idea.</p>
<h2>Where food is from</h2>
<p>Waffles and Mochi are two puppets who are determined to learn to cook and prepare fresh meals after living on a pretty terrible diet of ice cream. They travel the world in their magical flying shopping cart and meet celebrity chefs, including Jose Andres from Spain and Massimo Bottura from Italy. The series has some inspirational ideas and is excellent in introducing children and adults to different cultures and foods. </p>
<p>I believe that television is an effective teaching tool, which is not always used to its best advantage. Young children will sit and watch and <a href="https://mediasmarts.ca/television/good-things-about-television#:%7E:text=Television%20offers%20lots%20of%20benefits,share%20cultural%20experiences%20with%20others.&text=Television%20can%20teach%20kids%20important,children's%20socialization%20and%20learning%20skills.">take on board what they see and hear</a>, especially if the show includes fast-moving action, lively music and colourful animation. It can also teach important values and life lessons. And, if used appropriately and of good quality, TV shows can create powerful messages.</p>
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<p>So it’s good that Waffles and Mochi are never put off by the foods they come across on their travels. Instead, they are always up for giving them a try – a great example for some fussy eaters. They also say out loud what they are experiencing. So for example, one may like the taste but not the texture.</p>
<p>Advice for parents of picky eaters is to avoid being anxious and instead <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/kids-and-food_b_1778559">always be positive</a>. Leading by example, like Mochi and Waffles, is a great way to do this.</p>
<p>Teaching children about where their food is from is also brilliant. It educates children that food is not just from a shelf in the supermarket or the nearest takeaway. </p>
<p>However, having watched a few episodes, I was concerned the show didn’t do enough to encourage as healthy a diet as possible. For instance, in one episode sugar was added to tomatoes. Yet there are other ways of making tomatoes taste sweeter, such as roasting them, that don’t involve an ingredient most countries are trying <a href="https://www.dental-tribune.com/news/countries-across-the-world-seek-to-reduce-sugar-consumption/">to reduce consumption</a> of.</p>
<p>In another episode, the focus is salt. Although it was suggested that salt should be added in moderation, the overarching message to children was that you needed salt to make the food taste better. While adding salt when cooking is very common, the reality is most people eat too much of it. So dedicating a whole episode to it doesn’t really fit with a message of encouraging healthy eating when, again, there are global initiatives to <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0130247">reduce our salt intake</a>. </p>
<h2>TV shows as teaching tools</h2>
<p>Programmes featuring healthy foods can be an important ingredient in supporting children to make healthier food choices throughout life. A study carried out in the Netherlands found that children who watched television programmes with healthy foods were <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200103141049.htm">more likely to choose healthy options for snacks</a>.</p>
<p>Waffles and Mochi is an excellent platform, widely available across the world, which could <a href="https://study.com/academy/lesson/how-nutrition-impacts-early-childhood-development.html">educate children about what foods are good</a> and what their health benefits are, alongside where they come from. For example, tomatoes are an excellent source of vitamins and minerals and have <a href="https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/273031">many health benefits</a>(while adding sugar can counteract this).</p>
<p>Our children’s health should be of prime concern and good and healthy habits need to be instilled as early in life as possible. Children are still eating too many calories, including sugar, and often the wrong foods and so parents need to be provided with the correct knowledge and information to <a href="https://theconversation.com/search/result?sg=47026a19-7c7c-4173-9aa2-1d70daa57a7e&sp=1&sr=1&url=%2Fwe-are-feeding-our-toddlers-a-risky-diet-heres-what-we-should-do-about-it-56385">support their child’s health and wellbeing</a>. With the continuing rise in <a href="https://theconversation.com/search/result?sg=47026a19-7c7c-4173-9aa2-1d70daa57a7e&sp=1&sr=7&url=%2Fchildhood-obesity-plan-forgets-about-babies-and-toddlers-64178">childhood obesity</a> it is a subject which needs serious consideration. </p>
<p>Waffles and Mochi certainly has inspired some thought and no doubt will hopefully encourage children (and adults) to cook and try new food as well as igniting their interest in foods from around the world. But the show could go further to <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/michelle-obama-aims-to-give-a-million-meals-in-new-campaign-michelle-obama-barack-obama-walmart-netflix-roman-b1817912.html">encourage children to eat more healthily</a> in the way Michelle Obama has become known for.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/157360/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hazel Flight does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Michelle Obama’s fun new show is great for teaching children where food comes from but misses an opportunity.
Hazel Flight, Programme Lead Nutrition and Health, Edge Hill University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/153102
2021-01-21T18:50:30Z
2021-01-21T18:50:30Z
The subtle sophistication of Bluey’s soundtrack helped propel it to stardom
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/379642/original/file-20210119-20-c0gfhs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C1880%2C802&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">ABC/IMDB</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Bluey is easily the most successful Australian television show of the last decade. A <a href="https://www.mediaweek.com.au/tv-week-backs-bluey-for-the-cover-as-show-sets-audience-records/">record-breaking success</a> for its local broadcaster the ABC, as well as production partners BBC Studios and Screen Australia, Bluey <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1367877920941869">now has a global stage</a> via Disney. </p>
<p>There are many factors behind Bluey’s success, including beautiful animation, nuanced storytelling, and insightful reflections of family life. One element that is integral but not spoken about enough is the show’s music. </p>
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<p>Many children’s programs approach music and sound with a directness and lack of complication — think Play School’s wonderfully simple piano.</p>
<p>Bluey is distinct because it sounds rich and intertextual. Finally, fans of the Bluey sound can appreciate it fully, with the <a href="https://music.apple.com/us/album/bluey-the-album/1539376375">soundtrack</a> released today. </p>
<p>Composer Joff Bush and his colleagues have created a world of original and repurposed works that develop characters, plot and narrative across episodes. The music, like the visuals, provides hooks to keep audiences of all ages engaged. </p>
<p>Here are three musical signatures to listen for: </p>
<h2>1. The opening theme</h2>
<p>The best television themes of any genre set the mood and expectation of the show, as well as introducing the characters. In this case, the tune literally tells us who’s coming, singing “Mum! Dad! Bluey! Bingo!” along with the characters on screen.</p>
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<p>Bush’s musical economy is brilliant, immediately setting the mood for the show. The theme instantly indicates something childlike with the melodica, an instrument second only to the recorder in the way it recalls primary school music rooms. The melody dances up and down the scale as the show’s characters dance on screen, punctuated with the delightful roll call of names and the show’s title.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/tvs-top-ten-ear-worms-from-a-television-tragic-63705">TV's top ten ear worms, from a television tragic</a>
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<p>The new soundtrack album features three versions of the show’s opening theme tune, including an extended version and an instrument parade, adding a list of instruments for listeners to respond to. After “Mum!, Dad! Bingo! Bluey!” come new calls, like “violins!” and “trumpet!”.</p>
<h2>2. Character themes</h2>
<p>In an early episode, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9378024/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2">Grannies</a>, Bluey and Bingo dress up as grannies “Rita” and “Janet” to keep themselves amused while their parents complete household chores. </p>
<p>With Bush’s character theme for the girls’ dress ups, the episode becomes something more than a story of play and distraction. The music is catchy, but also cheeky and a bit naughty, setting up the episode to sound more like a mainstream sitcom than a children’s show.</p>
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<p>The Grannies theme works in short sharp bursts throughout the episode, similar to American sitcom soundtracks — like the quirky wonderfulness David Schwartz brought to <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0367279/">Arrested Development</a> (2003-19) — and the unusual (and funny) tempo and instrument combinations used by Ronny Hazelhurst BBC comedies like <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069634/">Some Mothers Do ‘Ave 'Em</a> (1973-78) and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066721/">The Two Ronnies</a> (1971-87). </p>
<p>Throughout the series, Bush’s music isn’t simply used as colour. Instead, Bluey uses music to advance story, place and character. The grannies theme comes and goes as Bluey and Bingo move in and out of their fantasy world, and returns in a later episode where the girls play the game again. </p>
<p>Using the soundtrack in this way rewards adult viewers who know this screen soundtrack recall technique: the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNv5sPu0C1E">Imperial March</a> is sonic shorthand for everything Darth Vader; Isobel Waller-Bridge’s <a href="https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/phoebe-waller-bridge-sister-composer-isobel/">choral theme</a> for the Priest in season two of <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5687612/">Fleabag</a> (2016-19).</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/making-up-games-is-more-important-than-you-think-why-bluey-is-a-font-of-parenting-wisdom-118583">'Making up games is more important than you think': why Bluey is a font of parenting wisdom</a>
</strong>
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<h2>3. Classical references</h2>
<p>Bluey’s season two finale, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12539164/?ref_=fn_al_tt_3">Sleepytime</a>, was named by the New York Times as one of the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/17/arts/television/best-tv-episodes.html">Best Television Episodes of 2020</a>. </p>
<p>Mum puts little sister Bingo to bed by reading a bedtime story about space, followed by a dream sequence where the solar system story comes to life.</p>
<p>In this episode, Bush uses <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0Fx24Xzc3U">Gustav Holst’s Jupiter</a> as the main theme. The music instantly takes us out of the normal Bluey world, supporting the visuals as Bingo leaves earth, too.</p>
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<p>The scale of the orchestrated sounds reflects the scale of the story of the child and parenting learning to leave each other at night. The soundtrack also serves a musical joke — what sounds like the solar system but Holst? </p>
<p>Other episodes also use existing music in nuanced ways. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13423316/">Ice Cream</a> references Fantasia with a hilarious appearance of Tchaikovsky’s Waltz of the Flowers as the girls twirl around dripping ice cream cones; <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12587806/?ref_=fn_al_tt_3">Fancy Restaurant</a> uses Vivaldi’s Spring for atmosphere as the girls create a well-meaning (but doomed) date night for their parents; <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8865002/">The Magic Xylophone</a> uses Mozart’s Ronda Alla Turca for a game of musical statues.</p>
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<p>Much of Bluey’s success is in the way it is designed for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PeVUu-uT00">children and adults</a> watching together. In Bush’s composition, children are given original and iconic music that satisfies story and character in a way that is new to them, while older viewers are given musical reminders of a variety cultural favourites from television and film. </p>
<p>Of course, the genius of Bluey is that all audiences can pick up any of the musical clues at any time, with repeat viewing revealing more and more.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/153102/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Liz Giuffre does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
The genius of Bluey isn’t just in its characters and stories of family life. The hit show’s soundtrack sets the mood, plays with the narrative and draws on classical scores.
Liz Giuffre, Senior Lecturer in Communication, University of Technology Sydney
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/153139
2021-01-13T12:29:39Z
2021-01-13T12:29:39Z
BBC’s lockdown educational programming is way better than the dull fare of yesteryear
<p>Schools are closed and parents face the dreaded task of homeschooling while juggling work and domestic responsibilities. Hoping to help, the BBC is airing <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-55591821">several hours of educational programming</a> each day throughout the lockdown for both primary and secondary school students.</p>
<p>As someone from the baby boomer generation, born in the mid-1960s, the BBC’s Schools programming was the only thing you could watch in the morning if you were off school sick. I remember it was pretty dull stuff, probably not helped by our small black and white rental TV set. </p>
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<p>Education programming was a mainstay of the morning television schedule from the 1960s until the late 1980s when <a href="https://www.bbc.com/historyofthebbc/anniversaries/october/launch-of-daytime-television">daytime TV</a> as we understand it today began. <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/historyofthebbc/research/educating-the-nation">Special broadcasts for schools</a> began on BBC radio as early as 1924 and moved to television in 1957. Schools broadcasting was one of the few BBC programming departments, along with children’s, to have several <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/women-top-jobs-michael-fogarty-allen-isobel-allen-patricia-walters/10.4324/9781315276533">senior female staff</a>, at a time when women were under-represented across the broadcaster. <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03sdc7p/p03sdb16">Mary Somerville</a> was the first director of schools broadcasting, appointed in 1929. </p>
<h2>Why education programmes matter</h2>
<p>The BBC’s current initiative to broadcast education programmes is a timely revival. Education is a pillar of the BBC’s <a href="https://www.bbc.com/aboutthebbc/governance/mission">public service remit</a> to inform, educate and entertain, devised by <a href="https://www.bbc.com/historyofthebbc/research/directors-general/john-reith">Lord Reith</a>, the first director general of the BBC. It is also a clever way of repurposing existing content in a manner that is both public spirited and economically expedient. The venture plays well politically at a time when the future of the BBC is under scrutiny, with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2020/nov/10/facebook-executive-on-panel-to-advise-on-uk-broadcasting-rules">discussions around</a> the level of the licence fee underway. </p>
<p>Much of the schools content that will be broadcast on children’s channel CBBC and on BBC Two in the next few weeks was produced during the first lockdown last year by the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2020/bitesize-daily">BBC Bitesize team</a> and was originally available online only – something the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2020/bbc-launches-biggest-education-offer-ever">press releases</a> around the initiative have failed to highlight. </p>
<p>Ironically, broadcasting the shows on the “old media” of TV is what is new. This choice is also democratic, however. There is a stark <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/digitaldivide">digital divide</a> in this country, which the pandemic has exposed. An estimated <a href="https://www.broadbandchoices.co.uk/news/tv/1-3-million-uk-households-dont-have-a-tv-01099">140,000 UK families with young children</a> do not have a TV, while <a href="https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/2020/08/18/children-without-internet-access-during-lockdown/">over a million children</a> have no home access to a computer or tablet. </p>
<p>This is a win-win situation for the BBC, since far fewer children have no access to a terrestrial television than lack a good broadband connection or different devices that can access the internet at any one time. Meanwhile, the sensible scheduling of content with different time slots for each age group means there are no conflicting broadcasts. </p>
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<h2>Getting the lessons right</h2>
<p>The key to successful educational programming is getting the tone right and making it fun. The BBC’s early experiments into schooling the nation did not always succeed because the overly academic content sometimes failed to engage children. </p>
<p>Programming for the current generation of both primary and secondary children has to be pitched in a way that makes it compete for their attention against the likes of social media and streamed content. Sampling some of the programmes, I was struck by the bright colours of the simple sets, which instantly (and cost-effectively) gave a feeling of positivity. This was combined with energetic, diverse, cheery presenters who were constantly enthusiastic, with a permanent smile on their faces no matter what the subject matter was. </p>
<p>There was singing and dancing to reinforce learning points, and lots of animations that were as colourful as the studio. Including actual teachers lent credibility, and inserts from well-known presenters and celebrities in their own homes reading stories or responding to challenges, added a touch of showbiz glamour. <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000jy8k">The Celebrity Supply Teacher</a> slot at 10am was a highlight and will feature lockdown heroes like footballer <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000jycy/celebrity-supply-teacher-series-1-3-marcus-rashford-pe">Marcus Rashford</a> giving a sports lesson or interior designer Laurence Llewelyn Bowen giving art lessons. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A woman in a unicorn onesie dancing while teaching maths." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/378342/original/file-20210112-23-kx2g3c.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=135%2C19%2C1128%2C665&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/378342/original/file-20210112-23-kx2g3c.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=291&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378342/original/file-20210112-23-kx2g3c.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=291&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378342/original/file-20210112-23-kx2g3c.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=291&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378342/original/file-20210112-23-kx2g3c.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=365&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378342/original/file-20210112-23-kx2g3c.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=365&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378342/original/file-20210112-23-kx2g3c.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=365&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A very colourful and lively maths lessons on the BBC’s Bitesize Daily.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p089s0kh/bitesize-79-year-olds-week-8-4-maths-plus-food-in-french">BBC/Youtube</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>What made the viewing experience particularly cohesive was the flow of the programmes, with the content carefully curated between the core and secondary lessons. For example, a history lesson covering ancient Egyptian pyramids referred to earlier discussions of three-dimensional shapes from the episode’s maths lesson.</p>
<p>It was well-produced, and while it might lack the high-tech graphics and fast-paced action of computer games, it was a lot more fun and interesting to watch than the schools programming of my youth.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/153139/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Vanessa Jackson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Bright, kinetic and celebrity-studded, the BBC’s schools output has got the tone right for teaching a generation of screen-addicted youth.
