At every age and stage, children are affected by what's happening in the news, whether parents share this information or shield them from it - because the news is everywhere.

Discover how TV, movies, advertising, computers and video games can shape your child's development and what you can do to create a media-literate household.

Media can have a tremendous influence on family life. Consider that 99 percent of U.S. homes have a television. Ninety-eight percent have radios, and 69 percent have computers. It's hard to imagine life without media, and it's important to consider the messages sent. The messages educate, but what do they teach our children?