• Factors Affecting Process and Selection of Media in Young Children

    Children's ability to perceive, process, understand and select media is closely related to their wealth of experience and level of development as well as to their cultural and social environment. Important basic skills are abstract thinking, linguistic development and the ability to concentrate.

    The content and characters of the stories also play an important role. Mainly topics that trigger interest due to everyday content draw attention. If, for example, the fear of being alone or being small and the associated desire for more independence are addressed in an age-appropriate way, the children can establish a clear relationship to their reality of life.

    Because of their developing memory and attention skills, three to six-year-olds are particularly interested in media offers that are of short duration and have a simple dramaturgy. The fact that certain media offers can be listened to or viewed again and again contributes to children's interest in these media. This results in recognition and establishment of long-term memory.

    The individual stage of development of the child is important for processing media content. Children must interpret and decipher the messages conveyed, and place, evaluate and ultimately understand what they perceive in connection with their own life reality.