Vanessa Jackson, Associate professor in Media Production, Birmingham City University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/149131
2020-12-21T16:50:52Z
2020-12-21T16:50:52Z
Disney, Pixar and Netflix are teaching your children the wrong messages about pain
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/375616/original/file-20201217-23-mmb9ym.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=76%2C0%2C4157%2C2830&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">At critical developmental periods when young children are learning about themselves, others and the world, they are frequently seeing pain portrayed unrealistically in kids' TV shows and movies.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Mass media exert an <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1093%2Fpch%2F8.5.301">enormous influence on children’s development</a> and is very likely how they learn about pain. Understanding the powerful influence that media has on preschoolers and kindergarteners is important because this is a crucial developmental period for socio-emotional development and is precisely the time when <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2214.2010.01171.x">fears about pain (especially needles) develop</a>.</p>
<p>Like it or not, pain is an inevitable part of childhood. In Canada, children receive <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/healthy-living/canadian-immunization-guide-part-1-key-immunization-information/page-13-recommended-immunization-schedules.html#p1c12a2">20 vaccine injections before the age of five</a>. From the time that toddlers begin walking, everyday pains or “boo-boos” — minor injuries that result in bumps and bruises — are extremely common, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1155/1998/198043">occurring nearly every two hours</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="A child on a sofa pointing a remote control." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/375310/original/file-20201216-13-1rktxwv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/375310/original/file-20201216-13-1rktxwv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375310/original/file-20201216-13-1rktxwv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375310/original/file-20201216-13-1rktxwv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375310/original/file-20201216-13-1rktxwv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375310/original/file-20201216-13-1rktxwv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375310/original/file-20201216-13-1rktxwv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Media can be powerful influence on preschoolers and kindergarteners at a crucial period of development when fears about pain (especially needles) develop.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Pexels/Ketut Subiyanto)</span></span>
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<p>By the time they reach adolescence, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pain.2007.10.032">one in five youth will develop chronic pain</a>. This means pain lasting for three months or more, like headaches and stomach aches. Chronic pain is a rising epidemic around the world, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pain.2011.07.016">especially in girls</a>. If these youth do not receive proper treatment, chronic pain during adolescence can lead to pain and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1097/j.pain.0000000000000522">mental health issues</a> (PTSD, anxiety, depression, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2018.07.007">opioid misuse</a>) into adulthood.</p>
<p>Simply put, pain is a big part of childhood. Yet, as a society we avoid, undertreat and stigmatize pain. Despite decades of research showing how to effectively manage children’s pain (for example, using numbing creams or distraction techniques), studies show that many clinicians still <a href="https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/614784">undertreat children’s pain</a>, and neither acute (short-lasting) nor chronic (<a href="https://doi.org/10.1155/2011/654651">lasting three months or more</a>) pain is well-managed. </p>
<p>Children who experience chronic pain <a href="https://doi.org/10.1097/j.pain.0000000000000512">are also stigmatized</a> and often <a href="https://doi.org/10.1097/PR9.0000000000000679">disbelieved by peers, health-care professionals and teachers</a>. These deeply ingrained societal beliefs about pain likely influence how children learn to experience, respond and empathize with pain. </p>
<p>So where does this social stigma of pain come from? What do Disney, Pixar and Netflix have to do with your child’s pain? </p>
<h2>Children’s media exposure</h2>
<p>Children are growing up saturated with mass media and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2019.21854">rates of screen time are rising</a>. The COVID-19 pandemic has only fuelled this further. While the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that preschool-aged children watch <a href="https://www.healthychildren.org/English/news/Pages/AAP-Announces-New-Recommendations-for-Childrens-Media-Use.aspx">no more than one hour of TV per day</a>, the majority of children <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2018.5546">far exceed this recommendation</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002086">In our study</a>, we used popular culture lists to capture the most popular movies and TV shows seen by millions of four-to-six-year-old children. The final list included <em>Despicable Me 2</em>, <em>The Secret Life of Pets</em>, <em>Toy Story 3</em> and <em>4</em>, <em>Incredibles 2</em>, <em>Inside Out</em>, <em>Up</em>, <em>Zootopia</em>, <em>Frozen</em>, <em>Finding Dory</em>, <em>Sofia the First</em>, <em>Shimmer and Shine</em>, <em>Paw Patrol</em>, <em>Octonauts</em>, <em>Peppa Pig</em> and <em>Daniel Tiger’s Neighbourhood</em>. </p>
<p>We watched all 52.38 hours of media and all instances of pain were captured. We used established coding schemes drawn from the procedural and everyday pain literature to code details of the pain experience, including both the sufferers’ and the observers’ responses, the type of pains depicted and the degree to which observers showed empathy to the characters in pain. We examined gender differences in the pain experiences of boy versus girl characters. </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/375300/original/file-20201216-17-1bdhdxp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Two children sitting on the floor watching a cartoon." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/375300/original/file-20201216-17-1bdhdxp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/375300/original/file-20201216-17-1bdhdxp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=902&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375300/original/file-20201216-17-1bdhdxp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=902&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375300/original/file-20201216-17-1bdhdxp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=902&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375300/original/file-20201216-17-1bdhdxp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1134&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375300/original/file-20201216-17-1bdhdxp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1134&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375300/original/file-20201216-17-1bdhdxp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1134&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Research showed that pain was depicted approximately nine times per hour in children’s media.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Pexels/Victoria Borodinova)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The results were shocking. Pain was frequently depicted, approximately nine times per hour. Seventy-nine per cent of pain instances involved characters being seriously injured or experiencing pain due to violent acts. Although everyday pains are the most common pain experiences young children experience in real life, everyday pains comprised only 20 per cent of the pain instances. Medical and procedural pain, like needles, as well as chronic pains were depicted less than one per cent of the time. </p>
<p>When characters experienced pain, they rarely (only 10 per cent of the time) asked for help or showed a reaction, perpetuating an unrealistic and distorted perception of pain that shows pain as being quickly swept aside. Although 75 per cent of pain instances were witnessed by observers, they rarely responded to characters experiencing pain, and when they did, they showed very low levels of empathy or concern toward the sufferer. </p>
<p>Across the media, boy characters experienced the vast majority of pain, despite girls experiencing higher rates of pain problems in real life. This underrepresentation of pain in girl characters could be teaching young children that girls’ pain is less frequent, real and worthy of attention from others. Indeed, we found that girl characters were less likely to seek help when they experienced pain than boy characters. </p>
<p>Boy characters experienced more severe and distressing pain than girls; however, observers were more concerned about, and likely to help, girl characters. Observers were more likely to show inappropriate responses (laughter) to boy sufferers. Boy observers were more likely to laugh and offer verbal advice to sufferers, whereas girl observers were more empathetic toward sufferers. </p>
<h2>Frequent and unrealistic portrayals of pain</h2>
<p>These findings reveal that popular media are perpetuating unhelpful gender stereotypes about pain, with girls being depicted as damsels in distress who show more caring and empathy and require more help, and boys being portrayed as stoic and uncaring towards others.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A child using a tablet." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/375298/original/file-20201216-19-14072ge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/375298/original/file-20201216-19-14072ge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375298/original/file-20201216-19-14072ge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375298/original/file-20201216-19-14072ge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375298/original/file-20201216-19-14072ge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375298/original/file-20201216-19-14072ge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375298/original/file-20201216-19-14072ge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Children are growing up saturated with mass media and rates of screen time are rising.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Pexels/Karolina Grabowska)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>At critical developmental periods when young children are learning about themselves, others and the world, they are seeing pain frequently portrayed in their favourite TV shows and movies. In children’s media, pain is frequently depicted (nine times per hour), it is unrealistically and often violently portrayed, empathy and helping is rarely depicted, and unhelpful gender stereotypes abound.</p>
<p>These messages are potentially harmful as we know that children turn to their favourite characters to understand and make sense of their everyday experiences such as pain and importantly, to learn how to respond to their own pain and pain in others.</p>
<p>These findings highlight a pervasive societal stigma around pain that is being communicated to young children. This highlights the responsibility that we all have in dismantling and changing these societal narratives about pain to ensure that this powerful social learning opportunity is not missed and we are raising more prepared and empathic children for the inevitable pains they will encounter throughout their lives.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>This story is part of a series produced by SKIP (Solutions for Kids in Pain), a national knowledge mobilization network whose mission is to improve children’s pain management by mobilizing evidence-based solutions through co-ordination and collaboration.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/149131/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Melanie Noel receives funding from CIHR, SSHRC, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Chronic Pain Network.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Abbie Jordan receives funding from the Pain Relief Foundation, Sir Halley Stewart Trust and Royal United Hospitals Foundation Trust.</span></em></p>
In children’s media, pain is depicted alarmingly frequently, usually unrealistically and often violently, but without empathy or help. These images of pain send all the wrong messages.
