Abstract
Previous findings have indicated that prosocial children are happier, are more popular, and do better at school. As children devote a substantial amount of time watching television, children’s programming might be an excellent avenue to encourage prosocial behaviour – and, subsequently, well-being in children. In an experimental study among 372 children aged 9 to 13 years, we examined whether prosocial behaviour in children’s television news affects prosocial intentions and behaviours. Children in the experimental condition watched prosocial news showing children organizing a fundraising action for unicef. In the control condition, children watched an item about unicef without prosocial behaviour. After watching, children could donate to unicef which served as an index of prosocial behaviour. Prosocial intentions were assessed with a questionnaire. Findings demonstrated that children who watched prosocial news were significantly more willing to help in setting up a project for unicef at their schools and donated more money to unicef.
