Television and Its Influences

Television and its effects

Over the years television has turned into a greater part of our society. As years pass, there is a wider selection when choosing what to see. U.S. Surveys indicate that seven to seventeen year olds average about twenty-five to thirty hours per week of television, while children in pre-school may be viewing up to sixty hours a week (Ritter). Obviously, television has increased its number of viewers dramatically. Not only have people started tuning in, but this has caused an influence in neighborhoods, children, leisure activities, intellectual development as well as more factors in our society. Television may be a great way to be informed and learn as well but due to its great amount of viewers, television has now become the important part of a day, just like brushing your teeth, going to school or work.

A major impact in neighborhoods due to television is the amount parents spend with their kids. If you think about it, it makes sense; television is maintained on for seven hours and forty minutes each day at a typical American home. Fifty percent of families even own three or more televisions in a household (Parker).We know television is a swaying effect at home and it seems to catch everyone's attention as well as take up their time. So why is it that we can give more attention to television but not our family? Well the answer to this may be more difficult than expected. However, let us reflect on the less than forty minutes each week that parents spend to have a meaningful conversation with their children. Should this not be longer, forty minutes a week is a bit too diminutive to talk with your child.

Think about the time a child spends at school, an average of about seven hours and the amount of time dedicated to television after school plus any extra after school activities. Forty minutes is what a teenagers spends in a class period, compared to the rest of their times this is way too little time to talk with your children. How do you think this is affect children? The Kaiser foundation reported that the "contentedness index" which is how children rate in question such as "I get along with my parents" "I often feel sad and unhappy", and "I get in trouble a lot" showed that children who were exposed to more television scored less contented (Williams). Think about this, if television is picked over a child who needs help with homework, this would cause some sort of result in children.

Hence, one out of twelve American families actually requires their children to finish their homework before watching television. Is it not the responsibility of a parent to pick schoolwork over television? Then what does this say about the relationship between school and television.

The average child entering first grade has spend about five thousand hours watching television, and the same child by age eighteen will have spent more time watching television than attending school(Finn 1980). This is amazing how before the twenty -first century it was estimated that people would watch television more than going to school. Now that a lot of years have passed since then and there is more exposure of things in television than back then, more people are tuning in (Kaufman).

Think about the time a child spends at school, an average of about seven hours and the amount of time dedicated to television after school plus any extra after school activities. Forty minutes is what a teenagers spends in a class period, compared to the rest of their times this is way too little time to talk with your children. How do you think this is affect children? The Kaiser foundation reported that the "contentedness index" which is how children rate in question such as "I get along with my parents" "I often feel sad and unhappy", and "I get in trouble a lot" showed that children who were exposed to more television scored less contented (Williams). Think about this, if television is picked over a child who needs help with homework, this would cause some sort of result in children.

Hence, one out of twelve American families actually requires their children to finish their