Melanie Noel, Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology, University of Calgary
Abbie Jordan, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, University of Bath
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/147183
2020-10-01T06:00:59Z
2020-10-01T06:00:59Z
Cheese ‘n’ crackers! Concerns deepen for the future of Australian children’s television
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/360977/original/file-20201001-16-156xx7n.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=30%2C3%2C2521%2C1429&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">ABC/Screen Australia</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Today ABC, BBC Studios and Screen Australia <a href="https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/sa/media-centre/news/2020/10-01-bluey-returns-for-season-3?utm_source=social&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=2020-10-01-bluey-returns-for-season-3">announced</a> series three of the award-winning animation series Bluey will commence production in Brisbane later this year. </p>
<p>But despite Bluey’s <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com.au/bluey-cartoon-australia-ludo-studio-2020-6">global success</a>, policy changes announced yesterday mean that we may see fewer Australian-made children’s shows on broadcast TV in the future.</p>
<p>The federal government has <a href="https://mumbrella.com.au/government-scraps-childrens-content-quotas-in-revamp-of-commercial-tv-regulations-644659">scrapped quotas</a> for minimum hours of local children’s content for commercial television networks. Foxtel’s obligation to Australian content has also been halved.</p>
<p>These changes represent a rapid unravelling of regulatory infrastructure established in the 1970s — and refined over decades — to support production and broadcast of quality Australian children’s content. </p>
<p>Responding to the policy changes, Australian Children’s Television Foundation (ACTF) CEO Jenny Buckland explained: </p>
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<p>The argument about children’s content quotas has been going ever since they were introduced nearly 40 years ago. The broadcasters never wanted to do it and they didn’t treat the shows well.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/save-our-screens-3-things-government-must-do-now-to-keep-australian-content-alive-132758">Save our screens: 3 things government must do now to keep Australian content alive</a>
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<h2>Changes to TV content regulation</h2>
<p>Under the existing system, commercial networks must abide by <a href="https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/fact-finders/television/industry-trends/content-regulation">strict requirements</a> to broadcast a certain amount of children’s content each year: 130 hours for pre-school children, and 260 hours for children under 14, including at least 25 hours of new drama. </p>
<p>From 2021, commercial networks will have no such obligation. </p>
<p>Children’s content quotas were suspended in April 2020, a decision Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts Paul Fletcher <a href="https://tvtonight.com.au/2020/04/local-quotas-suspended-spectrum-fees-waived-in-media-rescue.html">said</a> was in response to COVID-19. </p>
<p>Now a decision initially described as “an emergency red tape reduction measure” has been enshrined into policy.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/360980/original/file-20201001-24-12x9397.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Boy with mouth stuck together and girl laughing" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/360980/original/file-20201001-24-12x9397.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/360980/original/file-20201001-24-12x9397.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360980/original/file-20201001-24-12x9397.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360980/original/file-20201001-24-12x9397.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360980/original/file-20201001-24-12x9397.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=473&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360980/original/file-20201001-24-12x9397.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=473&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360980/original/file-20201001-24-12x9397.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=473&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Locally made kids’ shows like Round the Twist remain popular, 30-odd years since their first airing.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BM2QwYjJlZDAtZjk2MC00ZTU5LWIyMTgtY2Q4YTNjOTMwYjNiXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTQ0Mzk3MDg@._V1_.jpg">IMDB</a></span>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-tv-support-package-leaves-screen-writers-and-directors-even-less-certain-than-before-136545">Coronavirus TV 'support' package leaves screen writers and directors even less certain than before</a>
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<h2>Strength in numbers</h2>
<p>The government’s decision to remove children’s quotas responds to intense lobbying from commercial networks. In February 2020, <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/seven-halts-children-s-production-in-australian-content-quota-protest-20200225-p5445r.html">Seven declared it planned to halt the production of Australian children’s content</a>, a decision that would likely have resulted in a breach of children’s content quotas in 2021 if the current system was sustained. Seven’s Chief Executive explained he wanted the government to take “immediate action” to remove the quotas. </p>
<p>In 2017, the chief executives of Seven, Nine and Ten advocated together at a parliamentary inquiry <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/australian-commercial-television-networks-want-to-scrap-childrens-content-quota-20170720-gxfdsg.html">for the removal of children’s content quotas</a>.</p>
<p>They argued <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/australian-commercial-television-networks-want-to-scrap-childrens-content-quota-20170720-gxfdsg.html">children weren’t watching</a> their children’s programming. Indeed, many children’s programs on <a href="https://www.freetv.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Free-TV-Submission-to-Australian-Content-Options-Paper-6-July-2020.pdf">commercial networks don’t rate well.</a> This may relate to the <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/academic-anna-potter-warns-australian-childrens-television-drama-under-threat-from-a-tsunami-of-animation-shows-20150325-1m752v.html">cheaply produced, culturally non-specific animated programs</a> made to meet the quotas. </p>
<p>ACTF CEO Jenny Buckland notes that <a href="https://blog-actf.com.au/when-broadcasters-cut-costs-on-local-tv-content-its-the-children-who-pay/">over the past decade</a>, commercial broadcasters have halved their spending on children’s drama. International co-productions also count towards the quotas, resulting in a surfeit of “co-produced animated series based on international concepts”. </p>
<p>The networks also argue the rising popularity of streaming services <a href="https://www.communications.gov.au/sites/default/files/submissions/freetv-australia-childrens-content.pdf?acsf_files_redirect">has made the quota system outdated</a>. Indeed, an increasing number of Australian children are turning to streaming services such as Netflix and YouTube, however the Australian Communication and Media Authority’s research has found that children still watch broadcast TV programs <a href="https://www.acma.gov.au/publications/2017-08/report/kids-tv-viewing-and-multi-screen-behaviour">made specifically for them</a>.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/tv-has-changed-so-must-the-way-we-support-local-content-139674">TV has changed, so must the way we support local content</a>
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<h2>Where the ABC fits in</h2>
<p>Bluey is <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-01/bluey-abc-kids-show-wins-international-emmys-childrens-award/12111308">the most popular show</a> in the history of the ABC’s streaming app ABC iView, demonstrating there is demand for quality local children’s content.</p>
<p>But rather than seeing this as an endorsement, commercial broadcasters claim the popularity of children’s content on the ABC <a href="https://www.communications.gov.au/sites/default/files/submissions/freetv-australia-childrens-content.pdf?acsf_files_redirect">diminishes the need</a> for quotas. </p>
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<p>However, public broadcasters, the ABC and SBS, are not obligated to produce or broadcast a certain amount of local children’s content (rather than quotas, they have internal targets underpinned by their charters). This means the ABC can <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-slow-death-of-australian-childrens-tv-drama-75394">pull funding from the children’s television budget as it sees fit</a>. Local content targets on children’s channel <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/abcme/">ABC ME</a> were <a href="https://theconversation.com/no-dramas-what-budget-cuts-signal-for-homegrown-childrens-shows-on-abc3-50004">reduced to 25% (from 50%) in 2015</a>. </p>
<p>Budget restrictions make the ABC’s track record of quality local children’s content difficult to sustain. <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/House/Communications/AustralianfilmandTV/Report">Government analysis</a> in 2017 raised concerns that the ABC may have “reduced its commitment to producing children’s content”.</p>
<p>Despite the ABC’s role in broadcasting quality Australian content, and <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1329878X20948272">even directly helping with remote education during the pandemic</a>, the government has pressed pause on the indexation of ABC funding until July 2022. This means by end of the financial year (2020–21), the ABC’s operational funding base will have <a href="https://www.artshub.com.au/news-article/features/public-policy/vyshnavee-wijekumar/the-real-cost-of-defunding-the-abc-260708">reduced by 10%</a> since 2013.</p>
<p>Children’s content was a key target of a recent round of redundancies at the ABC. June saw <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/culture/tv-and-radio/abc-me-presenters-mourn-sad-cuts-20200627-p556ti.html#comments.">the closure</a> of Melbourne children’s division ME TV and the cancellation of kids’ show <a href="https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/the-screen-guide/t/definitely-not-news-2020/38889/">Definitely Not News</a>. The Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance <a href="https://mumbrella.com.au/government-scraps-childrens-content-quotas-in-revamp-of-commercial-tv-regulations-644659">warns</a> changes to production quotas could “mean the demise of children’s content on commercial TV, leaving a cash-strapped ABC to pick up the slack”. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Definitely Not News was cancelled in June.</span></figcaption>
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<h2>Defending local children’s TV</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://www.communications.gov.au/what-we-do/television/modernising-australian-screen-content-settings/qa#:%7E:text=The%20Government%20is%20providing%20funding,%2D22%20and%202022%2D23.&text=This%20funding%20makes%20it%20more,and%20values%20on%20alternative%20platforms.">government has announced</a> a welcome A$20 million in funding for the ACTF for children’s content, supplemented by $30 million in funding for Screen Australia.</p>
<p>Jenny Buckland notes, </p>
<blockquote>
<p>we’ll be working very hard with producers to try and open those commissioning doors to new content, and tracking what happens to production over the 2-year period.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Perhaps this funding will stave off the end of local children’s content for now. Though the policy and budgetary ecosystem that supports a robust domestic children’s content sector is in flux, Buckland is still hopeful: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>… there needs to be Australian children’s content on all the places that children go to watch content — that includes having well-resourced public broadcasters with a major commitment to kids, as well as content on commercial video-on-demand platforms and other destinations. We were hoping there would be Australian content expenditure requirements on these platforms, and the door might still be open for that.</p>
</blockquote><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/147183/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
The pandemic pause on local children’s television content has become policy. Now what for kids’ TV?
Jessica Balanzategui, Lecturer in Cinema and Screen Studies, Swinburne University of Technology
Joanna McIntyre, Lecturer in Media Studies, Swinburne University of Technology
Liam Burke, Associate Professor and Cinema and Screen Studies Discipline Leader, Swinburne University of Technology
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/136087
2020-04-15T11:37:03Z
2020-04-15T11:37:03Z
BBC’s adaptation of Malory Towers reveals more about the period and its diversity than Blyton’s book
<p>While UK schools are closed for the majority of children, Malory Towers has opened its doors in a new adaptation on BBC iPlayer. Its source text, Enid Blyton’s First Term at Malory Towers (1946), was the first in a series of six, and very much a product of its time. </p>
<p>The clifftop setting was inspired by <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-47785820">Benenden School</a>, which Blyton’s daughters attended, and which <a href="https://www.benenden.school/our-school/our-history">temporarily relocated</a> from Kent to a hotel in Cornwall during the Blitz. This idyllic landscape sets the mood for the novel, which is steeped in ginger beer and post-war optimism. Now, in a time of national emergency, the series promises both nostalgia and escapism, a welcome distraction from the pandemic. </p>
<p>The title sequence fulfils these promises: bathed in the rose-tinted glow of retrospect, it features a world of pillow-fights, lacrosse matches, and friendship. Yet this saccharine opening belies the series’ revisionist impulse, which is as concerned with diversity, neurodiversity and gender equality as it is with hoodwinking Matron for extra tuck. </p>
<p>It’s widely accepted that adaptations reveal as much about their <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=C3CdqCZp8KQC&printsec=frontcover&dq=a+theory+of+adaptation&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjyvdLE5ufoAhU-XRUIHW3JAKYQ6AEIKDAA#v=snippet&q=context&f=false">contemporary contexts</a> as their literary sources, but this is more than a simple updating. Rather, the BBC’s Malory Towers reveals aspects of the historical context that were glossed over in Blyton’s novel, finding its inspiration in the gaps and silences of the original. </p>
<h2>Diversifying the cast</h2>
<p>The first change is evident in the girls themselves. The first form is a mix of white and BAME (black and minority ethnic) girls. There is also body diversity, with girls of all sizes and one with facial disfigurement. This upholds the standard set by <a href="https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/review-wise-children-presents-malory-3141857">Emma Rice’s 2019 stage adaptation</a>, which cast a non-binary trans actor and one with restricted growth, as well as two women of colour. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/327642/original/file-20200414-117553-4xtmdw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/327642/original/file-20200414-117553-4xtmdw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=962&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327642/original/file-20200414-117553-4xtmdw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=962&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327642/original/file-20200414-117553-4xtmdw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=962&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327642/original/file-20200414-117553-4xtmdw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1209&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327642/original/file-20200414-117553-4xtmdw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1209&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327642/original/file-20200414-117553-4xtmdw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1209&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">The first edition of the novel, illustrated by Stanley Lloyd.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Term_at_Malory_Towers#/media/File:FirstTermAtMaloryTowers.jpg">Wikimedia</a></span>
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<p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/jul/05/malory-towers-why-enid-blytons-series-is-made-for-modern-times">The same year</a>, a four-novel reboot, New Class at Malory Towers, introduced black, Asian, introverted and working-class characters to the school. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.fadedpage.com/showbook.php?pid=20190330">illustrations to the first edition</a> of Blyton’s novel, conversely, paint a blandly homogeneous picture. Given that <a href="https://inews.co.uk/culture/malory-towers-emma-rice-new-class-book-499781">children from the Commonwealth</a> were often sent to English boarding schools, this seems like straightforward whitewashing. </p>
<p>The series puts that right, reflecting how, in the words of adaptor <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/mar/20/downton-for-kids-bbc-brings-forward-malory-towers-adaptation">Sasha Hailes</a>, 1940s “Britain [was] more diverse than it’s often accounted for”. </p>
<h2>Learning differences</h2>
<p>The book’s homogeneity also extends to learning differences, of which there are none: only girls who don’t try, and “stupid ones”. “If you are brainless and near the bottom, we shan’t blame you, of course,” says housemistress Miss Potts, in a pep talk bordering on disciplinary offence. “But if you’ve got good brains and are down at the bottom, I shall have a lot to say.” </p>
<p>Two girls fall into the latter category: governess-reared Gwendoline, who phones it in for half the term before discovering the existence of school reports, and heroine Darrell Rivers. Darrell is able but struggles with arithmetic. Being distracted by the class clown causes her to fall in the class order before she hoists her socks with military enthusiasm and finishes fifth from the top. </p>
<p>In the series, however, Darrell has a genuine struggle with spelling and presentation, rising hours before the others to make clean copies of her jumbled prep. Devastated when her class position fails to reflect her hard work, she volunteers to be put in the “dreaded remedial” class. There, tutor and head-girl Pamela diagnoses “word-blindness”, or modern-day dyslexia. As a representative of the countless children with learning differences throughout history, Darrell is a role model for neurodiverse viewers. Her coping strategies, and a renewed commitment to becoming a doctor, also model an admirable growth mindset. </p>
<h2>Choice above all</h2>
<p>Darrell’s interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) subjects, and her belief that “girls [can] do everything boys can do”, shows how the series amplifies <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/jul/06/why-we-still-adore-malory-towers-enid-blyton">the feminism of the book</a>. This is largely a product of its single-sex environment, which offers a safe space for the girls to develop, free from the need to conform. The book’s feminism is, however, offset by Blyton’s tendency to downplay academic achievement. </p>
<p>For Miss Potts, the most successful old girls are not “those who have won scholarships and passed exams” but those who have become, more nebulously, “good, sound women the world can lean on”. This bodes ill for “clever Irene”, who is “a marvel at maths. and music, usually top of the form – but oh, how stupid in the ordinary things of life”. Darrell, by contrast, is said to have “the makings of a first-rate person”, combining academics with games prowess and lashings of common sense. </p>
<p>The series inserts several narratives that champion academic achievement, the pursuit of a career and above all a girl’s right to choose her own path. Sally is sent to Malory Towers, not so her mother can focus on her delicate sister, as in the book, but to prevent her from becoming an unpaid carer and wasting her academic potential. Emily, whom Blyton describes as “a quiet studious girl”, has her education funded in the series by her mother’s work in the school’s sanatorium. Meanwhile Pamela chooses in a new storyline to debut in society, instead of pursuing a teaching career, in the hopes of safeguarding her family’s estate. “Maybe [teaching] isn’t my dream,” she tells an incredulous Darrell, “we can’t all be pioneers”. The message is confirmed by Miss Potts when Gwen suggests that she, too, would prefer society to college: “You’re lucky to have a choice”. </p>
<p>For fans of the adaptation, the series has now been novelised by Narinder Dhami as <a href="https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/narinder-dhami/malory-towers-darrell-and-friends/9781444957860/">Malory Towers: Darrell and Friends</a>. It is available to purchase alongside <a href="https://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/book-details.php?id=253">Blyton’s originals</a>, <a href="https://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/book-details.php?id=2209&title=New+Term+at+Malory+Towers">Pamela Cox’s sequels</a>, and <a href="https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/enid-blyton-2/malory-towers-new-class-at-malory-towers/9781444951004/">New Class at Malory Towers</a>, giving young girls, and boys, that most valuable of things: a choice.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/136087/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bethany Layne does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
It might seem like nostalgic escapism, but the show has a revisionist impulse at its heart.
Bethany Layne, Senior Lecturer in English Literature, De Montfort University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/123088
2019-09-12T03:04:54Z
2019-09-12T03:04:54Z
In an age of Elsa/Spider-Man romantic mash ups, how to monitor YouTube’s children’s content?
