Visibility of Board-Certified Dermatologists on TikTok

Tik Tok is an emerging social media platform that provides a novel opportunity for health practitioners such as dermatologists to disseminate accurate health information.

Erratum: Effects of media exposure on PTSD symptoms in college students during the COVID-19 outbreak

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1050759.].

Effects of media exposure on PTSD symptoms in college students during the COVID-19 outbreak

Objective

We aimed to investigate the influence of media on college students' mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

After the COVID-19 outbreak, we used cross-sectional surveys through online questionnaires to investigate the mental health of college students in lockdown at home. We identified the influencing factors of PTSD symptoms using the Chi-Square test and ordinal logistic regression analysis.

Results

In 10,989 valid questionnaires, 9,906 college students with no PTSD symptoms, 947 college students with subclinical PTSD symptoms (1-3 items), and 136 college students with four or more PTSD symptoms were screened out. The results showed that media content impacted the mental health of college students in lockdown at home. Positive media content was negatively correlated with PTSD symptoms among college students. PTSD symptoms were not associated with sources of information. Moreover, College students with PTSD symptoms would reduce their willingness to learn and could not complete online learning efficiently.

Conclusion

PTSD symptoms are related to media exposure and excessive information involvement of COVID-19 in college students, which influences the willingness to attend online classes.

Toddlers and the Telly: A latent profile analysis of children's television time and content and behavioral outcomes one year later in the U.S

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.

Online News Coverage of the Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Tax in Malaysia: Content Analysis

BACKGROUND

In Malaysia, the Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSBs) tax was announced during the parliament's 2019 Budget Speech. The tax was slated to be enforced by April 2019 but was later postponed to July 2019. The announcement has since generated significant media coverage and public feedback.

OBJECTIVE

This study presents a qualitative and quantitative cross-sectional study using netnography to examine how Malaysian online news articles responded to the SSBs tax after the announcement and postimplementation.

METHODS

Online news articles published on popular online news platforms from November 2018 to August 2019 were downloaded using NCapture and imported into NVivo for analysis using the inductive approach and thematic content analysis following the initial SSBs implementation announcement.

RESULTS

A total of 62 news articles were analyzed. Most of the articles positively portrayed the SSBs tax (46.8%) and highlighted its health impacts (76%). There were 7 key framing arguments identified in the articles. The positive arguments revolved around incentivizing manufacturers to introduce healthier products voluntarily, positive health consequences, the tax's impact on government revenue, and the use of the generated revenue toward beneficial social programs. The opposing arguments included increased operating costs to the manufacturer, the increased retail price of drinks, and how the SSBs tax is not a robust solution to obesity. The top priority sector considered in introducing the tax was the health perspective, followed by economic purposes and creating policies such as regulating the food and drinks industry.

CONCLUSIONS

The majority of online news articles positively reported the implementation of the SSBs tax in Malaysia. This suggests media played a role in garnering support for the health policy. As such, relevant bodies can use negative findings to anticipate and reframe counteracting arguments opposing the SSBs tax.

[The effect of digital mass media on mental health of children and youth]

The article considers the impact of digital media on mental health of children and the youth based on the analysis of studies of national and foreign researchers. On the one hand, the application of information technologies by children and the youth is related to requirements of actual reality that allows them to be active and independent in virtual space and contributes to development of special skills and abilities, exchange of knowledge and experience, broadens scope of interests. On the other hand, the information media establish conditions of high risk for health. The article presents the results of an empirical study, carried out in 2019 at the Balashov Institute of the Saratov State University. The questionnaire survey was applied to sampling of 386 respondents to identify the relationship between the amount of time spent online by young people and the feeling of loneliness. The study discovered that the higher is the user Internet activity that is not accompanied by sense of satisfaction, the higher is the level of frustration and loneliness. The problem areas are identified that make it difficult to ensure the effective safety of users and the timely identification of threats to their mental health: the shortage and fragmentation of scientific research; the ambiguity of opinions of expert community regarding the impact of digital technologies on the development of children and adolescents; the complexity of social control of online users due to their social demographic and sociocultural heterogeneity; the conflict of interests between providers, business structures, advertisers and other subjects of virtual reality and underage users; low level of internet literacy of parents and teachers. All these factors hinder the development of adequate technologies of early detection, prevention and support of victims of cyberaggression or cybercrimes.

Viewers Change Eye-Blink Rate by Predicting Narrative Content

Eye blinks provoke a loss of visual information. However, we are not constantly making conscious decisions about the appropriate moment to blink. The presence or absence of eye blinks also denotes levels of attention. We presented three movies with the exact same narrative but different styles of editing and recorded participants' eye blinks. We found that moments of increased or decreased eye blinks by viewers coincided with the same content in the different movie styles. The moments of increased eye blinks corresponded to those when the actor leaves the scene and when the movie repeats the same action for a while. The moments of decreased eye blinks corresponded to actions where visual information was crucial to proper understanding of the scene presented. According to these results, viewers' attention is more related to narrative content than to the style of editing when watching movies.

