An Argument against Television for Children By Seth Mullins Studies have shown that in the past few decades,

a significant number of American children spent more time in front of a television set than in a classroom. Many of them were free to watch without supervision; in fact, nearly a quarter had sets in their own rooms. Much has been studies and written about the effects of violent T shows on the minds of young children. But what has not been scrutini!ed, as thoroughly, is the impact that even more innocuous programming can have upon the ways that they thin" and feel. The problem in these cases is not the content but rather the medium itself, which demands that they be passive while bombarded with imagery that they can neither respond to nor be given time to thin" about and assimilate. #ssentially, the television set confronts them with another reality $ one that is not responsive to them. %t is a world they cannot enter, and where their action and initiative ma"e no difference. &oung children learn primarily through imitation and repetition. This is why routines and rhythm are so important in their early lives. They learn to trust their environment when it responds to them in consistent ways. Television programs confront them with images and sounds that bear no relationship to that environment. There are, no doubt, many television programs available $ especially if one has cable $ that are educational in nature. #ven the ma'ority of these, however, are more appropriate for "ids in their teen years. Many studies made on child cognitive development suggest that too much stress laid upon the intellect can have an adverse effect upon their learning processes. (or e)ample, introducing them to reading too early can ma"e them feel indifferent towards it later because they*d failed to connect with the 'oy of the activity. +hildren learn naturally by interaction, by actively participating in their environment. ,e can promote their development best by encouraging hobbies that will engage all of their senses. Too much T watching conditions them to passivity $ i.e., to a state of mind where they*re used to stimulus being served to them and choices being made for them. This e)acts a dear cost to their budding imaginations and sense of initiative. Activities that draw upon the inner imagery of their minds $ li"e drawing, painting, clay sculpting, handwor" and -once they are in grade school. reading will be much more beneficial for them both mentally and emotionally. Artistic diversions teach children that what is inside themselves can be brought forth into the world. #lectronic media puts them into a mode of passively waiting for the world to feed them more stimuli. Although it has been given the seal of approval by our culture at large, television can dumb our children down by substituting its images for their own inner ones and lulling / their senses to sleep. The more we can curb our "ids* T watching time and replace it with active and0or creative play the more their imaginations, reasoning abilities and spontaneity will flourish.

Violence on Television and Its Effects on Children

Viewing Violence on Television Promotes Violence and Aggression College Essay

Ann-Marie Walker

There is no doubt that television has changed the world and how we view it. With just the point and click of a button, the viewing possibilities are endless. There are literally hundreds of channels to choose fro . Cartoons, sitco s, news, cooking shows, and usic videos fill the airwaves. With so any viewing options, deter ining what we should be watching has beco e a great concern, especially when it co es to children. It is no wonder that cable and satellite providers have built in parental controls. Violent and aggressive acts abound on TV. !any ti es it is children who are viewing these acts. "o e people believe that such viewing habits directly affect children. #ccording to the Center for !edia and $ublic affairs, %The typical # erican child will have witnessed &',''' killings and ('',''' acts of violence on television%, all by their )*th birthday +!edia Violence )(),. These statistics are shocking. It is no wonder that the -uestion arises, what i pact does viewing violence on television have on children. There has been overwhel ing evidence that suggest viewing violent and aggressive behavior on television, does in deed directly affect children. Children are great i itators. I aginary play and odeling their favorite characters are co onplace a ong the young. Children can and readily do i itate what they see. /ust ask any parent whose child has learned their #0C1s by watching "esa e "treet. They will all tell you that their child watched 0ig 0ird, Ernie and the other characters reciting the alphabet over and over. #fter repeated viewing their child began reciting their #0C1s fro e ory. This act alone reinforces the idea, that through i itation and repeated e2posure children can learn. 3earning violence is no e2ception. It can be i itated and learned in the sa e how the alphabet was co itted to behavior, it is that negativity that they learn and anner as e ory. The only difference is when children watch negative i ic. It is not so ething as har less as the #0C1s.

