Media Education Helps Kids "Just Say No"

Considering that 21% of elementary school students have already consumed alcohol, it is never too soon for drug and alcohol education. Not surprisingly, media and marketing really does influence a child's perception of drugs and alcohol.

Shows and advertisements often times make drinking alcohol look glamorous, cool, and fun. A study published by the American Academy of Pediatrics found that teaching media literacy is an effective method of keeping kids away from drugs. Students who underwent the media literacy education became significantly more aware of the drug and alcohol marketing geared toward them. To test the value of media literacy, researchers went to twelve different schools to collect data. Half of the schools received instruction from Media Detective, a program for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade children. The program was designed to help students interpret media messages specifically "to delay or prevent alcohol and tobacco use." The other half served as the control group and received none of the supplemental classes. Once before the classes began and again after their completion, students responded to surveys inquiring about their attitudes toward tobacco, alcohol, and related merchandise, which they rated on numerical scales. These scores were compared to test the effectiveness of the Media Detective training.