The Effect of the Mass Media on the Perception of Children: 15 July Case

Children are exposed to a variety of messages from both the mass media and their social environments. The way they perceive the world is determined by the messages they receive. In this study, in order to find out what kind of perception has occurred in the minds of the children both by the effect of mass media and their social circles after the coup attempt, 351 students studying in the third and forth grade of the primary school and living in the provinces of Istanbul and Trabzon were asked to draw with the theme of the July 15th. The drawings have been categorized under six headings: “People fighting against armed conflict”, people who are attacked”, “National unity and togetherness”, “Symbol points”, “Celebration, victory” and “Religious items”. As a result of the paintings, it was determined that children were exposed to the images they perceived from the mass media and their social circles, and that the children depicted July 15th with themes such as national unity and solidarity, flag, tank, heroism