Effects of Television on Children
Effects of Television
Television is by far the most popular and most powerful medium in which children are exposed. It probably could be argued that television is more influential than parents are to children, however all television does not have to have negative effects on children. Many programs do have positive themes behind them. A study by Aletha C. Huston and John C. Wright (1998) examined the studies portrayed television as having negative effects on children, and proved that most of these studies are faulty. One study that is often brought up is that television causes viewers to become passive. Many argue that children are both physically and intellectually inactive while watching television. Huston supports the argument, with studies to back it up, that children are constantly making judgments about the clarity and interest of the content and thinking about the credibility, context, and applicability of what they are viewing (Huston, 1998). It is true that children are not actively interacting with the television, as they would be if they were in school with a teacher. They show that there have been significant efforts to overcome this by attempting to have kids interact with the television through certain segments of show such as Sesame Street and Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.
Another argument that has been disputed on several occasions is that television reduces the attention spans of children. One study proposed that programs containing short segments that have a rapid pace, as the ones shown on Sesame Street, might lead children to be easily distracted, to lose interest in a topic quickly, and thus have a shorter attention span (Huston, 1998). It is shown that this is not supported by evidence. Heavy viewers of Sesame Street are rated as being slightly better prepared for school and as having a more positive attitude toward school than infrequent viewers (Huston, 1998). Another experimental study showed that children who were exposed to rapid segments compared to long ones did not show any differences in several attention tests (Huston, 1998). Some interesting statistics regarding the time spent by children watching television include the following: Most children watch an average of 28 hours of per week. Children spend around 1300-1500 hours a year watching television and only around 700-900 hours in the classroom (AACAP, 2001). Children spend a disproportionate amount of their time watching television, compared to more 'worthwhile' activities.
Huston not only dismissed the myths about the negative effects of television, but uncovered studies that show the incredible positive effects it can have on children. Most of these studies are conducted on the program Sesame Street. It is hard to find out any one that was not raised by watching Sesame Street. It integrates visually stimulating content that appeals to children with excellent educational content embedded into the show that have had an enormous effect on children. These effects are supported by studies. In the early 1980s, a study was conducted to find out if the viewing of Sesame Street led to improved vocabulary scores of children. It was shown that children who frequently viewed Sesame Street improved more than non-frequent viewers on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, a test that controls for family characteristics that might affect scores (Huston, 1998). Sesame Street also has implications that go further than helping those in pre-school. It has been shown that Sesame Street viewing correlated into higher grades in later schooling. The most striking finding was that frequent viewers of Sesame Street and other child informative programs at age 5 had higher high school grades in English, math, and science than infrequent viewers, even with controls for early language ability and the educational level achieved by parents (Huston, 1998). There are many more studies that can be quoted that show that television can and is a very important medium for children. It greatly affects learning and socialization of children not only in the present, but also in the future.
It would be great if it could be said that children watch only Sesame Street, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, or The History Channel, but the fact is that today's children are exposed to many potentially negative and harmful television programs. There may be a link between children who regularly watch violent programs and those who tend to use aggression to resolve conflicts. Violent programs can consist of anything verbally or physically abusive, such as cursing and yelling, and/or fighting and actual physical harm. When I was younger, I figured that I would rather fight than talk through problem. Growing up watching G.I. Joe, He-Man, and Transformers, I feel it affected the way I approached problems. Thanks to great parents though, I learned to approach problems differently early in the 4th grade.
It seems that society as a whole has become desensitized to violence. If not in television, it can be seen in music, or video games. Take for instance, the children's television show The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Studies have shown that this show has 211 violent acts per hour, compared to the 'normal' children's show, which shows 26 acts of violence per hour (Everett, 1996). Television shows, such as this and Pokemon, may have violence that is considered more fantasy than real to adults. But children, especially those that are young, can not tell the difference between what is real and what is make-believe. Kids are vulnerable and violent behavior is like a super hero that entices them into a darker world (Zuckerman, 1996).
In one of their studies, Strasburger and Donnerstein (1999), imply that there is a constructive relationship linking aggressive behavior viewed on television and violent actions in children. The manner in which television violence is represented encourages children to learn hostile approaches and behaviors. For example the majority of violence on TV is made to look acceptable by using a good character that is likely to be perceived as a role model to commence violence. This gives children the feeling that violence is acceptable, attractive, and unproblematic. Violence on TV also enhances fear and/or provides children with an false impression about the world. Many kids have a tough time understanding the difference about what is genuine and make-believe. As a result, they start to consider that the television portrays violence in the real world. The main thing is that children learn their stance about violent behavior at an extremely young age, and once learned, the feelings tend to last a lifetime (Strasburger and Donnerstein, 1999). Children watch these shows and come to believe that it is acceptable to use violence as a way to resolve conflicts. Television violence also fails to show the consequences of violence, leaving children to believe that there are almost no repercussions for committing violent acts.
Television might lead children to believe that all groups of people are the same. From my own experience, I have noticed that many children start to begin to stereotype based on what they see on television and this can affect how they live the rest of their lives, making it harder for everyone. Because of television, I am worried that children may see and assume that all African-American males are thugs or sports athletes, or possibly feel that all Asians are geniuses, or even that all people who wear turbans are terrorists. It all depends on the programming that these children are exposed to. Children accept these stereotypes with open arms since they do not realize what is going on.
Research shows that children who spend more time watching television tend to think that both women and men have specified roles in the world (Kent and Moy, 1999). Television typically depicts women as submissive and weak compared to men who are typically shown as tough and dominant (Steinberg and Kincheloe, 1997). This provides children a clear idea of what is expected of them in the world. This may lead a child to feel that they too ought to act this way since it is, after all, what our culture views as appropriate. Television even pushes kids in the direction of a particular sex role using toys. A majority of toy advertisements, for example, claim that toys are simply for girls while others are only for boys. Children are hardly ever encouraged to have fun with toys that are recognized to be for the opposite sex. For example, boys are not allowed to play with dolls and girls aren't allowed to have fun with trucks. Television also highlights the significance of physical beauty. Strain is placed on coming across a certain way, whether it is having the precise attire or being a particular weight. Children take these types of influences extremely seriously since most kids would like to be the "popular" one in school. Look at many of the action shows that kids watch, will notice that the good females are viewed normally as attractive and faultless. The female criminals are usually viewed as "gross" and are mocked. In most schools this is the kind of schoolyard harassment to which unpopular girls are subjected (Steinberg and Kincheloe, 1997).
This is why it is important to help our children understand that violence is not the answer to all problems. Many of those children, who are not taught any better, usually grow up to be more aggressive individuals. We need to find a solution to help correct this problem. Several ideas have already been thought of, all it takes is a little action required on the side of the parent.