Medias Influence on Youth

Glen E. Dawursk, Jr. Introduction: What is going on? y In 1994, two teenagers assassinated a Milwaukee police officer for the fun of it.
y

In 1995, three teenagers tortured, killed and then rapedElyse Marie Pahler in an apparent satanic sacrifice. In 1995, Clay Logan shot his parents multiple times and killed his mother. In 1998, Burlington High school youth in Burlington, Wisconsin plotted to massacre their school. In 1999, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris murdered 12 people and themselves at their high school in Columbine, CO. In 2001, in Santee, CA, a 15 year old boy shoots 2 teenagers and injures 13 others at his high school because he was tired of being taunted for being too skinny.

Two days after the Santee murders, Time magazine reported the following incidents occurred: o In California, 16 students were detained for death threats; two 17 year old students were arrested on charges of conspiracy to commit murder; authorities found a "hit list" of 16 students; and another 15 year old student boasted that he could outdo the Columbine High Schoolmassacre.
o

In Arizona, a 13 year old girl left a bomb threat on an answering machine; an eighth-grader was accused of threatening to bring a gun to school to shoot sixth-graders and another 13 year old threatened to shoot classmates who teased him. In Florida, a 17 year old carried a loaded semiautomatic handgun to school and another 17 year old carried a revolver with a sawed off barrel to his former school. In Washington, a 16 year old pulled out a gun and ordered the students to leave class. In Georgia, a sixth-grader was arrested for bringing a BB gun onto the school campus. In Pennsylvania, a 14 year old girl fired a single shot hitting another student in the cafeteria.

In Iowa, a 15 year old threatened to get a gun and shoot everyone in school.

o In Texas, a freshman was expelled after he was caught with a hit list of his own. (McCarthy, 2001, p. 7)

In October 2002, a 36 year old man was beaten to death by a group of north sideMilwaukee youth. This was not a gang. These youth were just kids from the block who retaliated violently against this man. Their mob mentality caused them to brutally kill him pummeling him with bats, shovels, boards and their fists. According to one of the youth, they hit this man so often that the victims ear tore off. Blood was splattered on the floor and the ceiling. This alarming statistic would have probably been relegated to old news by now if it had not been for one haunting fact. One of these boys was just 10 years old. (Thorsen, 2002, p.1)

What is going on? What is causing todays youth to act out in such a violent nature? What is influencing them to depart from societal and religious morals, values and ethics?

Interestingly, in many of the examples above, the media had a seemingly direct influence on the results. The youth who killed the police officer stated in court that they were influenced by the lyrics of Tupac Shakurs song 2 Pacalypse Now which glamorizes the killing of a policeman. The murder and torture of the Pahler girl has been linked to the song Spill Blood by Slayer and in the past year, the parents of the girl have sought to punish the record company. Clay Logan acted out the words of The End by the Doors as he shot his parents and Klebold and Harris made a video tape the night before their murderous rampage bragging about how they could now play the game Doom for real. (Smithouser & Waliszewski, 1998, p.13-15)

Is there a connection? How serious is the impact and influence of the media upon the moral and ethical judgments of junior and senior high youth? Is there a direct correlation? If so, what can be done to correct these problems or issues? In this article, I will first present current statistics which show an increase in youth violence throughout the country. I will next give statistical information on current media usage by youth. It will also illustrate a significant increase in violence, offensive behavior and negative religious values portrayed within the media. I will show where the current research falls on the question of a direct correlation between the media and its influence upon youth and children. Finally, I will then explain how our brains work, share new research in this area and suggest a possible correlation to media influence.

Point 1: Violence across the nation has increased significantly during the past decade.

In a survey of 1038 students in 1999, 19% said they had been hit, slapped or kicked at school and 25% say they are afraid another student will hurt them; 80% said they had bullied their peers in the past 30 days (Peterson, 1999, p.1D). Over 50% of American teenagers think a murderous rampage could happen at their school (NYT/CBS 1999, p. 14). In 1996, 10 percent of all public schools reported at least one serious violent crime to a law enforcement agency (AACAP, 2000). According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatrys

Violent Facts Sheet, gunshot wounds to children 16 and under has increased 300 percent in major urban areas since 1986 and in 1996 alone, 2,900 juveniles were arrested for murder (2000). The US Justice Department said that if the current trend continues, arrests of juveniles for violent crimes will double by the year 2010 (Associated Press, 1995, p. 4A). The AACAP website also reports that almost a million American students took guns to school in 1998, that 123,400 youth are arrested each year for violent crimes, and ages 25 and under account for almost 50% of all serious violent crime victims (2000).