Violent Video Games Exposed: A Blow by Blow Account of Senseless Violence in Games

Violent video game (VVG) use has repeatedly been found to be associated with hostile expectations about others, desensitization to violence, decreased empathy and prosocial behavior, and aggressive thoughts and behaviors. Although these research findings have been widely publicized, VVGs remain the most extensively played games and represent a multi-billion dollar industry. Although VVGs are typically rated "mature," indicating they are not suitable for youths, they are often purchased for youths. This may be in part because there is currently no system available to consumers that thoroughly describes the content of video games, and much of the public is unaware of the types of violence that characterize game play. The purpose of this paper is to describe the violent content of some of the top VVGs, based on sales. For the purposes of this issue, acts of senseless, unprovoked violence will be described in detail.

Maternal Depression and Family Media Use: A Questionnaire and Diary Analysis

We describe the association between postpartum depression and the quantity and content of infant media use. Households with depressed mothers viewed twice as much television as households with non-depressed mothers did, and depressed mothers appeared to derive comparatively greater pleasure from television viewing. Maternal depression was associated with an increased exposure to child-directed content by 6-9-month-old infants, although it was not associated with an increased exposure to adult-directed programming. Depressed mothers also reported being less likely to sit and talk with their children during television use or to consult outside sources of information about media. This increase in television exposure without corresponding parental involvement could negatively affect developmental outcomes.

Verbal Aggression in Animated Cartoons

Relying upon a content analysis of one specific type of medium to which young people are exposed beginning at an early age, on a regular basis, and for many years (i.e., animated cartoons), the present study examines what types of messages are provided about verbal aggression. This research examines the following issues: (1) How prevalent is verbal aggression in animated cartoons? (2) Has this prevalence changed over time? (3) What characteristics tend to be associated with being a perpetrator of verbal aggression? (4) What reasons are given for why cartoon characters engage in verbal aggression? (6) What "types" of characters are yelled at, threatened, insulted, and so forth? Results indicate that verbal aggression is fairly prevalent in cartoons (it is the second most common type of antisocial behavior shown, ranking second only to violence) and that this prevalence has increased greatly over time. Cartoons tend to normalize verbal aggression, both by virtue of its frequency of occurrence and by the lack of patterning of characteristics associated with perpetrating this behavior. Although many (nearly half) of the reasons implied for being verbally aggressive are negative in nature, a substantial proportion of the time, this behavior is undertaken for positive reasons or for no reason at all. Characters of all types are equally likely to be verbally aggressive for negative reasons, although only certain types of characters (e.g., female, intelligent, "good guys," physically attractive) are shown to engage in this behavior for positive reasons.

Bang Bang, You're … NOT Dead and You're … NOT Even Hurt?! Messages Provided by Animated Cartoons about Gun Violence

Relying upon a content analysis of animated cartoons, this study examines the messages provided about gun violence, focusing on the following questions: (1) How prevalent is gun violence in animated cartoons? (2) Has this prevalence changed over time? (3) What characteristics are associated with being a perpetrator of gun violence? (4) What types of effects are shown to result from the perpetration of gun violence? (5) What reasons are given for why cartoon characters use guns? (6) What "types" of characters are victimized by firearms? Results indicate that gun violence is prevalent in cartoons and the prevalence has not diminished over time. Cartoons provide inaccurate information about the characteristics associated with perpetrating or being a victim of gun violence. Oftentimes, the use of firearms is shown to result in no negative consequences to the perpetrator or the victim, and this is true even when victims are shown to be shot. When effects are shown, they tend to be minor in nature. Anger, revenge, and inherent meanspiritedness are the most common reasons implied for why characters commit acts of gun violence.

Effect of visual media use on school performance: a prospective study

PURPOSE

To identify mechanisms for the impact of visual media use on adolescents' school performance.

METHODS

We conducted a 24-month, four-wave longitudinal telephone study of a national sample of 6,486 youth aged 10 to 14 years. Exposure measures: latent construct for screen exposure time (weekday time spent viewing television/playing videogames, presence of television in bedroom) and variables for movie content (proportion of PG-13 and R movies viewed).

OUTCOME MEASURE

self- and parent reports of grades in school. Effects of media exposures on change in school performance between baseline and 24 months were assessed using structural equation modeling. Information about hypothesized mediators (substance use, sensation seeking, and school problem behavior) was obtained at baseline and at the 16-month follow-up.

RESULTS

Adjusted for baseline school performance, baseline levels of mediators, and a range of covariates, both screen exposure time and media content had adverse effects on change in school performance. Screen exposure had an indirect effect on poor school performance through increased sensation seeking. Viewing more PG-13 and R-rated movies had indirect effects on poor school performance mediated through increases in substance use and sensation seeking. R-rated viewing also had an indirect effect on poor school performance through increased school behavior problems. The effect sizes of exposure time and content on the intermediate variables and ultimately on school performance were similar to those for previously recognized determinants of these mediators, including household income, parenting style, and adolescents' self-control.

