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Media companies have heavily invested in kids’ content as they
build new digital businesses to court consumers directly. On
Thursday Walt Disney Co announced details about Disney+, a
family-friendly streaming service it is launching in November
for $7 per month.
The benefit for Disney, Netflix Inc, Viacom Inc and other media
companies is clear: Hook viewers when they are young, with
content that often has merchandising and theme park tie-ins. And
the streaming model in particular makes sense: Children are the
original binge-watchers, with an endless appetite for repeats.
Yet experts who study media consumption among children are not
concerned about the explosion of programming, as long as parents
impose limits, said Shelley Pasnik, the director of the
nonprofit Center for Children and Technology.
“Parenting no longer involves relying on the finite-ness imposed
by media. Instead, it’s up to the parents and household rules to
make it finite and help kids understand when to stop,” Pasnik
said.
When considering their rules around screen time, parents who
want to shield their kids from commercials likely see a value in
ad-free services like Disney+ and Apple TV+, Apple Inc's
upcoming streaming venture. But that format can provide false
comfort: When it comes to selling merchandise, content can have
the same effect as commercials.
“Even though there are no commercials disrupting the narrative,
you may not be as alert to the fact that your son or daughter is
developing a great affinity for a character, and then it’s
pretty bonkers when it comes to shopping,” says Pasnik.
Parental controls - which can be tricky to locate - are not an
easy solution. Instead, experts say, parents should help their
children make choices around programming; watch with them if
possible; and talk about what they have seen, helping to connect
that content to a family’s values.
“Parents need to communicate why a show is OK to watch, and help
their children process the messages of what they just watched,”
says Jill Murphy, vice president and editor-in-chief of the
nonprofit Common Sense Media. “It comes down to quality of
content.”
(Reporting by Helen Coster; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
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