How Do News Media for Children and Adolescents Differ from Those for Adults? A Content Analysis of German Reporting on Migration and Refugees

Media are a central source from which children and adolescents form their perceptions, knowledge, and attitudes about relevant topics such as flight and migration. However, it is largely unclear how news media for children/adolescents report on migration and refugees, and in which way this reporting differs from reporting of news media produced for adults. Thus, a standardized analysis was conducted of (audio)visual content published in 2018 by nearly 40 German journalistic outlets. News media for children/adolescents (N = 434) and adults (N = 2,626) were analyzed regarding the regional focus of reporting, frame elements, evaluation of immigration, and verbal contributions and characteristics of the refugees reported on. Results show that, on the one hand, the reporting of news media for children/adolescents and adults was similar in many ways. On the other hand, news media for children/adolescents reported to some extent in a more balanced, diverse and reflective manner than those for adults. Thus, the reporting of news media for children/adolescents seems to be better suited for triggering in-depth opinion-formation processes among young people. Moreover, it might contribute better to the integration of (underaged) refugees.