What would be a good amount of time for
a child to devote for television viewing? Do parents fully understand how television can
affect their child’s perception of reality? This debate over children and TV has been
raging since the early 90’s. With more
and more channels for children to watch these days the risk of over exposure is
greater than ever. Taking a look into
the violence, increased risky behaviour, and obesity; the effects of television
on a child’s reality becomes more apparent.
Growing
up watching cartoons on Saturday morning has been a staple of American culture
for decades. The violence in those
cartoons though has become alarming in recent years. Imagine how a child takes in information from
a cartoon character. When an act of
violence is performed on a child’s TV show; children think that is a normal
thing in day to day life. Children tend
to be more aggressive after watching a show that had violence as part of the
story line. This can also change how
children view the outside world as well.
Children
are bombarded today with so many stimuli that it is becoming overwhelming for
them. A child has no experience in the
outside world, so what they see on TV is their reality. For example, a child watches a show with
extreme violence and then becomes afraid of the world around them. Children become less social and more prone to
phobias than ever before. They have a
false sense of reality due to what they have seen on a television screen.
Now
violence is just one of the many culprits to blame. Risky behaviours in TV shows are starting to
take hold as well. When children see a
character in their favourite show smoking, drinking, or hinting about premarital
sex, they think that is the kind of behaviour is acceptable. So many TV shows include all types of risky
behaviour as part of the plot. Children cannot
tell the difference between reality and television. Children look to their parents for guidance on
the real world but receive a lot of information from TV that has become
harmful.
Children
see on the average of about 40,000 commercials each year from watching just 2
hours of TV a day. With that type of
exposure the risk of obesity has taken a new twist. Every child has a favourite character they
watch on a daily basis. If that same
character advertises products then children want it. It does not matter whether it is good for
them or not. They see it on TV so it
must not be that bad! That is the
mentality that must be curtailed by parents.
Everything is okay in moderation. That is the message that must be driven into
the parents today. Parents must explain
that what children see on TV is not what really happens in the real world. Have children go outside and play with other
children to help develop that much needed social aspect of their lives. Above all else, be involved with children,
they look to adults for guidance and direction in the early years of life. Martin
Luther King Jr. said it best. “Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of
true education.”
