"I am often approached by parents and professionals who work with children, who have heard conflicting reports about the effects of violent or sexualised media on children. Usually, they simply want to know what the scientific research has found. This book summarises the research findings in plain language. World leading scholars in disciplines such as psychology, psychiatry, neuropsychology, law and ethics discuss what we currently know about the effects of television, movies, video games, music and advertising, as well as the ethical, legal and policy implications. This book is anchored in up-to-date scientific evidence, offers plenty of helpful, practical advice, and will assist everyone with an interest in the effects of media on children to be well informed."Wayne WarburtonThe breadth of content and diversity of contributors come together to discuss important issues raised in the book:John Murray on behavioural and neurological effects of viewing violence on children. Craig Anderson and Wayne Warburton on the effects of violent video games. Wayne Warburton on the effects of music and music lyrics. Ed Donnerstein on the impact of the internet on youth and children. Louise Newman on the sexualisation of youth, on the role of the media in such sexualisation, and on the potential effects of restricting the distribution of sexual themes in the mass media. Cordelia Fine on the roles that advertisements in the mass media - and particularly highly sexualised advertisements - play in altering children's self images and behaviour. Emma Rush, philosophical ethicist, asks in the context of media effects and media regulation: Are principles or consequences more important? Is it more ethical to empower children or to protect them? What is the most ethical balance between allowing freedom of expression and protecting children from harm? Elizabeth Handsley exposes the difficulties of formal government regulation of violent and sexual media in societies that value free expression. Danya Braunstein and her colleagues make a strong plea to base regulation on empirical evidence rather than on political or even ethical positions. The evidence is in, they correctly point out, so let's base regulation on the evidence that is in, and let's do it now! Alan Hayes points out the multiply-determined nature of aggressive and violent behaviour that needs to be addressed if real reductions in violence are to be obtained.

Growing Up Fast tells the life stories of Shayla, Jessica, Amy, Colleen, Liz, and Sheri--six teen mothers whom Joanna Lipper first met in 1999 when they were enrolled at the Teen Parent Program in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Less than a decade older than these teen parents, she was able to blend into the fabric of their lives and make a short documentary film about them. Over the course of the next four years she continued to earn their trust as they shared with her the daily reality of their lives and their experiences growing up in the economically depressed post-industrial landscape of Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

An incisive and insightful memoir by one of the most beloved icons of nineties television Jaleel White, the actor who portrayed Steve Urkel on the hit sitcom Family Matters. At the tender age of twelve, Jaleel White auditioned for the role of Steve Urkel, the socially inept genius, who was in love with his next-door neighbor, Laura. Though Steve Urkel was intended to be in only one episode, Jaleel’s indelible performance catapulted Urkel into the pantheon of American pop culture. But success can cost as much as it pays. After nine years on the popular sitcom Family Matters, Jaleel is twenty-one, a UCLA undergrad, and adjusting to a world and industry that sees him as the nasally nerd in high water pants, suspenders, and coke bottle glasses. In this wise and witty memoir, Growing Up Urkel takes you on a memorable journey through the peaks, valleys, and plateaus of fame and fortune.

Children deserve to live a life that is safe from exploitation and harm, but are we failing in our duty to protect them? Childhood today is big business - it is impossible for any child growing up to avoid pervasive and intense marketing from companies. Whether it be for fatty foods resulting in childhood obesity, expensive franchised toys which encourage tension within families and stigma among friends, or 'pornified' role models who pervert children's ideas of sexuality, research clearly shows that commercial pressures are having a direct impact on children's psychological development and health. This book draws together a series of hard-hitting articles contributed by key thinkers on child welfare and child psychology including Oliver James, Susie Orbach and Gail Dines. Together they identify new and emerging forms of child exploitation, and editor Jim Wild constructs a powerful argument for why current child protection procedures designed to protect children from abuse are no longer adequate. Outspoken and challenging, this book invites us to consider our responsibility for preventing the harm children are experiencing, and is required reading for anyone concerned with the welfare of children.

When the name of Theo Walcott was included in the England squad for the 2006 World Cup, shock waves ran through the football world. But no one was more surprised than Theo himself. Five years later, Theo Walcott is one of the most recognizable names in football. As the English heart of the brilliant young Arsenal team, he has become a firm favourite at the Emirates Stadium. He represents everything that is good about the beautiful game: a player with his feet on the ground, but lightning quick on the field. He carries the expectations of the nation on his shoulders, especially since one night in Croatia made him the youngest player in history to score a hat-trick for England. It has been an incredible adventure, an unbelievable story for a quiet boy from a small village who only started playing football when he was 10. But how does it feel for your dreams to come true? In Theo: Growing Up Fast, Theo Walcott takes you right inside his world.

This book is about the life of a young girl and her adventurous upbringing at sea.

This collection, written by legal scholars from around the world, offers insights into a variety of topics from children’s rights to criminal law, jurisprudence, medical ethics and more. Its breadth reflects the fact that these are all elements of what can broadly be called ‘law and society’, that enterprise that is interested in law’s place or influence in diffferent aspects of real lives and understands law to be simultaneously symbol, philosophy and action. It is also testament to the broad range of vision of Professor Michael Freeman, in whose honour the volume was conceived. The contributions are divided into categories which reflect his distinguished career and publications, over 85 books and countless articles, including pioneering work on children’s rights, domestic violence, religious law, jurisprudence, law and culture, family law and medicine, ethics and the law, as well as his enduring commitment to interdisciplinarity. The volume begins with work on law in its philosophical, cultural or symbolic realm (Part I: Law and Stories: Culture, Religion and Philosophy), including its commitment to the normative ideal of ‘rights’ (Part II: Law and Rights), and then offfers work on law as coercive state action (Part III: Law and the Coercive State) and as regulator of personal relationships (Part IV: Law and Personal Living). It continues with reflections on the importance of globalisation, both of law and of ‘doing family’ in personal and public life (Part V: Law and International Living) before closing with two reflections on Michael Freeman’s body of work generally, including one from Michael himself (Part VI: Law and Michael Freeman).