ABSTRACT
The majority of young people have access to online media in a multitude of ways: mobiles, tablets, voice assistants, and other digital media. As children become adolescents, they interact less with parents and more with their peers; the increase in their use of the internet exposes young people to many new contacts well beyond the control of parents. This chapter examines the impact of television and of digital media, including online games, advertising and the internet. It explores the benefits, such as information gathering, social networking and leisure pursuits, as well as the risks, such as cyberbullying, exposure to offensive material, grooming and manipulation by commercial interests. It ends by outlining current knowledge to enhance safer use of the internet and new online technologies.
