This edited volume focuses on the lived experiences of children during the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak in the spring of 2020, their knowledge and emotional reactions, the adjustments they made in their everyday lives, and the strengths and skills they developed in response. A central theme of inquiry is the place media held in all of these aspects: the roles they played for children's informational, emotional, and social needs, how these have changed under the pandemic circumstances, and the media competencies children developed in utilizing and controlling the media in their lives. The book is based on responses of 4,200 children ages 9-13 to an international survey administered in 42 countries as well as additional complementaries localized studies. Comparative dimensions are central to this unique collection of chapters, along geographical and cultural lines, as well as gender, age, class, health, and refugee status. With 40 authors from around the world, this book highlights the potential of media to assist children and their families in times of crisis as well as their potential drawbacks. Lessons learned for future crises are outlined in the concluding chapter of this book, which will be an asset to scholars of children's wellbeing as well as professionals of media for children, educators, and parents.

Autorentext

Maya Götz (Ph.D.) is the Director of IZI and PRIX JEUNESSE International and a prolific scholar with a strong international record of bridging academia with the industry. She is the recipient of the inaugural Engaged Scholarship Award of the Division of Children, Adolescent and Media of the International Communication Association.

Dafna Lemish (Ph.D.) is a Distinguished Professor and Associate Dean at the School of Communication and Information, Rutgers University, United States. She is a prolific scholar, founding editor of the Journal of Children and Media, **and a Fellow of the International Communication Association.