Welcome to an exclusive service of MediaLiteracy.com -- links to free downloadable media literacy fact sheets, discussion guides and other materials, organized by subject category. Click here for other subject categories.

Most downloads are easy-to-print PDF files which require the free Adobe Reader software to open. Download Adobe Reader here .

available from the National Institute of Media and the Family

• Computer and Video Game Addiction
• Media Use And Obesity Among Children
• Commercial Advertising in Schools
• Children and Media Violence
• History of Television
• MTV
• Effects of Advertising on Children's Use of Tobacco
• Children and Advertising
• Alcohol Advertising and Youth
• Children's Advertising and Gender Roles
• Effects of Video Game Playing on Children
• Media's Effects on Girls: Body Image and Gender Identity
• Televison's Effect on Reading and Academic Achievement
• Internet Filters: Making Web Surfing Safer for Children
• Television Professional Wrestling and Children
• Internet Advertising and Children
• Media Use
• Music and Children
• Children and Television
• Taming the Video Game Tiger
• Dr. David Walsh shares tips for Talking with Children about War
• Tips for Helping Children Cope with War and Terrorism
• MediaWise with Dr. Dave
• Annual Video Game Report Card
• Dr. Dave's Family Favorites
• MediaMeasure
• 12 Tips for Taming the Tube
• Safety Tips for Surfing the Net
• Mind Games
• TotSmart ®
• Web resources for parents, educators, and kids

available from the Center for a Commercial-Free Childhood

• The Facts About Marketing to Kids (28 page booklet)
• Marketing to Children: An Overview
• New Marketing Techniques
• Marketing to Babies and Toddlers
• The Commercialization of Play
• Marketing, Materialism, and Family Stress
• Marketing in Schools
• Food Marketing and Childhood Obesity
• Marketing Violence to Children
• Marketing Sex to Children
• Marketing, Body Image and Eating Disorders
• Alcohol Marketing and Underage Drinking
• Tobacco Marketing and Children

available from Children Now

• Television As A Tool: helpful tips on how to talk with children about television, movies and other media.

available from the Media Education Foundation

• War Games: Thinking Critically About Video Games That Play at War
• Media Violence and Children: Statistics

available from Media-Awareness, the awesome Canadian media literacy site
Printable articles in major categories: Television, Movies, The Internet, Video games, Music, Marketing & Consumerism.

available from PBSParents
PBS Parents Guide to Children & Media features printable articles on TV & Movies, Computers, Advertising and Video Games.

Note: Despite strong recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatricians that children under the age of two watch no TV, PBS materials for preschoolers assume that “Television may be an inevitable part of young children's lives.”

This statement from PBS makes a good media literacy lesson all by itself. The lesson is on how a message reflects the point of view of those who created it. While these are excellent materials, parents should always consider the source, compare the message to what others say, and ask, "Why did they take this position? Whose interests does it best serve?" Who has the deepest knowledge and greatest concern for what's best for young children's emotional and physical/brain development: doctors or television producers?