Digital Image and the Formation of Children's Values: A Socio-Media Approach

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the role of digital images in shaping children's perceptions and behaviors within the contemporary digital environment, using a socio-media approach that links digital medium characteristics with daily reception contexts. The study employed a mixed-methods (quantitative and qualitative) approach, utilizing a questionnaire directed at parents to monitor children's exposure patterns to visual content. The results indicate that digital images are no longer merely a means of entertainment but have become a "perceptual framework" contributing to the construction of concepts like success, attractiveness, and social acceptance through mechanisms of imitation and modeling (Bandura). The article also highlights the role of platform algorithms in increasing exposure intensity, which affects children's attention spans and linguistic communication. The study concludes with the necessity of activating "Media Literacy" as a mechanism to develop children's critical awareness to mitigate the negative effects of digital immersion.