Childhood "contagion" through media: where is the epidemiologic evidence?
There are recurring stories about children dying by accident after imitating an act or behavior they saw in the media. Reliable data to ascertain whether and to what extent this is a serious problem are largely absent. The potential for media to act as a vector for risky behaviors is a topic subject to epidemiologic inquiry.
Van den Bulck
Jan
J
Leuven School for Mass Communication Research, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. jan.vandenbulck@soc.kuleuven.be
D000059:Accidents / Q000401:mortality*; D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007100:Imitative Behavior; D008402:Mass Media; D009040:Motion Pictures; D010465:Perception; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012309:Risk-Taking; D013690:Television