CONCLUSIONS

These aspects of visual media use adversely affect school performance by increasing sensation seeking, substance use, and school problem behavior.

Underrepresentation and Symbolic Annihilation of Socially Disenfranchised Groups ("Out Groups") in Animated Cartoons

For many years, the mass media have been accused of providing negative and potentially-damaging messages to viewers. Some have complained that the media are replete with too much violence while others have lamented on media stereotyping of various groups. In this article, the authors examine the issues of underrepresentation and symbolic annihilation as they apply to one particular medium-namely, animated cartoons-to which people are exposed early in life, typically on a regular basis for many years. Our principal research questions are (a) To what extent do cartoons underrepresent and/or symbolically annihilate social groups that are not considered desirable in society-at-large? (b) Has underrepresentation and/or symbolic annihilation changed over time? and (c) When social "out groups" are shown, how are they depicted vis-a-vis "in groups"? To examine these questions, the authors examine portrayals based on gender, age, race, and sexual orientation. The data revealed that animated cartoons have a long history of underrepresenting and symbolically annihilating socially devalued "out groups" and that little has changed over the course of the past 65+ years. When "out group" members are included in cartoons, however, their portrayals tend not to be dramatically different-not better and not much worse-than those typical of their "in group" counterparts.

What Animated Cartoons Tell Viewers about Assault

Relying upon a content analysis of one specific type of medium to which young people are exposed beginning at an early age, on a regular basis, and for many years (i.e., animated cartoons), the present study examines what types of messages are provided about violence that takes the form of simple assault. This research examines the following issues: (1) How prevalent is violent assault in animated cartoons, and has this prevalence changed over time? (2) What characteristics tend to be associated with being a perpetrator or a victim of assault? (3) What types of effects are shown to result from hitting, slapping, or punching others? (4) What reasons are given for why cartoon characters engage in this type of violence? Results indicate that assault is fairly prevalent in cartoons (it is the most common type of violence shown) and that this prevalence has diminished over time. Most of the time, cartoons show assaults to "land" on their intended victims, but having done so, to cause few if any adverse effects. For example, victims rarely experience pain or incur cuts, scrapes, or broken bones, and they rarely suffer more serious consequences than these. Moreover, assaults rarely backfire on the perpetrators. Anger, revenge, and inherent meanspiritedness are the most common reasons implied for why characters commit acts of violent assault.

Messages about physical attractiveness in animated cartoons

Relying upon a content analysis of one specific type of medium to which young people are exposed beginning at an early age, on a regular basis, and for many years (i.e., animated cartoons), the present study examines what types of messages are provided about being physically unattractive, physically attractive, and ordinary-looking. This research concerns itself with identifying the characteristics that tend to be associated with being good-looking or unattractive, and then discussing the implications of the findings. Results indicate that many variables were found to differ based on cartoon characters' physical attractiveness, including gender, age, intelligence, body weight, emotional states experienced, prosocial behaviors, antisocial behaviors, and overall goodness/badness. Whenever differences were found, the overriding tendency was for cartoons to provide positive messages about being attractive and negative messages about being unattractive.

Race-Related Content of Animated Cartoons

Relying upon a content analysis of 1 specific type of medium to which young people are exposed beginning at an early age, on a regular basis, and for many years (i.e., animated cartoons), the present study examines what types of messages are provided about being members of different racial groups. This research examines the following issues: (a) How prevalent are race-related content and overt acts of racism in animated cartoons? (b) Has this prevalence changed over time? (c) What "types" of characteristics tend to be associated with being Caucasian, African American, Latino, Native American, and Asian? Results indicate that the prevalence of racial minority groups has been low over the years, with gradual decreases in representation during recent years, when the American population of racial minorities has grown. As time has gone on, the presence of overt racism has decreased greatly, demonstrating particularly sharp declines in the years since the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. On most dimensions studied, members of different races were portrayed similarly.

Thin is "in" and stout is out" what animated cartoons tell viewers about body weight

Relying upon a content analysis of one specific type of medium to which young people are exposed beginning at an early age, on a regular basis, and for many years (i.e., animated cartoons), the present study examines what types of messages are provided about being underweight, overweight and normal weight. This research examines the following issues: (1) How prevalent is weight-related content in animated cartoons? (2) Has this prevalence changed over time? (3) What "types" of characteristics tend to be associated with being thinner-than-normal or heavier-than normal? Results indicate that the prevalence of both underweight and overweight characters has changed dramatically over the course of the past several decades. These relationships are both curvilinear in nature, but in recent decades have demonstrated a significant increase in the proportion of all cartoons showing characters that are underweight and a simultaneous decrease in the prevalence of characters that are overweight. Many variables were found to differ based on cartoon characters' body weight including gender, age, intelligence, physical attractiveness, emotional states experienced, prosocial behaviors, antisocial behaviors, and overall goodness/badness. Whenever differences were found, the overriding tendency was for cartoons to provide positive messages about being thin and negative messages about being overweight.