The role of children's media in White, U.S. children's developing racial biases

White children in the United States begin developing racial biases in early childhood that threaten the well-being of children of color and serve as the developmental roots for racial prejudices that persist into adulthood. The present study examined the role of children's media consumption in their developing racial biases by combining data from a 1-year longitudinal study assessing 593 White, U.S. children's racial biases and a novel, scene-by-scene content analysis of the racial representation within 29 children's TV shows and movies that were popular among our participants. Results revealed a consistent pattern across three standard measures of racial biases: With age, children whose favorite media portrayed fewer Black characters-and especially in high-status contexts and roles-were less likely to choose to play with a Black child, held less positive attitudes toward Black children, and were more likely to attribute Black-White racial inequalities to intrinsic racial differences. These results highlight the role media play in the development of racial biases during childhood, the need for diverse children's media that portray characters of color in high-status contexts and roles, and the importance of monitoring the messages young children receive when consuming media. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).