#uthorities on child behavior agree that what a child watches does indeed affect their behavior. #ccording to The # erican #cade y of Child and #dolescence $sychiatry, %E2tensive viewing of television violence by children causes greater aggressiveness% +Cook et al.,. 4esensiti5ation can also play a roll in a child1s negative behavior. It occurs when children beco e physically and e otionally unresponsive to the violence and aggression they see on television. It is a

fact that people react both physically and e otionally when they e2perience an episode of violence. It is an involuntary response and occurs even if the event is real or being portrayed fictitiously. #fter repeated e2posure to violence, the typical psychological and physical responses can cease +!edia Violence )(),. 4esensiti5ation to violence occurs when a child repeatedly views it on television. Children who continually view violence on TV beco e desensiti5ed and no longer conceder violence in the real of fear, and can readily accept it as co or her fro on behavior. This in turn can i pact a child in a way that will not hinder hi acting out violently or aggressively. orals and life lesson fro so e violence on

"o e people will argue that children actually learn

television. In shows such as $ower 6angers, 7 en and /ustice 3eague, the good guys always win and the bad guys are always punished. This idea helps children reali5e that bad acts are punishable. They will ore often identify with the heroes in the story, and they the selves will aspire to be one of the is it also teaches the children how to handle good guys +!edia Violence 89,. There is no -uestion that children can learn bad acts are punishable by watching the so:called good guys win. The proble the wrong doings by the bad guys. !ore often or not there is a huge battle between good and evil being portrayed on the screen. Those that are identified as being the good guys often use violence to subdue the evil wrong doers. This can include fighting, punching, kicking and other acts of aggression. The fact of the atter is, children are being taught violence solves proble s. This fact is it. "everal ore likely to view violence as evident in a joint state ent issued at the Children Congressional $ublic ;eath "u pro inent pediatricians clai , %Children who see a lot of violence are

an effective way of settling conflicts% +Cook et al,. It is also evident in the way children portray their favorite super hero. It is not hard to i agine a child who is pretending to be a super hero. The ajority of the will draw their fist, pull out a pretend sword, or take a karate stance as if readying the selves to fight a battle. The reality is that even super heroes teach children violence is acceptable. This in turn can cause children to act aggressively, even when their intention is to do good. What about the children who identify with the bad guys. There are those that argue it is actually the child1s own negative disposition that cause aggressive behavior. Children aggressive by nature will have a genre of television shows that enco pass a large a ount of violence. Their predisposition creates an urge for these types of shows. Their hostile behavior is not a result of the violence they are viewing, but fro their own inclination of violence +Van Erva <9,. This concept ight hold true as to why they choose shows with violence. The argu ent is not what aggressive children choose to watch, but the effects of what they are watching. The fact of the violence, it only to view akes sense to closely atter is, allowing these types of children to view violence only encourages their own negative behavior. 0ecause of their predisposition to onitor what they are watching on television. #llowing the ore aggression can only reinforce their negative behavior, and cause it to beco e even

ore pronounced.

There have been studies perfor ed to show the correlation between adolescence aggression and television violence. =ne such study was sited in !oller1s book, >outh #ggression and Violence. It involved three Canadian towns. Each town received identical Canadian television. Children with the sa e aggression level were e2posed to ?.". TV. #fter viewing the # erican television networks, verbal and physical aggression rose significantly not only in children, but adults as well. The reports of physically aggressive acts tripled in nu ber, and per inute verbal aggressive acts doubled in one edia violence than ore aggressive town alone +!oeller )9@,. Canadian television has stricter laws regarding

# erican television. This study shows that when children are e2posed to the

television shows found on # erican networks, violence and aggression does rise dra atically. This directly reinforces the thesis that there is a link between violence on TV and the behavior of children. While we have been arguing the i ediate i pact that violence and aggression have on children, it

can also be noted that it can affect their personality as teenagers and adults. Children who watch violence and aggression on television can grow into teenagers and adults who have a violent and hostile disposition. The hostility that they view in their youth and teenage years can actually build a foundation for their adult characteristics. Children learn early on the we try to teach the right fro oral values of life. #s parents wrong. This is noted on the reinforce ent we give children for oral values is television giving our children. #s parents you ight

positive behavior, and the punish ent and e2planation we render children in regards to negative behavior. The -uestion is what be surprised to know that a si ple television show ight be counteracting what you are trying to ercials and television ay