ABC News 20/20 reported that in 1986, just 9% of those arrested for murder were under 17, but by 1996 it was up to17%. In those 10 years, youth who killed with guns quadrupled (1996). The Commission for the Prevention of Youth Violence, a coalition of American health care professionals states the following: y One in every eight murder victims in the US is younger than 18. Almost 40 children and adolescents are killed by violence each week. y Murder and suicide are the second and third leading causes of death among teenagers between the ages 15 to 19. Among 10 to 14 year olds, they are third and fourth. y In an average month, there are more than 525,000 violent attacks in public schools. Nearly 8% of urban junior and senior high school students are too afraid to go to school at least once a month. (Terek & Webster, 2000; AMA, 2000)

Point 2: Media consumption by youth and children is significant.

According to the statistics furnished by the National Institute for Media and the Family, ages 12-17 average 22 hours of TV per week and 55% listen to 5 or more hours of recordings per week (tapes, records, CDs). Ages 15-19 buy onefourth of all recordings and they buy 38% of all movie tickets (Walsh, 1999). The average American child grows up in a home with two TVs, three tape players, three radios, two VCRs, two CD players, one video game player and one computer (Kaiser Family Foundation, 1999). 70-80% of the U.S. population reads magazines and newspapers monthly (Bruner, 2002).

Television: The average house in America has 2.6 television sets and 56% of children have a TV in their room (Walsh, 1999). Teenagers spend: 1/2 hour a week with Dad alone, 2-1/2 hours a week with Mom alone, 5 hours a week doing homework, 2 hours a week reading, and 24 hours a week watching television (Walsh, 1999). Dr. David Walsh of the NIMF states that, Youth today spend as much time today in front of a TV as they do in a classroom (1999). 98% of teenagers spend 11 hours per week minimum in front of a TV (Kantrowitz & Wingert, 1999, p. 38).

MTV alone reaches 350 million households around the world (PBS On-Line, 2001). 82% of its viewers are ages12 to 34 with almost 40% under the age of 18. According to research, MTV is the most recognized network among young adults ages 12 to 34 (Nielson Media Research, 2000). In fact, music videos are designed predominately for teenagers 12 to 19 years old. In this age group, 73% of the boys and 78% of the girls watch MTV regularly. Boys average 6.6 hours,

while girls average of 6.2 hours per week watching MTV (Rich, 1998).

The Center for Media Education quotes these statistics on their website: y Most children watch an average of 3 to 4 hours of TV per day, approximately 28 hours each week.
y y

Watching TV is the #1 after-school activity for 6 to 17 year olds. Each year most children spend about 1500 hours in front of the TV and 900 hours in the classroom. By age 70, most people will have spent about 10 years watching TV (CME, 1997).

A parents opinion study conducted in 2000, showed that children ages 2 to 17 spent 6.5 hours a day in front of some electronic video screen (TV, video games console, computer, game boy) and 97% of all homes own a VCR (Woodard, 2000). A national survey found that 92% of children ages 2-17 play video and computer games (NIMF, 2001). 98.2% of U.S. households own a television set. 99.9% of those are color (TBA, 2001). 30 million households have a DVD player and 90% of US households have aVCR (Lyman, 2002, A1) and 78% of adults surveyed report that they have home cable or satellite television (NPR, 2000).

Computers and the Internet: Almost 45% of homes with youth ages 12 to 17 have internet access (HMR, 1999). Almost 80% of US households with children have a computer and just over 70% of them have Internet access (NTIA, 2001). As many as 21.9 million children ages 5 to 12 and 16.6 million teenagers 13 to 18 are online (Barrons, 1999). A 1999 survey by eShop Weekly found that 67% of online youth ages 13-17 and 37% of online children ages 5-12 check out products or purchase online and 52% have asked their parents to do

it for them (1999). It was estimated that youth ages 5 to 18 may have purchased as much as 1.3 billion online by 2002 (Charski, 1999, p. 89).

