Children worldwide are disproportionately experiencing serious impacts of climate change. Formal education is beginning to teach about climate change, but these efforts lag behind the urgent and growing need. Families are also seeking help in talking to their children about the emotional dimensions of climate change. Decades of research document that popular children’s media, particularly television and now streaming video, can be a low-cost, accessible way to reach a majority of the world’s children, and that this media can produce pro-social and educational outcomes. In this chapter, we present the results of two studies: A content analysis of climate change messaging in popular children’s television shows and movies, and a small survey of industry professionals’ reaction to the analysis. We found few programs with storylines incorporating climate change. However, these episodes did successfully employ many of the recommended tactics for communicating with children. Our findings, corroborated by the media professionals in our survey, suggest a missed opportunity and provide a call to action for how content creators can help educate and engage children on climate change through effective storytelling.

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What Kids Are Watching and What’s Missing: Opportunities and Strengths for Climate Storytelling in Popular Children’s Media

  • Sara Poirier,
  • Anya Kamenetz

摘要

Children worldwide are disproportionately experiencing serious impacts of climate change. Formal education is beginning to teach about climate change, but these efforts lag behind the urgent and growing need. Families are also seeking help in talking to their children about the emotional dimensions of climate change. Decades of research document that popular children’s media, particularly television and now streaming video, can be a low-cost, accessible way to reach a majority of the world’s children, and that this media can produce pro-social and educational outcomes. In this chapter, we present the results of two studies: A content analysis of climate change messaging in popular children’s television shows and movies, and a small survey of industry professionals’ reaction to the analysis. We found few programs with storylines incorporating climate change. However, these episodes did successfully employ many of the recommended tactics for communicating with children. Our findings, corroborated by the media professionals in our survey, suggest a missed opportunity and provide a call to action for how content creators can help educate and engage children on climate change through effective storytelling.