Does television have a positive or negative effect on children?
Next to the Internet, television is one of the most powerful mediums of communication in the world today. With most households owning at least one, some families even owning up to four televisions. It has been said that television can have quite a negative effect on children with many programmes having a bad influence on the youngsters. These programmes can also affect their education as well as their physical ability. Although it can be argued that television does in fact have a positive effect on children, with television being one of the main sources for children to gather information whether it’s the news or the weather. Television can also have huge benefits on children as it can increase their education and their abilities, being the obvious one, it can be extremely entertaining for children. I for one agree, I think television has a positive effect on children.
Television can be an extremely bad influence on children today with the daily amount of television watched every day increasingly drastically. It was surveyed that in 2000, the average household that had children in them had at least 2.8 televisions, which would be on at least seven hours and forty minutes a day. Another was done for the year 2003; it discovered that children as young as six months old were watching on average at least one hour of television but also forty minutes of film. They also found out that children aged three to eleven watched a minimum of three hours. Television can also have a negative effect on children as programmes increase children’s emotions, from happy to intense. Children are often left unaccompanied when watching television which results in them being able to watch what they please, some even left watching violent programmes which then leave a long lasting impact in the child’s mind which usually cannot be erased. A study showed that the average child see’s up to 12,000 acts of violence on television all before the age of 16. Also, 1000 studies confirm violence in television can also increase aggressive behaviour in children.
However, television is not all bad; in fact, it can be somewhat educational with 7 out of 10 children’s television programmes teaching children at least one skill per viewing. Whether that skill would be reading, writing or just simply, being taught how to make a meal. Television can be hugely positive on children as it can improve their education incredibly as there are television programmes made to help with specific skill, there are television programmes which help with the alphabet, basic numeric skills, reading skills and even problem solving. ‘Sesame Street’ is an example; it helps children learn lessons in racial, harmony, being co-operative, kindness and simple arithmetic. These programmes are positive for children as they think they are watching a basic television programme that will keep them entertained, but they also get to learn basic skills without them even knowing.
Studies show that children have found an association between the number of hours of television watched and obesity. It was said that watching television decrease the metabolic rate in children. Arthur John Steinbeck describes the average television watcher as,
“I have observed the physical symptoms of television – looking on children as well as on adults. The mouth grows slack and the lips hang open; the eyes take on a hypnotized or dopey look: the nose runs more than usual. Such is the appearance of semi – consciousness that one wonders how much of the message of television gets through to the brain.”
He suggests that children become somewhat addicted to the television and sort of zone-out suggests “the mouth grows slack and the lips hang open” which refers them to as ‘zombie like’. The American Academy of Paediatrics, says children under two years old should not watch any television at all and that children older should only watch at least two at the most. They came to the conclusion that children who watch more than four hours are likely to be overweight, and anti-social.
Televisions are a fantastic source of entertainment for children and their families. Many television programmes which children watch you have to interact with, such as “Blues Clues” and “Dora the Explorer”. These programmes ask the audience (the child) questions such as “Do you know where the car is?” to which the child points at where the car is or in most cases the child just shouts at the television. When getting praised from the characters on television children often feel a sense of joy and get a little high: they get to feel that they have achieved something. These television programmes help the brain and children laugh, the programmes also help children gain confidence.
Television can also be positive in a social way for children as it gives children something to discuss, children can chat about who their favourite character is, an whether or not they like a certain programme, it lets children bond over the programmes they love. Television programmes can also help children gain a confidence boost as they like to imitate what they see on television, therefore they might look up to a certain character and want to be exactly like he or she.
In conclusion, although television programmes can be intense and graphical for children, it’s not the fault of the media it’s the parents as programmes. Programmes are now age restricted which stops children from being able to watch them but not only that, most channels can now be pin protected which requires a passcode to put punched before watching the certain programme. I think television has a positive effect on children as it educates their healthy minds, it’s entertaining which helps them bond with peers and family when they all like a certain programme. It can also be very positive as it helps boost children’s social skills in reading, writing, cooking to even basic manners. This has very positive attitude on who the child will become and their attitude. So, television has a very positive effect on children rather than a negative one.
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