teach your child. Au erous is a non:profit organi5ation devoted to children1s heath. They sponsor the website ;ow TV #ffects >our Child. =n their website they state that co that show violence, aggression, and risk taking ay influence the acts of teenagers. Teenagers

take part in risky behavior and violence if they view those types of behavior +;ow TV #ffects >our Child,. 0ased on additional research, The #tlantic !onthly relates that viewing violent television shows %better predicts adult aggressiveness than does a child1s initial aggressiveness, intellectual ability, or parents1 educational background% +Indirect #ggression,. It is clearly evident that what are children view today will effect the negative effects that the violent to orrow. There is no class of children that are i une to the ing fro edia produces. It is detri ental that parents and caregivers pay

special attention to the viewing habits of adolescence. 0y re oving violent progra

children1s repertoires now, they are helping to create a better well:adjusted adult in the future. #nother i portant factor to take into consideration is that even progra acts found in television progra individual. The ing targeted at children ost violent an

can contain violence. Cartoons are no e2ception. Cartoons actually contain so e of the

ing. They portray acts that in the real world would fatally har and /erry are notorious pranksters and perpetrators of

ajority of people will re e ber their favorite cartoons as children. Wyle Coyote,

El er Budd, and even the infa ous To

violence. Who does not recall the falling anvil that crashes atop the poor unsuspecting, cartoon

character1s head. El er Budd is forever chasing 0ugs 0unny with a rifle, ready to shoot hi Even To and /erry readily

on site.

akes use of situations that cut off tails, and s ash their characters

beyond recognition. Children often laugh at the violence being portrayed in cartoons such as these. In reality they are laughing at a character perpetrating violence and aggression toward another. When hostility is presented in a co ical fashion such as this, young children ay ake the connection of violence and hu or. This can cause a child to believe that pain and hurting so eone is hu orous. They do not reali5e aggressive acts can cause real har . In a book called Violent Cartoons, the author points out that children less than five years old need help processing what they are viewing. >oung children do not understand that cartoon violence is ani ation. They do not understand that cartoon violence does not reflect what happens in the real world +4ickenson &8,. "ince children cannot they see on a ake that connection, they ay in fact be ore prone to act out the violence ake believe cartoon. They ay indeed not reali5e the repercussions of hurting ake the connection between i aginary and reality. When a

so eone in the real world. They do not

parent is watching what cartoons their children are viewing, it is always a good for parents to ask the selves if their child is old enough to distinguish between ani ation and reality. If parents are genuinely concerned with what their children are viewing, there are several options available to the . They can watch the sa e progra s their children are, and decide if that show is appropriate for their kids. They can also utili5e parental control features now found on al ost every satellite or cable co pany1s re ote control. In the new age of technology there are also speciali5ed websites where parents can review specific write these reviews. Their intention is too ovies, television shows and cartoons. $arents generally ake note of violent or controversial acts and ay not be ending ake an infor ed decision when

appropriate for children. With this infor ation it allows a parent to

deciding what their children are allowed to view. They are also a great source for reco alleviate so e concerns parents y have about the content their children are watching.

appropriate shows for young audiences. !aking use of these si ple ideas and suggestions can help

In closing we are not arguing the fact that violence and aggression are widely displayed on television. Aor are we arguing the censorship of violence. We are however arguing what effect television violence has on children. Will children who view acts of aggression on television e2hibit hostile aggression. The in ajority of the evidence concludes that the answer is yes. $arents should keep that ind the ne2t ti e their children are watching television. What characters are their children

i itating on television. #re they barking like the innocent dog on 0lue1s Clues, or are they pretending to be in a fighting stance ready to punch the bad guy. # dog is pretty har less, but a punch thrown at a younger sibling can be detri ental to the physical and ental well being of both children. Cable and satellite co panies put parental controls on re ote controls for a reason. $arents and caregivers are ulti ately responsible for what their children view on TV. It is reco ended that parents e2hibit their responsibility and take control of their children1s viewing

habits. If your children are regularly watching violent and aggressive shows, change the channel. 0y doing so you will not only be deterring your children fro to groo a better adult in years to co e. co itting hostile aggression, but helping