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/291438/original/file-20190909-175696-1onthm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=5%2C0%2C3889%2C2596&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">YouTube has been forced to change the way it presents videos to children.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Last week, the US Federal Trade Commission imposed a <a href="https://www.cnet.com/news/youtube-kids-video-policy-change-google-170m-penalty-settle-ftc-investigation/">historic</a> fine of US$170 million (A$247 million) on YouTube for allegedly tracking children’s viewing without parental consent in order to deliver targeted advertising. This practice of tracking children’s viewing history violates the US Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.</p>
<p>As commission chairman Joe Simons <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2019/09/google-youtube-will-pay-record-170-million-alleged-violations">explained</a>, “YouTube touted its popularity with children to prospective corporate clients” while simultaneously refusing to acknowledge “that portions of its platform were clearly directed to kids”. </p>
<p>The commission presented evidence that YouTube has been soliciting brand partnerships and advertising based on its popularity with children. Its <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/youtube_complaint.pdf">report cites</a> a presentation to Mattel where YouTube marketed its platform as “today’s leader in reaching children age 6-11 against top TV channels” and a 2016 presentation to Hasbro where they called themselves “The new ‘Saturday Morning Cartoons’.”</p>
<p>However YouTube’s official position has long been that the platform <a href="https://support.google.com/families/answer/7124142?hl=en">is not designed for users under 13</a>, circumventing children’s privacy and media regulations. </p>
<p>The commission report cites YouTube’s communication with an advertiser:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>We don’t have users that are below 13 on YouTube and platform/site is general audience, so there is no channel/content that is child-directed and no COPPA compliance is needed.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The Federal Trade Commission begged to differ and YouTube’s attempts to discipline its children’s content since then has global implications.</p>
<h2>Regulating children’s content</h2>
<p>Children’s broadcast content – and the advertising that surrounds it – has long been required to adhere to certain standards. In Australia, this began with 1945’s <a href="https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au/handle/10072/120367">List of Principles to Govern Children’s [Radio] Programs</a>.</p>
<p>The current relevant legislation is the <a href="https://www.acma.gov.au/Citizen/TV-Radio/Television/Kids-and-TV/childrens-television-standards-kids-tv-and-advertising-i-acma">Children’s Television Standards 2009</a>. This bans all advertising during shows for preschool children, and bans some types of advertising including that featuring “popular characters” for older children. Content cannot be “unduly frightening” or “unduly distessing”, and cannot encourage children to engage in dangerous activities. </p>
<p>The standards include criteria for the quality of programming. It must be “entertaining”, “well produced”, appropriate for Australian children, and “[enhance] the understanding and experience of children”.</p>
<p>But the user-generated nature of YouTube content has meant that a complex ecology of new types of children’s content has evolved outside of these quality frameworks. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/291441/original/file-20190909-175663-9ykavp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/291441/original/file-20190909-175663-9ykavp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/291441/original/file-20190909-175663-9ykavp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/291441/original/file-20190909-175663-9ykavp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/291441/original/file-20190909-175663-9ykavp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/291441/original/file-20190909-175663-9ykavp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/291441/original/file-20190909-175663-9ykavp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">More video content is watched by children online than on TV.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Disturbing children’s genres</h2>
<p>The issues with children’s YouTube go deeper than the recent fine. </p>
<p>On YouTube, genres have formed over time through an enigmatic combination of human and technical factors. Content creators have been incentivised to exploit the algorithm so their videos appear at the top of search results and in auto-play queues. </p>
<p>Such practices result in “word salad” video titles like “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JysiZDzZMHk">Spiderman, Frozen Elsa is Taken by Minions! W/Anna & Kristoff, Pink Spidergirl, Maleficient & Candy</a>. Over time, new children’s genres crystallise, like <a href="https://decider.com/2017/06/28/the-madness-of-elsa-and-spider-man-on-youtube/">romantic videos featuring Spider-Man and Elsa from Disney’s Frozen</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/291444/original/file-20190909-175705-10keics.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/291444/original/file-20190909-175705-10keics.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=341&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/291444/original/file-20190909-175705-10keics.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=341&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/291444/original/file-20190909-175705-10keics.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=341&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/291444/original/file-20190909-175705-10keics.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=428&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/291444/original/file-20190909-175705-10keics.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=428&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/291444/original/file-20190909-175705-10keics.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=428&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">YouTube channel ‘Superhero-Spiderman-Frozen Compilations’ has over 125 million views.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">https://www.youtube.com</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Some of the more concerning children’s YouTube genres include <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jun/17/peppa-pig-youtube-weird-algorithms-automated-content">dark parodies of popular children’s cartoons</a>, crudely animated or live-action videos <a href="https://www.theverge.com/culture/2017/11/21/16685874/kids-youtube-video-elsagate-creepiness-psychology">featuring adult performers in cheap superhero or Disney character costumes</a>, and <a href="https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/toy-freak-youtube-channel-removed-article-1.3650905">"bad baby” videos</a> where pranks are pulled on “naughty” children.</p>
<p>Public controversies about some of these genres have led to <a href="https://variety.com/2017/digital/news/youtube-toy-freaks-channel-terminated-1202617834/%22%22">the termination</a> of lucrative YouTube channels. One such channel, Toy Freaks had 8.53 million subscribers and documented a father’s pranks on his children. </p>
<p>YouTube has also attempted to <a href="https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2017/11/youtube-says-it-will-crack-down-on-all-those-creepy-videos-targeted-at-or-featuring-kids/">demonetise</a> controversial genres by removing ads. Sadistic “prank” content led to <a href="https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/10/parents-who-tortured-children-for-sadistic-youtube-videos-have-sentences-reduced-8327854/">criminal sentences</a> of child neglect for parents Michael and Heather Martin of the DaddyOFive channel.</p>
<h2>YouTube: The new kids TV</h2>
<p>In 2015, in response to the growing popularity of <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/02/19/youtube-for-kids-new-android-app-out-feb-23/23707819/">“family entertainment channels”</a> on the platform, YouTube launched YouTube Kids, a dedicated app <a href="https://support.google.com/families/answer/7124142?hl=en">explicitly oriented at children.</a> </p>
<p>The platform still sat outside of Australian and international children’s content frameworks, although the Australian Association of National Advertisers urged advertisers on YouTube Kids <a href="http://aana.com.au/youtube-kids-app-launches-australia/">to adhere to their children’s advertising codes</a>. These codes however are self-regulated. </p>
<p>This August, in response to <a href="https://www.wired.co.uk/article/youtube-for-kids-videos-problems-algorithm-recommend">growing criticism</a> of the types of videos readily available to children, YouTube Kids <a href="https://support.google.com/youtube/thread/12980033?hl=en">was relaunched as a standalone website</a> which purported to ensure a safer platform. </p>
<p>While YouTube Kids previously grouped together all viewers under 12, the new platform allows parents to select Preschool (under 4), Younger (5-7), or Older (8-12) categories. </p>
<p>These age-based categories will largely be managed by YouTube’s <a href="https://support.google.com/youtube/thread/12980033?hl=en">automated filtering</a> and categorisation systems, but will rely on parental reporting of inappropriate videos that slip through filters. While the children’s TV standards and classification frameworks regulate for age appropriate, quality children’s programming on television, such regulation does not extend to online content.</p>
<h2>Murky boundaries</h2>
<p>With the fine announced just a week after the launch of the new Kids platform, <a href="https://youtube.googleblog.com/2019/09/an-update-on-kids.html">YouTube announced another raft of platform updates</a>.</p>
<p>Creators will now be required to tell YouTube if their content targets children, and the platform will stop serving personalised ads with children’s content. YouTube has committed to using machine learning <a href="https://youtube.googleblog.com/2019/09/an-update-on-kids.html">to more precisely identify child-oriented content</a>. </p>
<p>These new machine-learning strategies will identify children’s content by looking for videos with <a href="https://youtube.googleblog.com/2019/09/an-update-on-kids.html">“an emphasis on kids characters, themes, toys, or games”.</a> </p>
<p>But does this take into account child-oriented genres native to YouTube, like Elsa and Spider-Man romantic mash-ups and bad baby videos, or popular imagery in YouTube children’s content, <a href="https://www.theverge.com/culture/2017/11/21/16685874/kids-youtube-video-elsagate-creepiness-psychology">like syringes and head swapping</a>? </p>
<p>YouTube has transformed the themes, narrative structures, and aesthetics of children’s genres in ways that even the company now struggles to understand. </p>
<p>For these new measures to work, technological solutions need to be grounded in new understandings of children’s screen genres. </p>
<p>Our cultural and policy definitions of children’s content need to catch up with this new frontier.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/123088/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jessica Balanzategui does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
The complex user-generated nature of YouTube content for kids is proving difficult to control for the online giant, who have been issued with a US$170 million fine for breaching children’s privacy.
Jessica Balanzategui, Lecturer in Cinema and Screen Studies, Swinburne University of Technology
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/104708
2018-11-09T12:57:24Z
2018-11-09T12:57:24Z
Even adverts for ‘healthy’ fast food are bad for children – here’s why they should be banned
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/244558/original/file-20181108-74754-1t5qv0y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/pile-golden-deepfried-battered-chicken-nuggets-314927828?src=7yTCmqoNf0US-iQ5bErVfw-1-41">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Television adverts for foods which are high in fat, salt or sugar are banned from <a href="https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0024/31857/hfss-review-final.pdf">children’s television schedules</a>. Yet a McDonald’s “Happy Meal” advert was recently <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/aug/08/mcdonalds-happy-meal-healthy-advert-children-asa">ruled to be exempt</a> from these restrictions. </p>
<p>Shown between episodes of Peppa Pig, the advert promoted a meal which included chicken nuggets, pineapple and water – a menu which passed the Advertising Standards Association’s standards for healthy food. But, while it might be encouraging to see one of the world’s biggest food giants promoting fruit, can a McDonald’s advert ever truly be considered “healthy”?</p>
<p>It is clear that the huge amount of money spent on food advertising works. Campaigns are highly effective at persuading us to buy and eat more junk food, contributing to our expanding waistlines and hopelessly declining health.</p>
<p>The influence has been particularly well documented in children, <a href="https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/103/2/519/4662876">who are more likely</a> to like, demand and consume products which are high in fat, sugar or salt (HFSS) after watching adverts which promote them. Against a backdrop of worryingly <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/470179/Sugar_reduction_The_evidence_for_action.pdf">high sugar consumption</a> by children in the UK, the evidence is so compelling that the government is now considering a 9pm watershed on HFSS food marketing as part of the <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/718903/childhood-obesity-a-plan-for-action-chapter-2.pdf">Childhood Obesity Plan</a>.</p>
<p>Some food companies have responded by reformulating their products to cut down on sugar, salt and fat. This means that traditionally HFSS brands are now producing healthier, “non-HFSS” products which are exempt from the marketing restrictions, including the Happy Meal that appeared during the Peppa Pig ad-breaks. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y1xwbZuGq20?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>On the face of it, this seems like a reasonable and logical solution. The fast food companies can still market their products and make a profit, while healthier foods are being promoted to the public.</p>
<p>But eating behaviour is often anything but reasonable and logical. It is driven by urgent, primitive desires that can be triggered by exposure to any images associated with our favourite unhealthy foods. These triggers include iconic logos such as those famous golden arches, which are far more readily associated with burgers and fries than with pineapples and water.</p>
<p>Our prior experiences of these brands matter – and old habits die hard. <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/british-journal-of-nutrition/article/exposure-to-healthy-fast-food-meal-bundles-in-television-advertisements-promotes-liking-for-fast-food-but-not-healthier-choices-in-children/FB446383F6AD78401F8DAEE3ABBF499C">One study</a> found that advertising “healthy” McDonald’s Happy Meals to children simply increased their liking for fast food overall and did nothing to encourage them to choose a healthier option. </p>
<p>There is also a risk that these adverts make the brand as a whole seem healthier than it really is. This is known as the “<a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ijpo.12257">health halo</a>” effect, where the positive attribute of “healthiness” spreads from the advert in question to the brand as a whole in the eyes of the consumer. This is a subtle effect that often occurs without conscious awareness. </p>
<p>But even if a young Peppa Pig viewer was to get a craving for pineapple, and successfully pester for a trip to McDonald’s, upon arrival they would be immediately immersed in the smells and sights of less healthy but more tempting options. Unsurprisingly, people rarely choose a healthy option when a less healthy one is available. Even if we’d originally planned to go for the healthy choice, our brains are naturally turned on by HFSS products. Neuroimaging research has begun to uncover just why this is. </p>
<h2>Food for thought</h2>
<p>When a person is exposed to a picture of appealing food, the regions of the brain associated with attention, reward and motivation <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15589112">quickly become active</a>. Salivation and food cravings <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26644270">increase</a>. This is an automatic conditioned response built up over a lifetime of experience with these <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4053793/">types of food</a>. Importantly, this reward response seems to be particularly associated with high-calorie foods – in other words, the pineapple doesn’t stand a chance.</p>
<p>The strength of this “food cue reactivity” response <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16687507">differs between people</a> and is an <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26644270">important predictor</a> of food intake and weight gain in both adults and children. It is also influenced by genes. Children with a higher genetic risk for obesity show stronger brain reward responses to food <a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/114/1/160">adverts on TV</a> and eat more sweets <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5209258/">in response to food adverts</a>. This suggests that some individuals have a vulnerability to advertising that is beyond their control.</p>
<p>To resist the cravings that are triggered by the brain’s response to these adverts, individuals must engage in self control. This involves a brain area called the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21291906">pre-frontal cortex</a>, and is harder for children because the pre-frontal cortex does not finish <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4535916/">maturing until adulthood</a>. </p>
<p>In contrast, the brain areas underlying the reward response develop <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21291906">at a much younger age</a>. This leaves children particularly vulnerable to the marketing of tempting foods.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/244560/original/file-20181108-74775-qngl9b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/244560/original/file-20181108-74775-qngl9b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/244560/original/file-20181108-74775-qngl9b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/244560/original/file-20181108-74775-qngl9b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/244560/original/file-20181108-74775-qngl9b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/244560/original/file-20181108-74775-qngl9b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/244560/original/file-20181108-74775-qngl9b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Doesn’t stand a chance.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/ripe-pineapple-on-yellow-wooden-background-366861338?src=Yvm5LFMvE69jnFTRCgYGag-1-43">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>One could argue that this is not a problem for the McDonald’s adverts approved by the ASA. However neuroimaging reveals that children’s brains show a similar reward response when they <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3871732/">recognise a brand</a> associated with HFSS food. So just seeing logos associated with burgers can result in the same kind of reaction as seeing images of the foods themselves.</p>
<p>Of course, it isn’t only TV adverts that are a problem. Junk food adverts are everywhere, from bus shelters to supermarket promotions, and the <a href="https://foodfoundation.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/3-Briefing-UK-Junk-Food_vF.pdf">brightly coloured packaging</a> is hard to miss. </p>
<p>The UK food industry spends huge sums promoting HFSS foods, and much less on healthier alternatives. <a href="https://foodfoundation.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/3-Briefing-UK-Junk-Food_vF.pdf">Only 1.2%</a> of broadcast advertisers’ budgets is reportedly spent on promoting fresh vegetables.</p>
<p>Ultimately, if the government really does want to protect children from junk food marketing, they must restrict all adverts that promote HFSS brands, not just those that explicitly show the food itself. It’s time we started paying attention to how human eating behaviour really works, rather than how we wish it did.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/104708/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Natalia Lawrence is affiliated with the Sugar Smart Devon working group as a volunteer.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lucy Porter receives funding from the Economic and Social Research Council. </span></em></p>
It’s not just a storm in a fruit cup – branding fuels our appetite for unhealthy foods.
