'Tv's Negative Influence On Kids Reaffirmed'

Television has a widespread influence on everyone, especially children. Children are impacted so much by the things they have seen and watched on TV. They learn many things from TV, but their social skills and other learning abilities slow down. Watching TV numbs the mind of children and keeps them inactive from daily exercise. Furthermore, speech delays can occur in children who watch excessive amounts of television. Television programming such as MTV, Adult Swim, and Family Guy exposes and promotes negative

“Television has changed the American child from an irresistable force to an immovable object.” (Peter). There was a time when all children wanted to do was to run, play, explore, and be adventurous. As time evolved, children have found more interest in television. Statistics show that a child spends 900 hours per year in school,and they spend 1,200 hours per year watching television. When asked to choose between watching T.V. and spending time with their families fifty-four percent of four to six year olds voted they would prefer to watch television. Television has changed the mindset of children over the years it has been proven that the more programs they watch, the more harmful it is to their brain development. T.V.

Numerous studies have concluded that the content and amount of television programming watched by individuals – especially by children - has a direct result on the behavior of that individual. The behavior affected by television viewing can be anything from a desire for a certain food or material good to violent distemper (Zuckerman 1985.) Recently, more and more woman have given up their traditional role of raising their children opting instead to work during the day and leave their children to take care of themselves. Unfortunately, many children find that spending countless hours in front of the television to be a worthwhile way to entertain themselves. Most parents tell their children never to talk to strangers, but what they fail to realize is that every day their children are subject to the messages and ideas of strangers on the television. In fact, a study concluded that an average American by the age of 18 has spent more time watching television than they have spent in school; this study also went on the state that children spend more time watching television than any other activity besides sleeping. This may explain why an additional study revealed that if a child was told something by his or her parents and then viewed on television something that contradicted what the parents had said, four times out of five the child opted to believe the

The main reason we watch TV is for entertainment where we can view shows and movies. Shows and movies expose individuals to a variety of cultures and values that they do not see often. Another use of television is for information such as news, political views, and advertisements. Televisions inform us of news around our community and world, and also persuade us in buying products or donating money to a cause. An ongoing controversy has risen such tha televisions can be harmful to children because of the vulgar language and violence shown through modern day shows or even celebrities. Viewing too much television can be time consuming and may even discourage children to go play outside and be social. Watching the newscast has changed my life by informing me of the violence that goes on throughout my community. Also, a negative effect of watching too much television has taken up my time when I could have been doing more productive tasks.

The average American child watches 20 hours of television per week, that is 5,000 hours before first grade. Most children between the ages of 3-6 years old can even turn on the television and start a DVD by themselves. I am guilty of allowing my children more TV time then they should have, but I guess that is because I enjoy watching it myself. There are many hidden messages in children’s shows that I was oblivious to until now. For instance, in the show “Rugrats” Charlotte Pickles, Angelica’s mom never had time for her, always on the phone and working. Ethnic stereotyping is another message sent in Speedy Gonzalez’s cousin Slow Poke Rodriguez which is lazy, slow, and dim witted. Morality is also affected by these shows. Most every little boy

Children who watched television alone were 8.47 times more likely to have language delay when compared to children who interacted with their caregivers during television viewing (Dorey 47). As recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), “Children under the age of 2 should watch no television at all, and after age 2 watch no more than one to two hours of quality programming a day” (Bettinghaus 57). Therefore, exposing such young children to television programs should be discouraged. Parents should engage children in more conversational activities to avoid television-related delays to their children language development, which could impair their intellectual performance (Dorey 47).

Add to this study a statistic from the Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics “75% of teenagers now own cell phones, 25% use them for social media, 54% use them for texting, and 24% of them use them for instant messaging” (Gwenn Schurgin O'Keeffe). We have an entire generation that is developing socially and emotionally while “plugged-in”. This negative effect is not only caused by just internet use and cell phones, our old friend the television is causing us harm as well. With the invent of newer ways to deliver television shows, the ability to better record television shows, and watch “on demand” shows it shouldn’t be shocking to know that according to Neilson Ratings the average American household watches “5 hours and 11 minutes of television a day” (Who Watches What (and How Much)? U.S. TV Trends by Ethnicity). Psychologists have proven that too much television has been shown to “hamper development of the pre-frontal cortex -- the area of the brain responsible for planning, organizing and sequencing behavior for self-control, moral judgment and attention” (Abell) there should be no doubt that this fact and the fact that nearly “1 in 10 children in America have been

The Television is often the centerpiece of typical American house. TVs are now a representative the American dream. TVs are even used to measure finical wellbeing. Huge flat screen TVs symbolize success, while smaller TVs represent modesty. People crowd around the TV to watch the big game, to catch up on the news and keep up with pop culture. Is there something wrong with this so-called wonder device known as the Television? Marie Winn, author of book Unplugging the plug-in drug, argues this point in the chapter “The Trouble with Television” claiming that the television negatively affects families and specifically children. Marie Winn is an author and journalist who is known for her write ups on wildlife and television. The book was published in 1987 and describes eight ways in which the television is damaging. Winn makes it a point not to argue against the content of television, but rather how the television effects family relationships and is a detriment to children’s development. While I agree with some of Winn’s, overall, I disagree with her assessment of television. The points that Winn made that I disagree with include, TV allows kids to grow up less civilized, TV keeps family from doing other things, TV makes children less resourceful, TV has a negative effect on children’s school achievement and TV has a negative effect on children’s physical fitness.

