3rd ITRA World Congress
19-22 August 2002
London, UK

Conference Theme

The themes of the conference were the uses and effects of toys, games and media; toys as media, and media as toys. A wide range of approaches were encouraged from the biological, psychological, and social sciences.

Papers, workshops, and symposia were designed to explore any of the conference themes; topics included:

• Historical analyses of children’s toys and media

• Aesthetics and cultural identities in children’s media

• Children’s patterns of media use

• Globalization of children’s culture

• Uses and interpretations of computer games

• Applications of media to health, education, science

• Media literacy

• Comparative studies of toys and other media

• Television games

• Toy inventories at home, in schools

• New entertainment technologies

Venue

The 3rd World Congress of the International Toy Research Association was held in conjunction with the Centre for the Study of Children, Youth & Media, University of London Institute of Education. The Centre acts as a focus for research and consulting, and for networks of practitioners in the field. Current projects focus on the uses of educational media in the home; migrant/refugee children’s uses of the internet; children’s responses to sexual content on television; and media education in secondary schools and in youth/community work settings.