Universos das crianças Os resultados de um estudo recentemente divulgado nos EUA - How Children Use Media Technology 2003 - permitem compreender, ou pelo menos intuir, uma realidade que marca o crescimento e a formação das crianças, num ambiente multimediático. Algumas notas conclusivas: "• Most American children in this age group are wired. Six in ten have a TV set in their bedroom. At least one in three have cable TV, a VCR, or videogame there. Three in ten have a telephone, and one in six has a computer, in their room. •When restricted to choosing one medium, the Internet is in a dead heat with television as the “first choice” among children. However, TV, radio, and prerecorded music are reported as more frequently used than the Internet. • Internet use also appears to have plateaued. Interest in the Web and frequency of use have not significantly changed since our last measure in 2001. • About three percent of children report “often” visiting a related Web site while they are watching a TV program. More than one quarter of children say they are driven to Web site visits by TV ads at least once a week, almost three times as many as by radio ads. • Many children are subject to adult rules governing TV viewing, radio listening, and online usage. The most common restrictions are limitations on content. • Taken together, the best-liked benefit of the Web to children is communication (email, instant messaging and chat rooms). Games and research for homework • Adults in the home continue to guide children’s media choices much more than their friends or sieblings".