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In today's society, children are exposed to forms of media that never existed in past generations. They have the world at their fingertips through the Internet and computer based programs. According to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, playing video games, watching television, and listening to music consumes almost forty hours a week of a child's time. Children are spending "a lot of time with influences that parents aren't doing much to understand or control. " (Weiner) The most prevalent of these influences is television, which can play a harmful role in a child's development.
Television prevents families from spending time together. While it is true that families can spend time together watching television, this time is rarely quality time. Family time plays an important role in a child's development. During family time, children develop a set of morals that will carry them through life. Television disrupts this part of a child's development when it is viewed in such large quantities that only limited family interaction takes place. In addition, children may prefer watching television to other family activities.
If not watching television, families could take part in activities such as reading out loud, discussing events in the news, playing a game, or taking a walk, allowing children to develop a rich personality and a sense of belonging. These are times "through which much of the child's learning takes place and through which character is formed. Turning on the television set can turn off the process that transforms children into people. " (Winn) When this family time is neglected and children remain glued to the tube, children are deprived of lessons and values they would have otherwise learned. Both parents and children should take an active role in establishing more interactive family time instead of television time. Parents not only have to offer alternatives to television, but also make these activities fun and pleasant. Family time, spent wisely, is a valuable part of raising children.
In today's world of TV dinners, family time is scarce and its loss may impede a child's development. In addition to reducing family time, television also competes with other activities for time in a child's life. Often, the easiest thing for parents and children to do is to flip on the TV. This can cause them to ignore other forms of entertainment that require more energy or thought.
Things that used to be thought of as fun, such as baseball, jump-rope, or taking a walk, almost seem like a chore compared to the passive nature of television watching. For younger children of around two to three years of age, being able to concentrate for more than a few minutes is a new step in the child's cognitive development. Instead of taking full advantage of this new stage, parents use the television to relieve them of having to take care of their toddler. During this time children could be coloring, building with blocks, or playing imaginative games. The play routines established in early childhood can develop into lifelong interests and hobbies; consequently, children who miss out on this stage of cognitive development are clearly being short changed. In addition, it is proven that children who watch television have a higher tendency to be obese, which is being 30 % above ideal body weight.
This is an expected consequence since children are sitting with a fixed gaze instead of exercising. On the other hand, some may think because children are overweight in the first place, it causes them to watch more television. Either way, TV is not helping or improving a child's fitness levels in any way. Not only will it lead to reduced exercise, but television also "encourages high-calorie snacking. " (Monmaney) One study found that children who watched television four hours a day had 20 % more body fat than those who watched two hours a day. (Monmaney) Obesity is a problem that can exhibit effects for the rest of a child's life, and at the same time severely lower self esteem. If families would look for more ways to be physically active together, the obesity epidemic could be lessened.
Television devours so much of a child's time that could instead be used for physical and mental development. In addition to taking time away from learning, television can be damaging to a child's learning process. Although educational television shows do exist, it has been proven that many parents are not aware of these shows. Recent studies have found that "even when government, broadcasters and do-good groups agitate to bring better programs to TV, the parents aren't paying attention. " (Storm) Not only are parents unaware of quality children's programming, but the way in which information is taught or presented in these educational programs is usually more exciting than in real-world teaching techniques. For example, the various animals and monsters used to catch a child's attention are more entertaining than the teaching tools available to a preschool teacher.
The bright colors and humor that are used on TV keeps the kids watching and, if it gets too boring, they simply change the channel. In a classroom, the presentation probably won't be as fascinating as on television. In addition, children who are accustomed to just changing the channel will no longer be able to do so, and as a result they may just tune the teacher out. A society full of children expecting to wake up in a TV world full of bizarre animals and eccentric colors will lead to an educational system built on entertainment rather than teaching new ideas and information. Another educational problem is that television emphasizes passive learning.
Learning should always be active and it should " require students to constantly respond to challenges. " (Ledeen) Television teaches kids that they can learn by simply staring into a screen, with little or no thought processing taking place . Furthermore, television emphasizes that learning is fun. The truth is that learning is not always fun; its often challenge that requires much hard work. The most obvious effect of TV on a child's learning process, however, is that television takes up time that could be used for completing homework or studying. Once again, watching TV presents fewer complications and may require little or no thinking. Homework, conversely, is complex and requires a high level of thinking.
Although it is easy to say "just one more show, " that half hour block could have been used for completing homework, doing it more thoroughly, or studying a little more for a test. Television can preclude the child's attainment of his or her intellectual potential. Violence on television influences children in a negative way. Children who are brought up having TV as their primary source of entertainment are likely to model their behavior after the characters they see. With violence typically occurring in many cartoons and other children's programs, its negative influence is inevitable. Studies by George Gerber, Ph.
D. , show that children's television shows contain about twenty violent acts each hour. (Cheney) Not only do children observe the violence, but they also witness that the "good guy" will win, usually by resorting to violence in some way. This, in turn, causes violence to be glamorized by children. Such a mindset, that violence results in good, can leave the child with a set of values that don't equate to living a healthy life style and may result in increased aggression. One study reported that children who were shown violent shows were more likely to act aggressively immediately afterwards. The short term effects of TV violence are more than apparent in any instance in which a child imitates a wrestling move or other torturous act. It is likely that he or she would have only been exposed to such an act on television.
In addition to causing children to be more violent, television also desensitizes them to these horrific acts. Children who routinely watch violent acts occur are no longer shocked by them and accept them as ordinary. This distorts their perception of right and wrong and may prevent them from seeing these offensive behaviors as dangerous or immoral. This also results in making children more accustomed to violence, thus making it easier for them to behave aggressively. Furthermore, rarely are the long-term consequences of violence portrayed on television. The results of real-life violence usually involve someone going to jail, the hospital, or even dying.
Television violence is clean, with little blood, pain, or suffering. Perpetrators go unpunished 73 percent of the time. (Kevin) This gives young viewers the message that violence is a successful method of resolving conflicts. Although violence on television is unlikely to be eliminated, steps can be taken to reduce its effects. By simply limiting the number and type of these shows that children are permitted to watch, the aggression and desensitization caused by violent programming could be dramatically reduced. Ultimately, it is the parent who must engage the child in open discussions about the consequence of the violent events and heinous behaviors portrayed on television. By doing so, the child would realize that violent television behavior is not acceptable.
Rules must be established to aid the child in distinguishing right from wrong, and reality from fantasy. Television can play a harmful role in a child's development if not monitored for content and viewed in the proper amounts. It presents unnecessary obstacles to a child's development such as restricting family time and slowing their cognitive development. Inevitably, media of any sort will have an impact on children. If parents successfully regulate television and set examples for acceptable behavior, the dangers of television could be greatly reduced, producing a healthier, more intelligent, and less violent society.
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Research essay sample on Violence On Television Hours A Day
