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Infants can help and share in the second year of life. However, there is limited knowledge as to variability in these behaviors as a function of target (e.g., caregiver vs. unfamiliar adult) and the influence of caregiver support on infant prosocial behavior. Infants (N = 268, 124 female) at 1-2 years of age (M = 1.47, SD = 0.27) and again at 2-3 years of age (M = 2.48, SD = 0.26) participated in a helping task (with the caregiver or unfamiliar experimenter), a sharing task (with either target), and a free-play observation with their primary caregiver from which caregiver support was coded. The racial and ethnic composition of the sample consisted of 3% Asian, 10% Black, 20% Hispanic, 59% White, 1% mixed race, and 6% "other." Median family annual income was $50,000 to $59,000, and median caregiver education level was "some college." Infant helping favored caregivers at both time points. However, infant sharing did not differ by target for 1-2-year-olds, but 2-3-year-olds shared more with their caregivers than an unfamiliar experimenter. Additionally, infants' behaviors antecedent to the act of helping or sharing (e.g., latency to respond, checking behaviors, and looking duration toward the target) differed by target. Concurrent relations between caregiver support and helping and sharing were moderated by age and differed by time point. Caregiver support for 1-2-year-olds also longitudinally predicted an age-moderated relation with 2-3-year-olds' helping toward an unfamiliar experimenter. Theoretical implications for the role of socialization in the emergence of helping and sharing behaviors are discussed.

Studies examining the effects of exposure to prosocial media on positive outcomes are increasing in number and strength. However, existing meta-analyses use a broad definition of prosocial media that does not recognize the multidimensionality of prosocial behavior. The aim of the current study is to conduct a meta-analysis on the effects of exposure to prosocial media on prosocial behavior, aggression, and empathic concern while examining multiple moderators that the prosocial behavior literature suggests are important to our understanding of why individuals voluntarily help others (e.g., target, type, cost). Results from 72 studies involving 243 effect sizes revealed that exposure to prosocial media was related to higher levels of prosocial behavior and empathic concern and lower levels of aggressive behavior. Moderation analyses suggest that several moderators accounted for heterogeneity in the model, including age of participant, region, media type (active vs. passive), and study design. In terms of multidimensional moderators, prosocial media had stronger effects on prosocial behavior toward strangers than did any other target and on helping and prosocial thinking but not donating or volunteering. Comparisons with other meta-analyses on media effects are made and implications for parents, media producers, and researchers are discussed.