54% of children ages 10 -17 access computer chat rooms and 31% admit to seeing a pornographic site on the Internet (National Public Radio, 2000). 25% of home Internet users in the United States use broadband (DSL or cable) for their Internet connection (Bruner, 2002). Of youth ages 8 to17, 33% preferred the Web as the medium they would want to have if they could not have any others; TV came in second at 26%, telephone at 21% and radio at 15% (MediaPost, 2002, May 2).

Music CDs and Radio: Pre-teens and teens combined listen to music (including radio, CDs, tapes and music videos) almost 4 hours per day. By their junior year in high school, girls listen to music a half-hour more than boys do each day (Roberts & Christenson, 2001). Around 96% of teenagers listen to the radio weekly (HMR, 1999) and 45% of American teens listen to FM radio (Zollo, 1999). Teenagers consider musicians their real heroes more often than athletes and rate the effect of music on them higher than religious beliefs or literature (Knight-Ridder, 1999).

Other Media Technologies: Almost one-third of all American teens carry at least one cell phone (Rodriguez, 2002, E4) and four our out of ten youth ages four to eighteen, own at least one cell phone, Palm organizer, pocket PC, pager or ultra light laptop. 50% of teenagers ages 13 to 18 own at least one of these portable devices and older youth often own several of them. 42% of kids ages eight to twelve and 13% of kids under seven also own at least one of these portable devices (MediaPost,

2002, Sept. 30).

Point 3: There has been a significant increase in violence, offensive behavior and negative religious values portrayed by the media.

Violence: The Parents Television Council reviewed 38 reality series between Jan.1, 2002 and May1, 2002 and found that on broadcast television, NBC and UPN had the highest level of offensive content, 19 and 14.9 instances of offensive content per hour. On cable, VH1 and MTV offered the most offensive content with 39.7 and 36.1 instances per hour (PTC, 2002). The Center for Media Education quotes the following data on violence: y Children may be exposed to about 5 violent acts per hour during prime time and an average of 26 violent acts per hour during Saturday morning childrens programs.
y

Prime-time TV contains about 5 violent acts per hour compared to an average of 26 violent acts per hour during Saturday morning children's TV. (CME, 2002)

Upon grade school graduation, the average child will see more than 100,000 violent acts on television, including almost 8,000 murders. Upon high school graduation, these same children will have witnessed 200,000 violent acts and 16,000 murders (Huston, et al, 1992). A three year study on media violence showed that: y 61% of television programs contain some violence,
y

43% of violent scenes contained humor -- where the violators

were portrayed as acceptable or appealing,

y y

44% showed no immediate punishment Almost 75% showed no harmful consequences at all (Smith and Donnerstein, 1998).

Of the most popular video games on the market as many as 90% of them have a violent theme (Anderson, 2001). Consider one of the best selling games of the past two years, Grand Theft Auto. In this video game, you play the part of a criminal who escapes from the law and joins the mob. Your new job is to steal, kill and pimp for organized crime. You will also bomb a passenger plane, drive prostitutes around, and murder people. In addition, the game encourages you to try illegal and brutally violent moves in order to get extra points. For example, you get extra points for running people over, shooting a guy after you steal his car, hiring a hooker and then beating her to death (Smithouser, 2002). A new game, Acclaim Entertainments M-rated BMX XXX is set in the world of extreme BMX biking. It features video footage of strippers which gamers can access as rewards for excellent play and it includes missions where you help a pimp pick up his prostitutes. Advertising on the net for the game includes dogs having sex, people throwing-up and scantily clad woman with their pimp. Examples of other popular violent video games include Duke Nukem and Doom. Research shows that 59% of fourth grade girls and 73% of fourth grade boys say that most of their favorite video games involve violence (Anderson, 2001). According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry the troublesome lyrics of some teen music advocate and glamorize the abuse of drugs or alcohol, present suicide as a "solution", display graphic violence, dwell on the occult with Satanism and human sacrifice, describe harmful sexual

practices, incest, and are devaluing of women. (NIMF 2001)

