Children and Media Research and Practice during the Crises of 2020

Book excerpt: This unique “yearbook” captures the extraordinary events and effects of 2020 on children and media scholars and practitioners. Contributors reflect on how the compounding crises of 2020—the COVID-19 pandemic, international protests for racial justice, and the climate crisis—have prompted them to re-evaluate some aspects of their research, teaching, or production related to children, adolescents, and media. Crises can be opportunities for clarity, revealing creative ways to address collective challenges. This volume, which began as a special issue of Journal of Children and Media, reveals such insights. Contributors discuss how the crises of 2020: Prompted them to reconsider theories and concepts central to research on children, adolescents, and media Fostered new priorities for how and what they teach Spurred creative ways to produce high-quality, accessible educational media for children globally Affected their media engagement with their own children, while they researched children’s media use during social distancing Weighed more heavily on scholars and practitioners of color, and how professional communities can best respond to those challenges These 36 international contributions reveal how children and media scholars and professionals worked through the crises of 2020, putting newfound clarity to creative use in the service of children all over the world.