Aimed at primary care physicians and nurses, educators, and parents, this book reviews media effects on adolescent behavior and psychology. The book notes that television is a powerful medium to which adolescents are uniquely susceptible and how studies have shown television's ability to shape social attitudes. Theories of how television affects children's and adolescents' attitudes are discussed, including theories of social learning, excitation or arousal, cognitive neoassociation, and cognitive scripting. The chapters cover a number of topics as follows: (1) "Overview: How Is the Research Done? What Are the Issues?" covering the role of communications research; (2) "Media Violence and Aggressive Behavior," focusing on early research, desensitization, guns and the media, suicide, and video games; (3) "Adolescent Sexuality and the Media," discussing sexual information and pornography on television, in movies, and in print media; (4) "Adolescents, Drugs, and the Media," focusing on advertising of alcohol and cigarettes; (5) "Nutrition"; (6) "Rock Music and Music Videos"; and (7) "Adolescents and the Media: Solutions." Contains 485 references. (BGC)