ATS2939 · Growing up digital

Overview

Growing up digital examines the roles that digital media play in the lives of young children, tweens and early teens (0-13 yrs). You will draw on the latest thinking from across media and communications studies, childhood studies, social and developmental psychology and sociology of childhood to address key understandings, challenges and controversies around children’s digital media. Key topics may include: children’s experiences of digital parenting, digital play and digital learning; children’s media cultures; children as consumers and (co)producers of digital media; debates around digital natives, digital divides and children’s digital rights; the role of digital media in shaping children’s wellbeing and development; contemporary ‘media effects’ debates around screen-time and social media; the growth of children’s digital media industries, and international efforts to regulate children’s digital media use.

Areas of study: Communications and media

Offerings

Assessment

The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

The Handbook lists no prerequisite, corequisite or prohibition for this unit.

Learning outcomes

1. engage with key scholarship and public debates around the world on the opportunities and risks of children’s engagements with digital media;
2. analyse current and emerging trends in how digital media now impact on children’s development, socialisation, education and play;
3. critically discuss the roles that digital media play in contemporary childhoods;
4. analyse and evaluate the responsible design, marketing and regulation of children’s media;
5. effectively communicate arguments, insights and your own analyses of child-focused digital media artefacts using written and media elements.

Workload

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.