Heavy metal music has always been an avenue for counter-culture and liberal thinking. Much of the musics lyrics condone free sex, drug uses and radical and often dangerous lifestyles. Artists like Marilyn Manson, Korn and Eminem have tested these freedoms of speech through their lyrics. Marilyn Manson readily refers to himself as the anti-Christ or as an anti-god. His music videos and concerts encourage suicide and his message easily goes into the face of the organized church: y You can kill yourself now because youre dead in my mind (Man That
You Fear)

y I am the faggot anti-pope (1996) y I will bury your God in my warm spit (Deformography) y All American AntiChrist (Rock & Roll Nigger)
y

I am the Anti-music god. Here's your Antichrist Superstar (AntiChristSuperstar)

y Ive got abortions in my eyesI wasnt born with enough middle fingers I am the ism, my hate's a prism; Let's just kill everyone and your god sort them out F*** it! (4 Times) (Irresponsible Hate Anthem) y You'll understand when I'm dead I went to god just to see, and I was looking at me, saw heaven and hell were lies. When I'm god everyone dies. Scar can you feel my power? Shoot here and the world gets smaller ...One shot and the world gets smaller...Shoot here and the world gets smaller. Shoot, shoot, shoot motherf***er! y "Each thing I show you is a piece of my death. No salvation, Ha ha, no forgiveness. No salvation, Ha ha, no forgiveness!(The Reflecting God) y We are not a victim, you are not a victim. God will grovel before me. God will crawl at my ? (Hidden Track #99) The Marilyn Manson t-shirt wore by Clay Logan, the young man who shot his parents illustrated Mansons violent anti-establishment message clearly: Warning, the music of Marilyn Manson contains messages that will

Kill God, In your impressionable teenage mind, as a result you could be convinced to Kill your mom and dad, And eventually in an act of hopeless Rock and Roll behavior you will Kill yourself. Please burn your records while there is still hope.

November 2002 Eminem had the top selling movie, album and single. Plus his new movie, 8 Mile earned over $51 million during its first weekend, making it the second biggest R-rated opening of all time. 69% of movie viewers at 8-milewere under the age of 25. The DVD and video version of 8-Mile was released in March, 2003 and already the sales are significant. EminemsCD, The Eminem Show sold nearly 300,000 copies in the first day in November, 2002 (Los Angeles Times, 11/11/02; New York Daily News, 11/14-18/02; USA Today,11/14-17/02). Obviously teenagers are listening and watching Eminem but what message are they hearing or seeing? Again, listen to the lyrics: y F--- you, Mrs. Cheney [and] Tipper Gore!! (White America)
y

To the US government he says, I have the money to have you killed (Square dance) He talks about knifing prostitutes (When the Music Stops) He glamorizes drugs in some of his songs: Weed mixed with some hard liquor He encourages blatant violence: Bullet with your name sendin it your way and Put anthrax on a Tampax and slap you till you cant stand He uses explicit sexual content (Soldier; Superman) He threatens violence against a pregnant woman (Drips) He claims to have sold out to the devil and brags about his influence on the youth of America. (Plugged In, 2002)

y y

y y y

Offensive Behavior: WWFs "Raw is War" (World Wrestling Federation) has over 5 million households viewing weekly making it the highest rated cable television show and it often attracts more viewers than Monday Night Football on broadcast television.WWFs sequel program "Smackdown" is also watched weekly by 5 million US homes making it also number one on the new UPN network. In addition, the WWF has produced numerous pay-per-view and home video productions which often rank in the top ten nationally. Other than pornography, WWF is one of the first businesses to make money on the internet by producing and selling live video streaming to home users via their computer. These are often far more explicit and vulgar than even cable TV would allow (Leland, 2000). Of the more than 1 million viewers, approximately 15% are under the age of 12. (Rosellini, 1999, p. 52). The WWC, World Championship Wrestling, reports that one fourth of its audience is youth ages two to seventeen (Holmstrom, 1998).