Television has increasingly become the quintessential epicenter of communication, since its invention, in 1927. At any moment in time 2.5 billion people are viewing some form of television broadcast (Ballard). Modern society has introduced various categories of television. These variations range from educational to violent. This broad spectrum makes it hard to generalize the effects it has had on American youth; however, television seems to have increased moral and intellectual degradation. Through violent shows and monotonous news broadcasts, American youths have become desensitized to the poverties, and hardships of the world. This desensitization has had several, and moreover negative, moral impacts on the youths of America. Nevertheless,

In one year, a child tends to spend more time watching TV than the amount of time spent in the classroom. Beginning in 1927, the first television consisted of nothing more than a very small box that consumed a monstrous amount of energy. As years passed, World War II served as the spark in the age of the TV. Many people in the United States of America became distraught during the war. What’s more settling than buying something to make oneself feel better? As TV’s flew off the shelf, little did America know of the potential harmful effects on education. The TV has been proven to negatively affect our children’s brains. The setbacks of TV far outweigh the The Small Fry Club, Tillstrom 's Kukla, Fran, and Ollie, and Robert E. "Buffalo Bob" Smith 's Howdy Doody Time provided some of the first children’s programs aired. Cartoons became a popular Saturday morning event in the early 1960’s. This ritual benefited both the parents and the child. The kids enjoyed having such consistent entertainment and the parents managed to have some free time to themselves. However, as time passed by, the use of television did not solely rely on entertainment, but also to distract children.

"[A nursery school teacher told me] her children were crudely bopping each other much more than previously, without provocation. When she remonstrated with them, they would protest, "But that 's what the Three Stooges do." This attitude did not signify a serious undermining of character. But it certainly showed me that watching violence can lower a child 's standards of behavior. Recent psychological experiments have shown that watching brutality stimulates at least slight cruelty in adults, too."

This takes away important socialization time for children and young adults by eating into their free time that could be used for socialization and interactions between peers, family, or social groups/clubs. Television also interferes with the natural socialization process of child development. It has become such a staple in homes that many parents or babysitters will just place a child in front of the television to keep them quiet and entertained. This can affect the normal socialization process in which children require interaction, physical and verbal, with friends, peers and parents (Boyse 2010). Abnormal interaction or lack thereof can create physical and mental difficulties in a child with slower learning rates/learning disabilities and health problems being the most prevalent consequences (Tischler 2007).

TV shows represent a great influence in children because they learn how to behave by imitating what they watch on TV. By watching TV, children get the idea of how gender roles are structured in society, and they think that is the proper way to classify men and women. Since a young age, children create their own perspective about gender roles and they grow up following the same example they learned when they were little. TV shows are a media that society uses to teach people the differences on gender roles and to keep the traditional point of view that society has been creating through the time; TV shows plays an important tool in the construction of gender. Women and men have always been portrayed in society in a different way; generally, men are considered to be better than women. Women are expected to have roles that are according to the common stereotypes that have been established in society; women’s proper place is at home to take care of the family. The Simpsons deals with common stereotypes about nuclear family and women roles which have always been present in American culture; the show represents and challenges the ideologies about gender roles and patriarchy because sometimes, the show is contradictory since it represents women as the typical housewife, and other times, women are represented as taking a new role because they begin to work outside of the house. Although The Simpsons portrays ideologies of the modern nuclear family and gender roles, it still

This view is supported by Webster-Stratton who described television as “rendering children passive” and referred to research indicating that excessive exposure to television and computers “place children at risk for harmful effects on their physical, social and psychological development”. As a way of mitigating this, she suggests watching television or computer games with the child in order to address any issues that might arise or to identify inappropriate content (2006, p234-236).

Television is a big part of today’s society. Everybody watches television, including the children. There is a potential problem with letting children watch television. Ask this question, would someone let their own child watch some of the programming that they watch, too? Some of these programs are intended for the adult generation, not young children. Violence has a major role in television these days. Letting children watch this violence could corrupt their minds and eventually lead to bad behavior. There needs to be a limitation on the types of television programming that parents let their children watch, because violence in television can negatively affect children.