Research has found that media is associated with children's prosocial behavior (PB) from an early age, and that parents play a key role in children's media use and behavior. However, few studies explore these relations as early as infancy while also controlling for well‐established predictors of PB (e.g., empathic concern). Thus, the present study examined longitudinal associations between parents' PB and media use, and prosocial development during early childhood, mediated by children's own media use. Participants were 519 children (M age at Time 1 = 17.77 months) and parents who participated in three timepoints of an ongoing, longitudinal study. A longitudinal path model suggested that children's media use was still significantly associated with PB 1 year later after accounting for factors such as parents' PB, media use, and empathy. These findings have important implications for the early development of behaviors that serve as a foundation for social and moral development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the ubiquity of tablets and smartphones, television remains the most frequently used screen media consumed by young children. However, it is likely that variability exists in how young children use media; for example, while some may view small amounts of aggressive content, others may view many hours each day of aggressive and prosocial media content. It is possible that differences in toddler television time and content also impact behavioral outcomes. The aims of this study were two-fold; first, we examined profiles of children's time spent watching television and media content viewed. Second, we examined longitudinal relations between media use profiles and outcomes including aggression, prosocial behavior, and problematic media use. Results suggested a three-profile solution of children's television time and content, including "Low TV content," "High child-centered content," and "High aggressive content" profiles. The "High aggressive content" group experienced higher levels of problematic media use and aggressive behavior one year later compared to other classes. The discussion focuses on implications of these findings. We urge parents to become aware of both television time and media content as they may relate to problematic media use behaviors in young children. Prior State of Knowledge: Television content (e.g., aggressive, educational) has been associated with outcomes in toddlerhood. Existing research also suggests that viewing aggressive or violent media content is positively associated with problematic media use in young children. Novel Contributions: Varying outcomes existed for children based on membership in three television time/content profiles. Notably, parents of toddlers in the group viewing high levels of aggressive content reported more negative outcomes for their children including higher levels of aggressive behavior and problematic media use. Practical Implications: We encourage parents and caregivers to become aware of the television content their children are consuming, and to limit television content that is aggressive or violent in nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mothers play an important role in setting the overall media culture within the home. Research suggests that children model parental behavior in many ways, including in media use habits. The current study explores profiles or patterns of maternal media use and associations between these patterns and parenting behaviors surrounding media use and parent and child problematic media use two years later. In our sample of 268 mothers of young children in a large Mountain West city, latent profile analysis was utilized, and four distinct profiles of media users were identified. Results suggest that mothers in a low media use profile set limits around their child's media use and report low levels of both technoference and parent problematic media use. Conversely, mothers in a higher social use profile exhibit high levels of parent and child problematic media use compared to other profiles. We encourage mothers to be mindful users of media, remembering that their media use behaviors can impact the overall media use climate in the home. • There are profiles of maternal media users: low use, higher social use, moderate video game use, and high video game use. • Mothers in the low use profile experience less technoference and have the lowest levels of problematic media use. • Mothers play an important role in setting the overall media culture within a home. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined differential patterns of time spent using social media in a sample of 457 adolescents over a 6‐year period. The majority of adolescents (83%), termed moderate users, reported steady social media use over time. A second group (increasers: 12%) reported low social media use that increased gradually and ended high at the end of the study. A third group, called peak users (6%), reported low social media that increased quickly after a few years and then returned to baseline levels. Low self‐regulation predicted being an increaser or peak user. Being a moderate user tended to be related to lower levels of depression, aggression, delinquency, social media problems, and cyberbullying across time, as compared with the other groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study uses a family systems and differential susceptibility framework to examine the association between postpartum media ecosystems, trajectories of maternal depression, and problematic media use in mothers and children ( N = 501) in the United Sates over a 5-year period. Three classes of trajectories of maternal depression were identified: low stable, decreasers, and increasers . Results indicate that different classes of trajectories of maternal depression demonstrated differing levels of maternal problematic media use at Wave 1 and differing levels of both mother and child problematic media use at Wave 5. This family perspective provides a deeper understanding of how media ecosystems are connected to family-level processes and problematic media use for mothers and children. Findings suggest the need for better support of new mothers at a systemic level to support mothers' mental health and the healthy development of children's early relationship with media and technology. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The majority of research on media use in the digital age during early childhood has consisted of parental reports or experimental lab research, however, little research has captured media use in the home. Thus, the purpose of the current study was to capture early childhood media use in the moment it occurs. Participants included 231 parent-child dyads ( M child age = 41.17 months) who completed a one-week study. Parents were contacted multiple times per day via text. If children happened to be using media (or be in a room where media was present) when parents received the notification, parents were asked to take a 10-15 second video of their child. Most families submitted at least one video over the course of the week. These videos were coded in the current study using a coding scheme to capture the context around media use in early childhood (including the environment, child behavior, and media characteristics). Results revealed that children were most likely to view media on a television or tablet. Although most children were paying attention to media, about half were also physically active while consuming media. Another person was present in the majority of videos with children, most frequently siblings or peers. Most children showed a very flat and calm affect while viewing media. These findings were generally consistent across gender and family income. Overall, this study adds to the literature on children and media that uses other methods, but provides additional insight into the importance of the specific context during early childhood media use in the digital age., Competing Interests: Declarations of interest: none

This study examined differential patterns of time spent using social media in a sample of 457 adolescents over a 6-year period. The majority of adolescents (83%), termed moderate users, reported steady social media use over time. A second group (increasers: 12%) reported low social media use that increased gradually and ended high at the end of the study. A third group, called peak users (6%), reported low social media that increased quickly after a few years and then returned to baseline levels. Low self-regulation predicted being an increaser or peak user. Being a moderate user tended to be related to lower levels of depression, aggression, delinquency, social media problems, and cyberbullying across time, as compared with the other groups., (© 2018 Society for Research on Adolescence.)