Effects of TV on children

“Children, Please Tune Out” Technological advances in the electronic industry have made watching television a prominent source of entertainment. With present day technology being far more advanced than it used to be, advances like HD televisions and DVR’s have turned watching television into a luxury. Television has become an affordable and easily accessible luxury that many parents and their children turn to for entertainment, which unfortunately can have major consequences. In children, watching television can cause poor grades, behavior problems, obesity and risky behavior. Instead of doing homework, studying, exercising and having hobbies children are wasting time in front of the television. While some may argue that watching television can be an effective learning source, it is not. Throughout this paper children are defined as ages 1-18. At any age school requires much of a child's time and attention. Watching television may cause children to get poor grades because it replaces activities that help with academic performance. Children are watching television instead of reading, doing homework, pursuing hobbies and getting enough sleep. Not only does watching television effect these children at a young age, but it has long term effects on their education as well. One study found that, “Watching television as a child affected educational achievement at age 26. Watching more TV in childhood increased chances of dropping out of school and decreased chances of getting a college degree, even after controlling for confounding factors” (Boyse). This study shows that watching television does in fact have significant effects on a child’s memory, imagination, willpower and motivation. Not only do children hinder their ability to learn by turning to television instead of reading and studying, watching television itself has negative effects on language and vocabulary. Television programs that children watch like MTV and Nickelodeon use a certain dialect that accommodates children by not requiring any effort to look through the meaning of words used. According to Lăzărescu, “this dialect determines a weakening of the ability to listen, to understand and to recall an orally presented material, a tendency to communicate through gestures, diminution of vocabulary knowledge, proliferation of verbal tics, difficulty in understanding long phrases and complex grammar structures” (97). Children find it very hard to concentrate while watching television because it is an easy distraction. Because television is a distraction, time consuming, addicting and hinders language it has negative impacts on the grades and learning abilities of children. Children are easily influenced by their surroundings, with their brains continuing to mature outside forces play a huge role in their development. Television is a driving force on the behavior of children. According to Lăzărescu, “Studies have shown that by watching television we can notice in children an increase in aggresivity, irascibility, impuslivity, lack of sensibility towards pain,violence,sleep disorders, an implification of anxiety and catastrophical thinking” (97). An average American child will see 200,000 violent acts and 16,000 murders on TV by age 18 (Boyse). Repeated exposure to TV violence makes children less sensitive toward its effects on victims and the human suffering it causes. Children under eight cannot tell the difference between reality and fantasy, making them more vulnerable to learning from and adopting the violence they see on television (Boyse). Many cartoons show good guys vs bad guys in violent ways, such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Powderpuff Girls and Power Rangers. In these cartoons there is violence that involves fighting and weapons. A study performed in Bucharest showed that students that spent more than two hours in front of the TV set prove more aggressiveness, compared to those who spent less than two hours watching TV (Lăzărescu, 97). Many people believe the solution is to not let children watch violent shows and that parents should be supervising. While this is true more than two thirds of all television shows contain violence and children shows more often than adult shows contain violence (Boyse). While you can limit the amount of television a child watches , violence is still prevalent on television. Watching television can cause weight problems, obesity, and an unhealthy diet in children. Researchers found that just being awake and in the room with the TV on for more than two hours a day was a risk factor for being overweight at ages three and four-and-a-half (Boyse). Television viewing and weight issues as a child can carry into adulthood. According to a study conducted by Dr. Kurt Gold, “It's estimated that the average U.S. child views at least three hours of TV each day. We also know that as we age, cholesterol levels rise. Gold estimated this means that 50 percent of these children will have high cholesterol levels later in life” (Gifford-Jones). Instead of playing outside, running around and being active children are sitting and watching television. When most children sit and watch television they snack while doing so resulting in and overload of calories which can cause weight issues (Gifford-Jones). The problem continues on the television set, many commercials encourage unhealthy eating habits. How many times have you seen a McDonalds, Wendy’s or Burger King commercial in just one single hour of watching television? These commercials lure children in with toys and other theatrics. According to Dr. Gifford-Jones, “Consumer research indicates that children who are bombarded with these ads accept the message and consume more calorie-and-fat-laden snacks”. All television shows, even educational shows, replace physical activity in a child's life. Without physical activity and proper diet, obesity is prominent. Sex has become a prominent subject on a variety of television programs. Watching sex on television increases the chances a teen will have sex, and may cause teens to start having sex at younger ages (Angela, 280). Even when children are viewing shows with characters just talking about sex increases the likelihood of sexual initiation (Angela, 280). Programs that children are watching now, for example reality shows on MTV, show an overwhelming amount of sexual behavior. For example, the popular series Jersey Shore, became a hit because of the crude sex acts and drinking. These reality shows children are watching have no filters. In 53% of households of 7th to 12th graders, there are no rules about TV watching (Boyse). Most parents do not talk to their kids about sex and relationships, birth control and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Most schools do not offer complete sex education programs. So kids get much of their information about sex from TV (Boyse). Sex on television is much like violence on television, it is prominent. “Approximately two-thirds of TV programs contain sexual content” (Angela, 280). While you can attempt to monitor television shows your child watches sex is still prevalent. While many people argue that watching television can be helpful and educational for children the consequences outweigh the so called ‘advantages’. What even constitutes as ‘educational television’ ? How do we decipher which shows actually help children learn? By sitting a child in front of a television to ‘learn’ it is going to make them want to watch even more television. There are many effective and fun ways to learn that do not involve a television, such as group activities within the classroom and flash card games. Students need more interactive ways to learn we should not inhibit their abilities by sitting them in front of a television. Parents may argue that shows like Barney, Sesame Street, and Dora the Explorer engage with their child but what they fail to mention are the television advertisements in between that can negatively affect their child. Not only do these television ads negatively affect their child, but pediatricians argue there are no significant findings that show these programs help children. According to Boyse, “Pediatricians strongly oppose targeted programming, especially when it's used to market toys, games, dolls, unhealthy food and other products to children.Any positive effect of television on children is still open to question, but the benefits of parent-child interactions are proven. Talking, singing, reading, listening to music or playing are far more important to a child's development than any TV show." While many people try to argue that television can be educational for children there is not enough evidence to support these claims. If children are to develop into healthy, well-behaved educated adults it is evident that watching television should be limited. There is simply not enough time in the day for children to waste rotting away in front of the television. Studying, playing outside and interacting with others are the activities children need to be doing. The consequences of watching television by children are associated with numerous linguistic, writing and reading problems. Children also can show behavior issues, weight problems, willpower and motivation. Watching television inhibits our children's imaginations and exploits them to sex and violence. We should not turn to the television to help our children learn but turn to ourselves and interact with them.