Racial and class diversity in TV and films can help children challenge biases, study finds
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Set us as preferred Television creatives and executives have pledged to increase racial diversity on and off screen for years.But whether it makes a difference in viewers’ actual feelings and reactions toward race and class has long been a question.A new report, published Monday in the journal American Psychologist by the American Psychological Assn., indicates that it does.
Titled “The Role of Children’s Media in White, U.S.Children’s Developing Racial Bias,” the yearlong longitudinal study that looked at white children between the ages of 4 and 8 found that those whose favorite TV shows and movies portrayed fewer Black characters were less likely to choose to play with a Black child, held less positive attitudes toward Black children and were less likely to choose to attribute Black-white racial inequalities to intrinsic racial differences.
These results were more overt when the analysts factored in class and status dynamics.Michael T.Rizzo, an assistant professor of psychology at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and the corresponding author of this study, says that his work looked at white children’s reactions because “they are the dominant and majority group in the United States” and research has shown that “they’re the most likely to develop biases.” Similarly, he says that while “anti-Black racism is not the only form of racism in our country,” historically speaking, “this is where the literature really focuses on.” The age range was chosen because accurate readings on these topics are harder with older kids.
As kids age, he says, they usually “pick up the idea that they shouldn’t be responding with prejudice.” Television The latest edition of the Hollywood Diversity Report released Tuesday determined that the top shows in 2024 were less culturally diverse than the previous ...