Natalia Lawrence, Associate Professor in Translational Medicine, University of Exeter
Lucy Porter, PhD Candidate in Applied Cognition, University of Exeter
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/105625
2018-11-02T09:57:11Z
2018-11-02T09:57:11Z
Disney’s Nutcracker: the latest movie to explore the dark side of fairy tales
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243449/original/file-20181101-83661-d59ko4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo by Laurie Sparham © 2017 Disney Enterprises, Inc.</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Disney’s latest offering, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5523010/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Nutcracker and the Four Realms</a> comes with a warning for anyone who might imagine lighthearted, singing, dancing holiday entertainment. <a href="https://ew.com/movies/2017/12/19/nutcracker-and-the-four-realms-trailer/">“The legend you know has a dark side.”</a>. So be warned.</p>
<p>The film opens on a sombre note: the Stahlberg children face “<a href="https://disney.co.uk/movies/nutcracker-explore-the-realms">their first Christmas without their mother</a>”, It’s a curious twist, introduced presumably by the movie’s script writers, which appears neither in the original fairy tale by E.T.A. Hoffmann nor Tchaikovsky’s famous ballet, both of which inspired the film.</p>
<p>As if being losing her mother is not enough, heroine Clara Stahlberg soon faces a whole range of spooky creatures – including a wonderfully creepy Helen Mirren as Mother Ginger – bent on destroying the magical realms her late mother created. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Lcxfn6oFD4U?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>It is a long way away from such Disney classics as <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097757/?ref_=nv_sr_2">The Little Mermaid</a> (1989), which turned Hans Christian Andersen’s complex and often grim fairy tale into a cheerful children’s story with a romantic happy ending.</p>
<p>But this change of tone is right on trend. For the past decade or so, cinema has increasingly transformed well-known children’s stories into chilling adult fantasies. Terry Gilliam’s 2005 film <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0355295/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">The Brothers Grimm</a>, for example, explored the dark reality and sometimes horror behind the familiar stories.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243455/original/file-20181101-83648-1snkbar.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243455/original/file-20181101-83648-1snkbar.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=325&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243455/original/file-20181101-83648-1snkbar.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=325&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243455/original/file-20181101-83648-1snkbar.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=325&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243455/original/file-20181101-83648-1snkbar.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=409&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243455/original/file-20181101-83648-1snkbar.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=409&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243455/original/file-20181101-83648-1snkbar.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=409&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Truth is much more terrible than fiction: Monica Bellucci as the Mirror Queen in The Brothers Grimm.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Dimension Films</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>More recently, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1735898/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Snow White and the Huntsman</a> (2012) and its follow up <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2381991/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">The Huntsman: Winter’s War</a> (2016) aim to draw on the popularity of action-fantasies such as <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120737/?ref_=nv_sr_1">The Lord of the Rings</a> (2001-3) and the epic TV drama <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0944947/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Game of Thrones</a> (2011-19). <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1428538/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters</a> (2013) reimagines the eponymous lost children of Grimm’s original tale as gun slinging professional killers. A review in <a href="https://eu.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2013/01/25/hansel-and-gretel-review/1864211/">USA Today</a> warned parents not “make the mistake of taking the kids to this blood-spattered revenge-fest”.</p>
<p>We’re seeing the same sort of thing on television, too. Netflix’ latest release, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7569592/?ref_=nv_sr_1">The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina</a>(2018), reimagines the popular 1990s sitcom, starring Melissa Joan Hart as the teenage witch, as “<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-45989783">something a lot darker and scarier</a>”. Rather than being concerned with the usual teenage romances and quick spells to help with make up and home work, the new Sabrina has to face satanic cults and evil forces that threaten mankind.</p>
<h2>Dreams and fears</h2>
<p>But what is behind this focus on the darker side of fairy tales? If looking closely at the core of most of these stories, we realise that they almost always have a rather dark core, where people are eaten, maimed or tortured. </p>
<p>In Grimm’s version of Cinderella, the ugly step sisters mutilate their feet to fit into the golden slippers, while the evil queen in Snow White is forced to dance herself to death in red-hot shoes. Yet, for a long time, cinematic representations of these stories tended to eschew the scarier bit and firmly focused on the happily ever after.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243450/original/file-20181101-83657-1c0yg1t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243450/original/file-20181101-83657-1c0yg1t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=255&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243450/original/file-20181101-83657-1c0yg1t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=255&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243450/original/file-20181101-83657-1c0yg1t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=255&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243450/original/file-20181101-83657-1c0yg1t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=320&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243450/original/file-20181101-83657-1c0yg1t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=320&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243450/original/file-20181101-83657-1c0yg1t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=320&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Fairy tale tinged with horror: Kristen Stewart in Snow White and the Huntsman.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">© 2012 - Universal Pictures</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In <a href="https://www.routledge.com/The-Enchanted-Screen-The-Unknown-History-of-Fairy-Tale-Films/Zipes/p/book/9780415990615">his book</a>, The Enchanted Screen: The Unknown History of Fairy-Tale Films, Jack Zipes, a well-known scholar and translator of fairy tales, suggests that for most children nowadays film adaptations of fairy tales “have become better known than the classical texts, which, in comparison, have virtually lost their meaning due to the fact that the films have replaced them”. Zipes suggests that this is especially true for the dark and complex fairy tales told by writers such as Andersen. It was a generation of fairy tales that expressed people’s darkest thoughts and fears, at a time when almost constant war, conflict and incurable illnesses plagued Europe.</p>
<p>Psychological <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_forgotten_language.html?id=NgJ_AAAAMAAJ&redir_esc=y">studies on fairy tales</a> have sometimes drawn a distinction between myth and fairy tale – noting that one has a tragic and one has a happy ending. But this generates problems with stories such as Andersen’s <a href="http://www.andersen.sdu.dk/vaerk/hersholt/TheLittleMatchGirl_e.html">Little Match Girl</a> or <a href="http://www.andersen.sdu.dk/vaerk/hersholt/TheSteadfastTinSoldier_e.html">The Steadfast Tin Soldier</a>, both of which have a sad and tragic ending (spoiler: the match girl freezes to death while the tin soldier melts down in a stove). </p>
<p>These fairy tales lack the final consolation that J.R.R. Tolkien called “eucatastrophe” – or sudden happy ending – in his influential 1939 essay <a href="http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Eucatastrophe">On Fairy-Stories</a>. Many of the recent cinematic retellings of classic fairy tales blur the already shaky boundaries between myth and magic. This is illustrated nicely in “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms”, which turns the ballet’s fight between the Mouse King and the gingerbread soldiers into an epic battle for the survival of the magical kingdoms.</p>
<h2>Growing up Grimm</h2>
<p>Fairy tales are also often considered to reflect the challenges of growing up. If this is the case, then maybe these confusing modern takes reflect the challenges faced by contemporary children and young adults? The new Sabrina (Kiernan Shipka) has been described as <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-45989783">“woke” and a “feminist icon”</a>, Hansel and Gretel turn their childhood trauma into a profession by becoming witch hunters for hire and for Clara in Disney’s new film, her grief for her newly deceased mother is processed through fighting a battle defending the realm her late mother created. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243447/original/file-20181101-83651-3iqgc2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243447/original/file-20181101-83651-3iqgc2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=276&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243447/original/file-20181101-83651-3iqgc2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=276&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243447/original/file-20181101-83651-3iqgc2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=276&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243447/original/file-20181101-83651-3iqgc2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=347&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243447/original/file-20181101-83651-3iqgc2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=347&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243447/original/file-20181101-83651-3iqgc2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=347&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton as Hansel and Gretel.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">© 2013 - Paramount Pictures</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As growing up becomes more complex, so do family units, external challenges and relationships between characters.</p>
<p>Oral traditions of storytelling have always adapted myths and fairy tales to their respective times and places. The recent focus on the dark, confusing and threatening aspects of those stories no doubt reflects the challenges of our times. But not all is lost. Even this newer, darker and more epic retelling of The Nutcracker maintains the element of hope, happiness and Christmas cheer and so still has the power to enchant and console.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/105625/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sylvie Magerstaedt does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
The latest fairy tale movie from Disney has a dark twist, so it’s right on trend.
Sylvie Magerstaedt, Principal Lecturer in Media Cultures, University of Hertfordshire
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/103696
2018-09-27T12:39:32Z
2018-09-27T12:39:32Z
Bert, Ernie and teaching young viewers about friendship
<p>The Sesame Street characters Bert and Ernie have been under the relationship microscope recently. They are either “a loving couple”, <a href="https://www.queerty.com/exclusive-bert-ernie-couple-finally-answer-20180916">according to a former writer</a> of the show, or “best friends” with no sexual orientation, if you <a href="https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/bert-and-ernie-gay-sesame-street-1202947136/">believe the programme’s producers</a>. </p>
<p>Like it or not, the duo have become gay icons since their creation in the 1960s. There was <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2015/the-long-and-speculative-history-of-gay-characters-on-childrens-tv-shows/bert-and-ernie">even a petition</a> in 2011 calling for Bert and Ernie to get married on screen following the legalisation of same sex marriage in New York. </p>
<p>Despite this, <a href="http://www.sesameworkshop.org">Sesame Workshop</a>, the non-profit organisation behind Sesame Street, has always maintained that there is nothing more to Bert and Ernie than friendship. In their latest statement, the company said that although they look human, they are puppets who teach that “people can be good friends with those who are very different from themselves”.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1042197230583721989"}"></div></p>
<p>The positive and negative influence of media on childhood has been debated for many years – from the impact of violence and consumerism to its role in cognitive and social development. But it certainly has a role in teaching – so why not about relationships?</p>
<p>The success of Sesame Street is partly down to a clever use of the television medium <a href="https://www.omicsonline.org/open-access/role-of-television-in-child-development-2165-7912.1000153.php?aid=15242">to represent</a> “mundane contents in a highly appealing manner”. </p>
<p>When watching preschool television programmes as an adult, we usually see the obvious educational links quite quickly. There is the schematic play of the <a href="https://www.twirlywoos.com">Twirlywoos</a>, the sustained shared thinking of the <a href="https://disneylife.com/view/imagination-movers">Imagination Movers</a>, and the mathematical development of the Numberblocks who even have their <a href="https://www.ncetm.org.uk/resources/52060">own page</a> on the website of the <a href="https://www.ncetm.org.uk">National Centre for the Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics</a>. </p>
<p>But do children see these in the same way? My own three-year-old watched an <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b08c001f/numberblocks-series-1-another-o">episode of the Numberblocks</a> which focused on how 1 + 1 = 2, and at the end of the programme she told me that “1” and “1” are best friends – in the same way that she and her friends are. When I asked her why, she replied that they must be friends because “1” let “1” stand on its head to make “2”. </p>
<p>To be completely honest, I had never thought of this. I was looking at the episode as a way of supporting basic mathematical understanding. But it got me thinking: am I, as an adult, missing messages or reading into children’s programmes too much? (In the UK, the CBeebies channel has a grown-up twitter account which includes the opportunity for parents to contribute their own “interpretations” of programmes.) </p>
<p>So it seems the main role of Bert and Ernie is to support children’s understanding of positive relationships. The makers of the show clearly consider this to be a hugely important developmental theme. And they are not alone. According to the most recent Early Years Foundation Stage <a href="https://www.foundationyears.org.uk/files/2017/03/EYFS_STATUTORY_FRAMEWORK_2017.pdf">Statutory Framework</a>, positive relationships are part of the overarching principle of the learning, development and care of children from birth to five years old.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4-tj86tX92o?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
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<p>When analysing television for preschoolers, positive relationships appear as a theme in a variety of ways. We have the cereal packet image of family with the married mum and dad of two children in <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/shows/topsy-and-tim">Topsey and Tim</a>. </p>
<p>Then there is the non-traditional family of <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/shows/bing">Bing</a>, a rabbit who lives with his carer Flop and all their friends based on the books by Ted Dewan. While these two programmes have different family set-ups, they both focus on how, whatever happens, if we are kind to one another our relationships will be strong enough to survive.</p>
<h2>Learning to make friends</h2>
<p>Problem solving as a means of strengthening relationships is a theme which continues through two of the most popular pre-school programmes of recent times: <a href="http://www.nickjr.co.uk/paw-patrol">Paw Patrol</a> (about a crack team of puppies and their human leader Ryder) and <a href="http://www.nickjr.co.uk/blaze-and-the-monster-machines/">Blaze and the Monster Machine</a> (featuring the machine and his human friend AJ). </p>
<p>In both, the characters face problems which they need to work together to solve. Blaze even includes an example of how not to behave through the cheating of Crusher and the way he uses his friend Pickle. Children find the resulting punishment of negative behaviour hilarious and, in the case of my daughter, a strong feeling of superiority as she tells me why it happened and why he should not have done this. </p>
<p>She sees the content of these programmes as presenting the “right and wrong” way of carrying out relationships. She then uses these lessons to talk about other situations and what should and should not happen. </p>
<p>Regardless of the adult programme writer’s narrative ideas, a child can reduce this back to the key themes of relationships, belonging and ultimately positive mental health – a <a href="https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/blog/why-relationships-are-so-important-children-and-young-people/">skill we need to survive</a>. As my daughter and Blaze both say: “Nothing beats best friends.” No doubt Bert and Ernie would agree.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/103696/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kerrie Lee does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Learning to form friendships is a key part of growing up.
