Media education is defined as the study and analysis of mass media. A media-literate public is able to decipher the purpose and message of media rather than accepting it at face value. With an educated understanding of media images and messages, users can recognize media's potential effects and make good choices about their and their children's media exposure. Media education represents a multifaceted approach to understanding and eliminating the negative impact of media images and messages on young people. At the same time, it allows the positive and prosocial uses of media to be explored and appreciated.
Media education includes the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and produce media products.
In several studies, children in elementary school-based programs were able to evaluate program and advertising content more critically. In other studies, heavy viewers of violent programming were less accepting of violence or showed decreased aggressive behavior after a media education intervention. A recent study found a change in attitudes regarding intention to drink alcohol after a media education program. 26 Canada, Great Britain, Australia, and some Latin American countries have successfully incorporated media education into school curricula. 19 Common sense would suggest that increased media education in the United States could represent a simple, potentially effective approach to combating the myriad of harmful media messages seen or heard by children and adolescents.