Television for Children

There is no doubting the impact and appeal of television for children in today's society, which is the reason I chose my topic. Children watch an average of three to five hours of television daily from the age of three or earlier, and during childhood they average more time in front of the television set than in the classroom. Although watching television has positive effects, attention is usually focused on its negative aspects.

Some people believe that children may be harmed by watching violence on the screen, and although over 1000 research studies have established an association between screen violence and the level of aggressive behavior in some children and young people, a specific relation has not been established. Increased aggression may not be the only negative effect. Children may find some of the images frightening and in rare cases develop anxiety and phobic reactions; more commonly they may develop short lived nightmares and other sleep problems.

Many of the modern technologies such as television are very passive. Because of this they do not provide children with the quality and quantity of crucial emotional, social, cognitive, or physical experiences they require when they are young. The developing child requires the right combination of these experiences at the right times during development in order to develop optimally. This cannot happen if the child is sitting for hours passively watching television. Children need real-time social interactions; technology such as television can prevent that from happening. Children need the help of adults to interpret what they see and to protect them from unsuitable programs.

Developmentally appropriate television shows children ways to act autonomously while maintaining a positive connection with others. The message should aim toward a world where people help and support each other, while maintaining their own independence. Children have to develop a sense that they can affect their world and feelings of inner strength and belief in themselves as competent and capable people.

Many programs present a world filled with violence and evil, where "bad guys" threaten the safety of "good guys." An underlying message of instability and threat is repeated in many children's programs giving children the impression of a threatening and unsafe world where danger is never put to rest. Violent and scary television programming