Kerrie Lee, Lecturer in Early Childhood Education, University of Hull
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/101328
2018-09-05T20:04:57Z
2018-09-05T20:04:57Z
Why it’s time to end the policy limbo threatening Australian children’s TV
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/234602/original/file-20180903-41723-auyhqa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Evie Macdonald in First Day (2017), which won a prestigious children's television award earlier this year.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Epic Films</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Two Australian children’s TV programs, First Day and What’s It Like To Experience a Disability?, won prestigious <a href="https://actf.com.au/news/10514/australia-takes-home-prix-jeunesse-international-awards">Prix Jeunesse</a> awards in May. Both were commissoned by the ABC’s children’s channel ABC ME. Both remind us that Australian children’s television consistently punches above its weight on the international stage. </p>
<p>Yet, despite these recent successes, Australian children’s TV is in a policy limbo. Amid recent and ongoing government reviews into the future of local screen content, uncertainty reigns on issues such as the impact of Netflix and other streaming services, the fate of local content quotas and funding for original local children’s TV more generally.</p>
<p>What we do know is that Australia’s commercial free-to-air networks continue to lobby for the removal of <a href="https://www.acma.gov.au/%7E/media/Community%20Broadcasting%20and%20Safeguards/Information/pdf/ACS%2023%20March%202016%20-%20F2016L00392%20pdf.pdf">quotas for locally made children’s content</a> (which they usually only <a href="https://mumbrella.com.au/australias-metro-tv-stations-meet-bare-minimum-for-childrens-programming-quotas-acma-reports-520525">just meet</a>). We know too that cuts to the ABC budget threaten local production. </p>
<p>The 2015 cuts <a href="https://tvtonight.com.au/2015/08/funding-cuts-hit-abc-drama-kids.html">led to reductions in spending</a> on drama and children’s content. For example, ABC ME now commissions 13 episodes of children’s drama at a time, rather than 26.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">What’s It Like To Experience a Disability? was another recent award-winning Australian children’s television show.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The 2017 <a href="https://www.communications.gov.au/australian-childrens-screen-content-review">Australian and Children’s Screen Content Review</a>, conducted by the regulator ACMA and Screen Australia, was due to complete its report at the end of 2017. It has not yet been made public. </p>
<p>In April, a spokesman for Arts Minister Mitch Fifield told The Guardian the government’s internal review into “the best ways to support the availability and production of high-quality Australian and children’s content in the modern media environment” was ongoing. So, too, is a Senate inquiry into the <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Environment_and_Communications/AustralianContent">economic and cultural value of Australian content on broadcast, radio and streaming services</a>. </p>
<p>The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Communication and The Arts <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/House/Communications/AustralianfilmandTV/Report">released a report</a> last December that recommended reforming the quota system for Seven, Nine and Ten from hours of specified local content to expenditure-based obligations. </p>
<p>It also recommended extending the quotas to streaming services such as Netflix, introducing local quotas on the ABC and SBS, and establishing a contestable production fund for children’s television to which broadcasters would have to contribute. None of this has happened.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/234606/original/file-20180903-41720-hfn1co.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/234606/original/file-20180903-41720-hfn1co.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/234606/original/file-20180903-41720-hfn1co.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/234606/original/file-20180903-41720-hfn1co.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/234606/original/file-20180903-41720-hfn1co.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/234606/original/file-20180903-41720-hfn1co.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/234606/original/file-20180903-41720-hfn1co.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/234606/original/file-20180903-41720-hfn1co.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Amy Ruffle and Lucy Fry in Mako Mermaids (2013): one of Australia’s most profitable children’s television shows.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Jonathan M. Shiff Productions.</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Unregulated competitors</h2>
<p>Multiple streaming television services now compete for children’s attention. Most of the new market entrants are not regulated in the way that linear broadcasters are. Recent revelations that videos showing <a href="https://metro.co.uk/2017/03/27/children-being-tricked-into-watching-youtube-videos-of-peppa-pig-being-tortured-6536779/">Peppa Pig being tortured</a> were easily accessible by children suggest YouTube’s self-regulation system is failing to protect young viewers.</p>
<p>Disney is also gearing up to launch its own streaming service late in 2019, in an attempt to fend off the Netflix threat. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/as-local-networks-retreat-netflix-is-filling-the-gap-in-teen-tv-81624">As local networks retreat, Netflix is filling the gap in teen TV</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>In the UK, the BBC has announced an extra <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-40489812">£34 million (A$61m) for children’s content</a> to counter the growing influence of streaming services. And UK regulator <a href="https://www.ofcom.org.uk/consultations-and-statements/category-2/childrens-content-review">Ofcom</a> last month instructed commercial broadcasters to “revitalise” their children’s offerings, particularly for 12 to 15-year-olds. Ofcom’s powers to implement children’s content quotas were recently restored after their 2003 removal led local production levels to plummet.</p>
<p>And in May, New Zealand On Air and TVNZ launched <a href="https://www.heihei.nz/">HeiHei</a>, a children’s streaming service for NZ-made content. An advertising-free service, it’s intended to provide 5–to-9-year-olds with culturally specific, locally made screen fare. </p>
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</figure>
<p>Without effective policymaking and funding mechanisms here, programs that situate Australian children in their own cultural context – reflecting their lives back to them with local accents, locations and storylines – won’t be made. They’re just too expensive, compared with imported shows. </p>
<p>Live action drama remains the genre most at risk, because of its higher production costs. One of the few live action dramas still being produced by the commercial networks in Australia is Ten’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDTn_54xz2s">The Bureau of Magical Things</a>. The series is made by Jonathan Shiff, whose children’s dramas have sold in 170 countries.</p>
<p>Shiff’s series <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mksxYreceMc">Mako Mermaids</a> generated more profit in 2017 than any other television drama in which Screen Australia invested. </p>
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<p>Still, the head of children’s content at Ten, Cherrie Bottger, who commissioned The Bureau of Magical Things, told me last week: “We need some policy answers to allow us to continue to make great content that entertains Australian kids.”</p>
<p>Without the right policy settings and funding mechanisms, investment in Australian children’s television will continue to drop, despite its obvious quality, popularity with local audiences, and international appeal.</p>
<p>The ABC is making some superb children’s television, although Screen Australia’s current funding cap of <a href="https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/funding-and-support/television-and-online/production/children-s-tv-svod">$2m for children’s series</a> is making live action drama very difficult to finance. But responsibility for making children’s TV cannot be left to an underfunded public broadcaster, which operates without content quotas. </p>
<p>The longer we remain in a state of policy limbo, the greater the risk. If we believe children, like adults, deserve drama made especially for them, it’s time to start implementing some review recommendations. </p>
<p>The introduction of expenditure-based quotas across all television services, including US-based services like Netflix, would be a good start.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/101328/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Anna Potter receives funding from the Australian Research Council </span></em></p>
Amid endless reviews into the future of local screen content, uncertainty reigns on issues such as the impact of Netflix, the fate of local content quotas and funding for original children’s TV.
Anna Potter, Discovery Early Career Research Award (DECRA) Fellow, Senior Lecturer Screen and Media Studies, University of the Sunshine Coast
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/93802
2018-04-05T12:36:37Z
2018-04-05T12:36:37Z
In the Night Garden: how Igglepiggle and his friends talk your toddler’s language
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/213377/original/file-20180405-189824-k9n55p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The bedtime crew.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">DHX Media</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Bedtime can often be a trying experience for young children – and their parents. But evidence suggests that <a href="https://theconversation.com/regular-bed-times-as-important-for-kids-as-getting-enough-sleep-19396">regular bedtimes</a> are very important for children’s wellbeing and development. </p>
<p>One regular element of the routine for many families is the children’s TV show <a href="https://www.inthenightgarden.co.uk/">In the Night Garden</a>. Narrated by classical actor Derek Jacobi, it is a programme which aims to calm and relax toddlers before a good night’s sleep – and has been broadcast almost every bedtime on the BBC channel <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/tv/cbeebies">CBeebies</a> for the past 11 years.</p>
<p>In the Night Garden’s colourful mix of characters and concepts can seem surreal – and even incomprehensible to adult viewers. But it certainly seems to engage young children – and uses a mixture of key tools to entertain and entrance its target audience. </p>
<p>To begin with, it is deliberately repetitive. Toddlers seem to <a href="https://www.babycentre.co.uk/x556931/why-does-my-toddler-love-repetition">love repetition</a>, whether of a phrase or name, such as Upsy Daisy, or the same activity, such as Makka Pakka’s face washing. </p>
<p>As well as learning through repetition, children also find it <a href="https://www.babble.com/toddler/how-to-read-out-loud-toddlers/">relaxing and comforting</a>. Each episode of In the Night Garden follows a recognisable and predictable structure, ending with the tittifers (colourful exotic birds) singing. Afterwards each of the characters goes to bed (except for Igglepiggle, who wanders off through the forest, falling over and waving) before the forest goes dark and the stars come out.</p>
<p>Another regular feature of the programme which toddlers enjoy is rhyme. There is evidence that exposure to this linguistic tool through nursery rhymes and songs can <a href="https://journals.uvic.ca/index.php/jcs/article/view/17841">support children’s development</a> in many ways, especially <a href="http://www.earlyliteracylearning.org/cellreviews/cellreviews_v4_n1.pdf">reading</a>. So although adults may think the Igglepiggle song (“Yes, my name is Igglepiggle, Igglepiggle-niggle-wiggle-woo”) sounds like nonsense, to toddlers it has instant appeal.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/213379/original/file-20180405-189813-1tqqfnu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/213379/original/file-20180405-189813-1tqqfnu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/213379/original/file-20180405-189813-1tqqfnu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/213379/original/file-20180405-189813-1tqqfnu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/213379/original/file-20180405-189813-1tqqfnu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/213379/original/file-20180405-189813-1tqqfnu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/213379/original/file-20180405-189813-1tqqfnu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Who’s not in bed?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">DHX Media</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>This linguistic element continues in the simple sounds of the characters’ names and the dialogue between them – the sounds are reflective of the way a toddler’s language is developing. For example, they generally master <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/014272378100200601">vowel sounds before consonants</a> and The Tombliboos are named Unn, Ooo and Eee, phonetically reflecting how a toddler might say the numbers One, Two, Three. </p>
<p>This is also emphasised by the fact that the Tombliboos always appear in this order, with their names spoken as they appear. And there is considerable use of words that are similar to <a href="http://www.theroadmap.ualberta.ca/vocalizings/parents/13-24">baby babble</a> in their formation. They have a consonant, vowel, consonant, vowel (CVCV) structure such as the beige, small, round-bodied doll named Makka Pakka.</p>
<p>Aside from language, toddlers make extensive <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4564136/">use of gestures</a> in their communication and will usually express ideas and feelings in this way before being able to express them using speech. The characters of In the Night Garden do the same. There are whole episodes which feature characters <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00fd6k0/credits">waving</a> at each other and giving each other <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0968525/">kisses</a> – both gestures that are commonly practised and enjoyed by toddlers. </p>
<p>Excitement is often expressed by the characters dancing and there is much shrugging of shoulders, especially by Igglepiggle when he is unsure of something.</p>
<h2>Play time</h2>
<p>Around the age of two, children tend to stop being preoccupied with the world as it is and start <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/record/1973-31048-000">engaging with their imagination</a>. This is reflected in their play as they begin to shift from experimenting with the physical properties of objects (banging bricks together) towards more <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780121326807500053">symbolic play</a>, perhaps pushing a brick along the floor pretending it is a car. </p>
<p>It is this early symbolic play that In the Night Garden seems to be replicating. Examples of this include the Pontipines, ten peg doll-like characters who represent a family living in a semi-detached house at the foot of a tree. The familiar game of toddlers pretending they are on the phone is also mirrored in the “Trubliphones” which allow characters to communicate with each other as they wander through the garden.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rWHEYRmug18?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
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<p>Another type of behaviour enjoyed by many toddlers is their <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2007/mar/09/psychology.uknews">attachment</a> to a special toy or comfort blanket. They may find it reassuring that the main character of the show, Igglepiggle, is almost always seen with his red comfort blanket in tow. It is a clear acknowledgement of the importance of such a comforter – and the role it may play in helping children learn to <a href="https://www.babycenter.com/0_how-to-raise-an-emotionally-intelligent-child_11946.bc">control their emotions</a>.</p>
<p>It is no coincidence that the content of In the Night Garden reflects the developmental stage of its target audience. Andrew Davenport, the show’s creator (and co-creator of the Teletubbies) has a <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/features/3635301/Andrew-Davenport-Ooo-whats-all-the-fuss.html">degree in speech sciences</a>. His personal <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2010/aug/15/in-the-night-garden-interview">bookshelves include works</a> written by well-known developmental psychologists. </p>
<p>It also nothing new that something designed as entertainment for children seems so bizarre and nonsensical to adults. Traditional popular nursery rhymes include a cow jumping over the moon and an old woman living in a shoe. Neither would be out of place on the colourful set of In The Night Garden – a different world carefully designed for the curious minds of young children (and their weary parents).</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/93802/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sarah Rose does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Upsy Daisy and the Tombliboos are finely tuned in to the developing minds of toddlers.
