Television, computer games, the Internet, and cell phones are among the toys that teenagers use. According to recent studies, most teenagers on average spend more than 5 hours a day using means of communications. What role is played by youth in this new mass communication environment? How do they react to TV news reports, violent movie scenes, and acts of brutality depicted in videogames? And what do boys and girls really do when they surf the Net? The author examines every aspect of this new landscape influencing the social and affective life of children and adolescents, underscores their limits and dangers, and explains what parents and teachers can do to better protect and inform youth.

Luciano Arcuri teaches Social Psychology at the University of Padua.