Sarah Rose, Lecturer in Developmental Psychology, Staffordshire University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/92576
2018-03-07T14:08:29Z
2018-03-07T14:08:29Z
Why it’s so important for kids to see diverse TV and movie characters
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/209161/original/file-20180306-146694-k5m19s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Television continues to be the main source of media consumption for kids.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-illustration/large-diverse-group-people-seen-above-340987652?src=D1tua242TCbND36VMD8QEw-1-24">Arthimedes/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The hype surrounding “<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1825683/">Black Panther</a>” has been as hyperbolic as any feat its characters might perform, with the film being praised for its layered story and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/06/movies/black-panther-review-movie.html">what’s been described</a> as its “Afrofuturist” cast. And “Black Panther” will be joined by “<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1620680/?ref_=nv_sr_1">A Wrinkle in Time</a>,” another film with blockbuster potential and an interracial cast. </p>
<p>But no matter how much money or how many awards films like “Black Panther” and “A Wrinkle in Time” amass, our research strongly suggests another reason they’re important: Children need a diverse universe of media images. And for the most part, they haven’t had one.</p>
<h2>Some progress, but …</h2>
<p>In the 1970s, Boston University communications professor F. Earle Barcus began publishing the results of <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED16105">content analyses</a> he had conducted on children’s television. His findings showed large disparities between the numbers of male and female characters and between the numbers of white and non-white characters. In a 1983 study, Barcus analyzed over 1,100 characters in 20 children’s television programs and found that only 42 were black. Just 47 others belonged to some group other than white. </p>
<p>Since then, researchers <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/019700709090129P">have consistently found</a> that the animated worlds children see on television are out of sync with their real environments. </p>
<p>Over the past seven years, we’ve continued studying this topic at the <a href="https://sites.tufts.edu/ctvresearch/">Children’s Television Project (CTV) at Tufts University</a>, documenting images of different races, gender and ethnicities in the most popular children’s animated series. We’ve also taken steps to try to understand why stereotyped portrayals still exist well into the 21st century. Finally, we’re starting to develop ways to study and collect data about how children process the images they’re exposed to on TV.</p>
<p>In order to categorize the images children see, we’ve developed a system for coding the race, ethnic identity, gender and age of primary and secondary characters in children’s animated television shows. We’ve also included a sociolinguistic component to the analysis, because we know that children are absorbing both sights and sounds as they process media. </p>
<p>The good news is that the world of children’s animated television is more diverse than it used to be. For example, we’ve found that female characters account for just under one-third of all characters. Discouraging as this may appear, it’s a significant improvement from the 1:6 ratio that F. Earle Barcus had previously found, and better than the 1:4 ratio that communications professors Teresa Thompson and Eugenia Zerbinos <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF01544217">found</a> in the 1990s. </p>
<p>There’s more racial and ethnic diversity, too. Black characters account for 5.6 percent of our total sample of over 1,500 characters. (<a href="https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED067889.pdf">A study conducted</a> in 1972 by researchers Gilbert Mendelson and Morissa Young for Action for Children’s Television found that over 60 percent of the TV shows in their sample had no racial minority characters at all.) There are many more Asian or Asian-American characters (11.6 percent), though this likely due to the prevalence of a few popular cartoons featuring mostly Asian characters such as “<a href="http://www.nick.com/legend-of-korra/">Legend of Korra</a>.”</p>
<p>The bad news is that there’s still a ways to go. African-Americans represent an estimated <a href="https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045216">13.3 percent</a> of the U.S. population. Meanwhile, Hispanic or Latinos make up <a href="https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045216">17.8 percent</a> of the population, but we’ve found Latino characters only made up 1.4 percent of our sample. </p>
<p>Furthermore, stereotypes persist in both how characters are drawn and how they talk, with “bad guys” using non-American accents and dialects. We see this in characters like <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrHHpmzxJc8">Dr. Doofenshmirtz</a> from “Phineas and Ferb” or Nightmare Moon on “My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.” </p>
<p>To try to understand why stereotyping persists, we’ve interviewed some of the people who write, direct, cast and provide vocal talent for children’s animated programming. While we haven’t completed this part of the study, it seems that economic pressures compel the creators of children’s animated programming to rely on stereotyping as a kind of shorthand. </p>
<p>For example, one director of a popular children’s animated show told us, “If something’s worked before, you tend to just use it again,” even if that “something” is stereotyped. An African-American voice actor reported being in auditions where he was told to make something sound “urban,” a code word for a more stereotyped African-American dialect.</p>
<h2>Kids, quick to judge</h2>
<p>But the real question is why this all matters.</p>
<p><a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/josi.12096/abstract">Studies</a> from <a href="http://www.angelfire.com/planet/coun507b/WARD.pdf">many</a> <a href="https://experts.umich.edu/en/publications/wading-through-the-stereotypes-positive-and-negative-associations">fields</a> have shown that it’s important for children to see characters who not only look like themselves and their families, but also sound like them. </p>
<p>There’s a relationship between low self-esteem and negative media portrayals of racial groups, in addition to an association between poor self-esteem and the paucity of portrayals of a particular group. Others have found that media misrepresentations of ethnic groups can cause confusion about aspects of their identity among children of these groups.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/209175/original/file-20180306-146675-r38ds8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/209175/original/file-20180306-146675-r38ds8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=417&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209175/original/file-20180306-146675-r38ds8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=417&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209175/original/file-20180306-146675-r38ds8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=417&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209175/original/file-20180306-146675-r38ds8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=524&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209175/original/file-20180306-146675-r38ds8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=524&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209175/original/file-20180306-146675-r38ds8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=524&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">The worlds children are exposed to on screen can influence their self-esteem and how they judge other people.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/little-baby-boy-watching-blank-white-379600603">PanicAttack/Shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In our study of how children process the sights and sounds of animated worlds, we developed a method in which we show children images of diverse animated faces and play voices that use different dialects. We then ask kids to tell us if the person is a good person, a bad person, or if they can’t tell. We follow this up by asking them why they think what they do.</p>
<p>Though we’re not far enough along yet in our research to provide definitive answers to our questions, we do have some preliminary findings.</p>
<p>First and foremost, kids notice differences. </p>
<p>We’ve found that first- and second-grade children, when presented with a variety of drawn cartoon character faces they haven’t seen before, have no problem sorting them into “good” and “bad” characters.</p>
<p>In fact, many children have clearly developed ideas and are able to tell us lengthy stories about why they think a particular character might be a hero or villain with minimal information. Sometimes this seems to be based on their belief that a character looks like another media character they’ve seen. They’ll then make the assumption that a face they’re shown looks like “a princess” or “someone who goes to jail.” With the lack of diversity in the world of children’s television, it’s not surprising that kids would make associations with so little information. But it’s also a bit alarming – given what we know about the prevalence of stereotyping – that children seem so quick to make attributions of who’s good and who’s evil. </p>
<p>It’s important that children not only have a diverse universe of characters but also that these characters have diverse characteristics. It’s okay for characters to have non-American accents, but good guys – not just bad guys – should have them too. The heroes can be male and female, and non-white characters don’t have to be relegated to the role of sidekick: They can assume leading roles.</p>
<p>This brings us back to why these new films are so groundbreaking. Yes, “Black Panther” is demonstrating that a film about a black superhero can shatter box- office records. Yes, “A Wrinkle in Time” is the first $100 million movie directed by a woman of color. </p>
<p>But beyond all that, these films break the mold by showing the complexity and variety of black male and female experiences. </p>
<p>If more movies, TV shows and animated series follow suit, perhaps we will finally move beyond the underdeveloped and stereotyped characters that children have been exposed to for far too long.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/92576/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
It’s not just how characters look. How they talk and the role they play have a profound impact on kids, who are quick to categorize characters as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ based on superficial qualities.
Julie Dobrow, Senior lecturer, Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development, Tufts University
Calvin Gidney, Associate Professor, Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development, Tufts University
Jennifer Burton, Professor of the Practice, Department of Drama and Dance, Tufts University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/92205
2018-03-02T16:44:32Z
2018-03-02T16:44:32Z
Horrible Histories: bringing children an irreverent take on the past for 25 years
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/208689/original/file-20180302-65533-vyvej1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=1%2C4%2C592%2C401&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Scenes from the early days of pop music, Horrible Histories-style.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">CBBC</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>My children watch Horrible Histories on television every day. And they are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/organgrinder/2011/may/25/horrible-histories-comedy">not alone</a>. So thanks to the extraordinarily talented people who make the programme – and the <a href="http://www.horrible-histories.co.uk/awesome-author-and-illustrator">creators of the books</a> that spawned it – every single day children actively engage with the past. </p>
<p>It’s a very active engagement. Both the books (which have sold more than 30m copies) and the <a href="https://broadcastawards.co.uk/winners-2018/">award-winning</a> TV show invite children to laugh with, be frequently repulsed by, but most of all to have opinions about what they are reading and seeing. They invite children to <em>think</em> about history. In the year of its 25th anniversary then, Horrible Histories would appear to be a remarkable success. </p>
<p>The series is not without its critics. Periodically across two and a half decades, the books and its television spin off have been accused of distorting and oversimplifying the serious business of history. </p>
<p>One example of this came in 2015 in a Times Educational Supplement article which was gleefully <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2895244/The-Horrible-Histories-book-TV-series-dumbed-children-s-study-past-claims-leading-teacher.html">picked up by the Daily Mail</a> with the predictable headline that Horrible Histories had “dumbed down” history. </p>
<p>Such accusations massively underestimate Horrible Histories – especially the serious argument the series makes about both what we access in the past and how we access it. For there is no doubt that Horrible Histories is a radical project. </p>
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<p>It is difficult to imagine a less reverential approach to history, or something further from the traditional “Great Men” versions of the past. Instead Horrible Histories is entirely contemptuous of power and invites children to be the same – by poking fun at the foibles and failings of leaders. As Series author Terry Deary once <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/jul/14/terry-deary-horrible-histories">said in an interview</a>: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>I’m not a historian, and I wouldn’t want to be. I want to change the world. Attack the elite. Overturn the hierarchy. Look at my stories and you’ll notice that the villains are always, always, those in power. The heroes are the little people. I hate the establishment. Always have, always will.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The message is clear: authority has to be earned, it is not a right. And who could argue against the idea of educating our children to critically appraise those in positions of power? Surely that would be a lesson worth learning. </p>
<h2>Tales of the unexpected</h2>
<p>Horrible Histories is not really concerned with the experiences of the powerful. Across the chronological reach of their publications, the real focus of the books is social history and the experience of “ordinary” men, women and – crucially – children. </p>
<p>There is an engagement with how people lived – and indeed how they died – in the past. How they worked, what they did in their leisure time, and what they ate (the TV show episodes which include “Historical Masterchef” are my very favourite).</p>
<p>This focus tells children that their lives, and the lives of people like them are significant. The regular inclusion on the role of excrement and sewage is not simply toilet humour – it teaches children (and some adults) about topics like our relationship with the environment and the role of disease. It is crucial work.</p>
<p>Horrible Histories is interested in the structures of power too. Issues of race and gender are never avoided and it is very much more than an account of the experience of white men. The TV series courted some controversy in 2014 with a sketch that reflected the differences in experience (and crucially, the representation) of <a href="https://www.biography.com/people/florence-nightingale-9423539">Florence Nightingale</a> and <a href="http://broughttolife.sciencemuseum.org.uk/broughttolife/people/maryseacole">Mary Seacole</a> and the work they did in the Crimean War.</p>
<p>A <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-29426242">complaint was upheld</a> for the suggestion of direct racism on the part of Nightingale. But this rather obscured the wider (and more important) investigation by the programme of why Nightingale’s image predominates while Seacole has been forgotten. A vital lesson in the realities of race, both in the past but in our world too. </p>
<p>One of the main and most erroneous criticisms of Horrible Histories is that it consistently filters the past through the present. Not that it doesn’t, it does, and it does so openly. But really, how is that a problem? </p>
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<p>Crucially, Horrible Histories asks children to situate themselves in relation to the past – to consider themselves as its interpreters by using their own cultural frameworks. In doing so Horrible Histories simply reflects the position of the discipline of history generally which is, all the way down, a complex interaction between past and present. The difference is that unlike some historians, the creators of Horrible Histories are not in a state of denial. </p>
<p>Finally, and in these dark days in which fantasies about the British past have been allowed to shape our future, Horrible Histories seeks to undermine some of the shibboleths of the British national story. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Barmy-British-Empire-Horrible-Histories/dp/1407104217">Barmy British Empire</a> is a searing critique of the Empire project – which shows both the violence in the establishment and policing of Empire and its fatal impacts on many indigenous populations. </p>
<p>There is no shying away from Britain’s past here. And nor should there be. Horrible Histories is open about events and characters in a way that sucessfully engages young minds. Long may it continue to offer our children this radical route to the past.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/92205/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tom Lawson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
The series has an impressive quarter century history of its own.
Tom Lawson, Professor of History, Northumbria University, Newcastle
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/90853
2018-01-30T18:55:11Z
2018-01-30T18:55:11Z
Far from white-washing, ABC’s Monkey Magic remake takes us back to its cross-cultural roots
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/203908/original/file-20180129-89597-narnn0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The cast of The New Legends of Monkey</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">ABC/IMDB</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The much-anticipated series premiere of <a href="http://iview.abc.net.au/programs/new-legends-of-monkey/CH1613H010S00">The New Legends of Monkey</a> aired Sunday night on children’s network ABC ME and is streaming on iView. While your kids may have been enthralled by the kung foolery of it all, older viewers may have found their inner-child chucking a nostalgia-induced tantrum shouting “It’s not the same!” </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Trailer for The New Legends of Monkey.</span></figcaption>
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<p>In the 1980s the BBC TV show Monkey found its way into Australian hearts with its colourful characters - Monkey, Tripitaka the monk, Pigsy the pig monster, and Sandy the water monster - and its hilarious English dubbing directly over the Japanese original made by Nippon TV.</p>
<p>It’s true that in the New Legends, <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-02/first-look-at-monkey-magic-revamp-divides-fans/9298734">Pigsy is a Kiwi,</a> Sandy’s a woman, and their mouths actually move in time with their voices. But some have criticised the show for “<a href="http://mashable.com/2017/04/25/legend-of-monkey/#LMs.jaZFbiq5">white-washing</a>” the story’s Asian origins. </p>
<p>New Legends have made a lot of changes to the Monkey we hold dear from our childhood; however, we should consider that change isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact culture crossing has been part of the Monkey story for hundreds of years. </p>
<h2>Transcultural kitsch</h2>
<p>In Japanese, the 1980s TV show’s title meant “Journey to the West”. This alluded to the 16th century classic of Chinese literature <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journey_to_the_West">Journey to the West</a>, itself <a href="https://muse.jhu.edu/article/256955/summary">based on an ancient oral folktale</a> well known throughout East Asia. The novel recounts the pilgrimage of a Chinese monk named Xuanzang to retrieve Buddhist scriptures from India during the 7th century with his disciples, including a river monster, a pig monster, and the irrepressible Monkey King. </p>
<p>This diverse crew traversing across the Asian continent embodies the inherently transcultural nature of the story, even before it had reached an English language audience on its journey to the West.</p>
<p>In 1976 the BBC had commissioned writer David Weir to dub an imported Japanese drama entitled <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0227975/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm">The Water Margin</a>. Weir managed to make a moderate success out of the show, despite the fact that <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BBCArchive/videos/292232651149772/">Weir didn’t understand a word of Japanese</a>. Following the success of The Water Margin, Weir was asked in 1979 to work his magic on a Japanese production of Journey to the West (<em>Saiyūki</em>) which the BBC renamed <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078659/">Monkey</a>.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Clip from Monkey.</span></figcaption>
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<p>Often referred to in English by its theme song “Monkey Magic”, Nippon Television’s Monkey veered away from historical and literary accuracy, pandering to audiences by casting a cavalcade of well-known Japanese celebrities.</p>
<p>Taking a tongue-in-cheek approach, the show broke from traditional retellings by incorporating outrageous fight scenes, slapstick humour, and breaking gender conventions by casting attractive actresses in male roles. Even in Japanese, Monkey was more of a comedy than a drama like The Water Margin.</p>
<p>Considering Weir’s monolinguistic capabilities, the BBC’s translation of Monkey was really more of a complete re-writing. By adding plenty of puns, double-entendres, and pseudo philosophical musings, the BBC made this television show utterly compelling for adolescent audiences, despite the fact it became increasingly distanced to the original. British voice actors speaking in “faux-riental” accents completed the transformation of this tale, an approach that would be seen as rather distasteful by today’s standards.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Monkey’s opening song.</span></figcaption>
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<h2>A contemporary remake</h2>
<p>The disparate elements which came together in Monkey created the perfect storm of transcultural kitsch and an instant cult classic, something that could never have been produced by any one country or culture on its own. </p>
<p>Flash forward to 2018, and it would be impossible to recreate anything close to Monkey without it resembling something like the satirical YouTube channel <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/BadLipReading">Bad Lip Reading</a>. So how has The New Legends of Monkey tackled such a challenge?</p>
<p>According to the <a href="http://www.see-saw-films.com/television/the-legend-of-monkey/#about">production company’s media release</a>, The New Legends of Monkey is set in a “universal ‘neverwhere’ world that is a hybrid of east and west… exploring the universal themes of identity, family, and destiny”. </p>
<p>It is worth noting that as an Australian/New Zealand co-production, New Legends seems to be incorporating more gender and ethnic diversity into its casting, making it more accurate in its representations of these ethnically and culturally diverse nations. </p>
<p>As writer/director Craig Irvin noted <a href="http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/tv-shows/the-new-legends-of-monkey-writer-responds-to-whitewashing-accusations/news-story/17574ca219894f4ed92d291c3f7364d9">in a recent interview</a> “more than half of [the cast] are non-European” with a diversity of backgrounds such as “Chinese-Thai, South Korean, Maori, Tongan and European”.</p>
<p>In terms of gender, several major characters from the first few episodes are played by women such as the tavern owner Monica (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1344302/">Rachel House</a>) and the demon Princess Locke (Bryony Skillington). However, it is in the main casting where these changes are most apparent. </p>
<p>Water god Sandy is shown as inhabiting a female form played by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm5949710/">Emilie Cocquerel</a>, while Tripitaka’s character has been altered from being male (which in the original Monkey series was played by a woman, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0622418/">Masako Natsume</a>), to a teenage girl (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm4578161/">Luciane Buchanan</a>) secretly assuming the guise of the holy monk. In this way New Legends has attempted to incorporate women into the story in a more meaningful way than previous productions.</p>
<p>It’s certainly not the first time that Australians have tried to recreate Monkey’s magic. Melbourne rapper Phrase created a homage to Monkey in his music video for “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgCNCgzmyXc">Skylight</a>”, while several theatre productions such as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuB0vT_bUsw">Theatre of Image’s Monkey Journey to the West</a>, and <a href="https://www.castlemainetheatrecompany.com/monkey-goes-west/">Castlemaine Theatre Company’s Monkey and the Monk</a> also toured shows in the last few years. Perhaps because of the limited reach of these productions, there was little public attention given to them.</p>
<p>As such the production of The New Legends of Monkey is just part of a long history of transcultural adaption of this story. While traditionalists may lament the fact that the story has been taken out of its original Chinese setting, it is important to remember that this isn’t the first time this ancient tale has been adapted across cultures, and it certainly won’t be the last.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/90853/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rebecca Hausler receives PHD scholarship funding through University of Queensland and Department of Education (RTP). </span></em></p>
ABC’s The New Legends of Monkey puts a fresh spin on the ‘80s cult classic Monkey’ continuing a long tradition of culture crossing.
Rebecca Hausler, PHD Candidate and Researcher in Japanese Studies, School of Languages and Cultures, The University of Queensland
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/87597
2017-11-30T19:05:07Z
2017-11-30T19:05:07Z
The way your children watch YouTube is not that surprising – but it is a concern. Here are some tips
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/196882/original/file-20171129-28917-1qphb95.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Clips of Peppa Pig on YouTube aren't always what you expect them to be. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mellowynk/16063493190/in/photolist-qtMZ5h-9AzV9x-9eirD8-r4jWsc-bAHa7H-dRUFbo-pQp2P4-qttAT9-pP2W85-7fdjQi-dLqh62-7RDbQ8-6o8BTf-py9fdX-6o4t6V-9DuR9o-6o8CJE-95mXPU-75BSpt-aUgVEF-7VWYQT-5v7HT8-8sxgue-6gDrSs">mellowynk/flickr </a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Imagine a 3 year old in front of a screen watching Peppa Pig (their favourite TV character) hanging by a noose - the victim of a lynch mob. As <a href="http://hmongbuy.net/video/fK6HiDXdkCI">the video</a> continues the child sees Peppa explicitly swearing, violently stabbing her brother; and then Peppa’s family acting out a sex scene inspired by 50 Shades of Grey. </p>
<p>Parody and unauthorised online children’s content is an issue writer James Bridle brought attention to recently with his article <a href="https://medium.com/@jamesbridle/something-is-wrong-on-the-internet-c39c471271d2">Something is wrong on the internet</a>. </p>
<p>My audit of these videos shows that in an odd way they actually resonate with a young child’s level of development. This helps us to understand why they get so many views. </p>
<p>However the inappropriate and unsafe messages they communicate to children has worrying implications. Being aware and taking a few key steps can help minimise these experiences in your household. </p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/dont-use-technology-as-a-bargaining-chip-with-your-kids-85599">Don't use technology as a bargaining chip with your kids</a>
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</em>
</p>
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<h2>What children are viewing</h2>
<p>Young children have rapidly become prolific users of the internet, including watching online videos. While many of the videos are suitable, others use unscrupulous gimmicky methods to profit from a young and impressionable audience.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">This is a very mild version of an edited Peppa Pig video.</span></figcaption>
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<p>My experience is that these videos fall into three categories. </p>
<ol>
<li><p><strong>Parody cartoon videos:</strong> These depict well-known characters in violent or lewd situations. For example, there are videos of Elsa (from the Disney movie Frozen) <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy0iPjPkr6c">angry and using a machine gun</a>, and Paw Patrol characters (a Nickelodeon show popular among pre-schoolers) <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG0AeRpV5vU&t=26s">visiting a brothel</a>. </p></li>
<li><p><strong>Disturbing imagery:</strong> Other clips depict disturbing imagery, characters or storylines. These include for example, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X16UOQzvna4">Dad Punches Kid in Face</a>, a video which depicts a father punching his young child in the face for “being naughty”.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>Sneaky advertising:</strong> Equally worrying, other videos elicit sneaky advertising tactics to persuade children to buy new products. For example, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChGJGhZ9SOOHvBB0Y4DOO_w">Ryan’s Toy Review</a> is one such video channel with more than four billion views. While the content of this category of videos is generally not violent or sexual, it equates to children sitting in front of never-ending ads day after day. </p></li>
</ol>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-why-do-adults-think-video-games-are-bad-76699">Curious Kids: Why do adults think video games are bad?</a>
</strong>
</em>
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<h2>Why kids watch these videos</h2>
<p>The way that children engage with the questionable online videos can be perplexing, and worrying, for parents. </p>
<p>However, when put in the context of what we know about <a href="https://www.elsevier.com/books/social-and-emotional-development-in-infancy-and-early-childhood/benson/978-0-12-375065-5">key behavioural characteristics</a> of children as they develop, it’s not that surprising.</p>
<p>The videos often feature something that children are really interested in - toys, playing, and/or popular characters they know. If a child is a fan of the characters, or even owns some of the toys depicted in the video, the connection will be even stronger.</p>
<p>Many of the videos portray odd events. From a child development perspective, things that are unexpected – like an adult wearing a nappy, or their favourite wholesome character being evil – are a <a href="https://www.elsevier.com/books/social-and-emotional-development-in-infancy-and-early-childhood/benson/978-0-12-375065-5">great source of humour</a> for young children. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Everybody loves to unwrap stuff!</span></figcaption>
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<p>Many of these videos centre on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeBIXhXW8C8">taking a new present or toy out of a box</a>. As any kid on Christmas morning will tell you, guessing what’s inside the wrapping is half the fun. It will also likely conjure up happy memories for the children of receiving a present themselves. </p>
<p>Some of the videos feature <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=he8nz5tAZrw">child presenters</a> – children enjoy watching their peers on the screen, and they get pleasure from watching others open presents. The problem is that it can also fuel an incredible desire and anticipation for these particular toys or products.</p>
<h2>Shady knock-offs, and no filters</h2>
<p>Regardless of their amusing appeal to kids, children are seeing video content not produced by reputable content producers. Instead, they are knock-offs created by anonymous users with names such as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqEgcdga-cAYWxp8QgzTnLw">Brick Man</a> and <a href="http://hmongbuy.net/channel/UC3kCMZMHmEbgEL0ND42_jwg">Melon Troll</a>. These channels game internet search algorithms to automatically play their video as soon as the last clip the child is watching finishes. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/when-exploiting-kids-for-cash-goes-wrong-on-youtube-the-lessons-of-daddyofive-76932">When exploiting kids for cash goes wrong on YouTube: the lessons of DaddyOFive</a>
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</em>
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<p>Even though a child may be on a video sharing platform for kids, this does not mean that all inappropriate content will be effectively filtered out. For example, a child might search “Peppa Pig” and whatever videos are titled or tagged with “Peppa Pig” appear on their search list. Based on the original search, more suggested videos then appear. <a href="https://theoutline.com/post/1239/youtube-has-a-fake-peppa-pig-problem">Parents state</a> that it is in the suggested videos that the worrying content often appears. </p>
<p>Online videos are a <a href="https://theconversation.com/when-exploiting-kids-for-cash-goes-wrong-on-youtube-the-lessons-of-daddyofive-76932">lucrative business</a>, and to capitalise on this process, the algorithms are now informing what is produced. Hashtags and keywords now play a big part in the video content. </p>
<p><a href="https://arxiv.org/pdf/1707.00971.pdf">Recent research</a> shows that as a result, children are increasingly exposed to videos containing advertising and disturbing images that are indistinguishable from regular programming.</p>
<h2>A layer of ethics</h2>
<p>An <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-perspec-kids-videos-youtube-peppa-pig-algorithms-bizarre-1114-story.html">algorithmic approach</a> removes a layer of ethics that is included when humans make decisions in production of content. </p>
<p><a href="https://kids.youtube.com/">YouTube Kids</a> is a very popular site on which kids watch these videos, and owner Google has pledged to improve its algorithms. <a href="https://youtube.googleblog.com/2017/11/5-ways-were-toughening-our-approach-to.html">Google states</a> that amongst other changes, in the last week it terminated more than 50 channels and has removed thousands of videos under their newly revised Community Guidelines. </p>
<p>Another issue that must be addressed is allowing the option to turn off suggested videos automatically playing. </p>
<h2>What parents can do</h2>
<p>More than 300 hours of content are uploaded to YouTube <a href="https://fortunelords.com/youtube-statistics/">every minute</a>, which makes this issue difficult to manage. Amendments from Google will likely take a while. </p>
<p>It is therefore important parents use strategies to protect their family. Five steps parents can do right now are: </p>
<ol>
<li>Report and block anything inappropriate,</li>
<li>Install an ad blocker (very easy to do and free), </li>
<li>Turn on <a href="https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/174084">restricted mode</a></li>
<li>Draw up a personal video playlist for your child much like a music playlist),<br></li>
<li>Watch online videos with your child (not necessarily all of every video but enough to be familiar with what they are watching). </li>
</ol>
<p>The online world is in a constant state of innovation, but it can be a positive part of life if we watch changes that occur, understand the effects on users and address concerns.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/87597/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Joanne Orlando does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
More than 300 hours of content are uploaded to YouTube every minute - and many children’s clips are unauthorised, sneaky or even disturbing. Being aware is the first step.
Joanne Orlando, Researcher: Technology and Learning, Western Sydney University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.