Television news show Inside Edition commissioned the Department of Telecommunication at Indiana University to do a one year study of fifty of WWFs Raw is Wars shown on the USA Network from February, 1998 through February 1999. The University found a plethora of objectionable content: y 1,658 incidences of grabbing or pointing to a wrestlers crotch
y y y y y y

273 kicks to the groin 158 incidences of profane descriptions of people 157 incidences of giving the finger 128 incidences of simulated sexual activity 70 incidences of parading scantily clad women 47 incidences of satanic activity

y y y

42 incidences of simulated drug use. 21 incidences of talking about or appearing to urinate Numerous incidences of garbage cans, chairs, tables and brooms used in wrestling Several attempted embalmings on live people.

Of the two-hour broadcast, only 36 minutes was actual wrestling. 33% of the average viewers of Raw are seventeen years old and under. (Herring, 1999)

Negative Religious Values: The Center for Media Education reports the following data: y 9 out of 10 food ads on Saturday morning TV are for sugary cereals, candy, salty snacks, fatty fast foods and other junk food.
y y

Teens see 100,000 alcohol commercials before they reach drinking age. Children and teens are also targeted by interactive advertisers in cyberspace to develop "brand loyalty" as early as possible. (CME, 2002)

WIRE Magazine reported last fall a flood of violent & sexually depraved emails and unsolicited spams which promoted incest, rape, and bestiality. RAINN (Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network) complaints went from 1 or 2 a week to about 150 (Wire Magazine, 2002).

One time WWF champion and still perennial wrestling bad guy, Stone Cold Steve Austin, touts his Austin 3:16 t-shirts and memorabilia at events, on television and even in K-mart. To a Christian, the Bible verse John 3:16, For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, will not perish, but have everlasting life, is the central focus of their belief. At one of WWFsMain Events, Austin told the crowd of screaming fans, Talk about your Psalms and your John 3:16, Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass.

Point 4: Current research seems to show that the media does have a direct effect upon youth attitude and does change their behavior.

Violence: Studies show that youth who are already at risk are attracted to alternative music like heavy metal or rap music from artists like Marilyn Manson or Eminem. Research has shown a correlation between the angry, depressive, blatantly violent lyrics and the increase in youth suicide and youth violence by those who are experiencing depression, school or personal alienation, suicidal tendencies, drug addiction and/or alcoholic issues and family relationship problems (Roberts & Christenson, 2001). If a child has aggressive tendencies, the influence of media violence is much greater (Coie & Dodge, 1998; Huesmann & Miller, 1994). We also know that music affects emotions and teenagers most often use music to augment, strengthen or to change their mood (Christenson & Roberts, 1998).

According to the Youth Violence report of the Surgeon General, A substantial body of research now indicates that exposure to media violence increases childrens physically and verbally aggressive behavior in the short term (within hours to days of exposure). Media violence also increases aggressive and violent behavior. (Senate Committee on the Judiciary, 9/14/1999)

Media violence has a direct influence on a childs successive aggressive behavior (Bensley & Eenwyk, 2001; Wilson, Smith, Potter, Kunkel, Linz, Colvin, & Donnerstein, 2002). Younger children are especially influenced by media violence because they have a more difficult time distinguishing between what is real and what is not. They can not easily discern motives for violence, and learn simply by imitating what they see in the media. (Bushman, 2001). They also have a more significant chance of exhibiting violent and aggressive behavior when they are older than children who have not seen violent media (Congressional Public Health Summit, 2000). According to the Center for Media Education, quote: y Children who watch a large amount of violent programs tend to favor using aggression to resolve conflicts.
y

The more violence children watch on TV, the more likely they are to behave in aggressive or harmful ways toward others, become less sensitive to other's pain and suffering, be more fearful of the world around them, and increase their appetite for violence in entertainment and in real life. According to the American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Psychological Association and others, viewing TV violence can have lifelong harmful effects on children's health. Children who watch a lot of TV have a greater risk of obesity, increased alcohol and drug use, and earlier involvement in sexual activity. Children who watch 4 or more hours of TV per day spend less time on school work, have poorer reading skills, play less well with friends, and have fewer hobbies than children who watch less TV. (CME, 2002)

According to the NIMF website, six prominent medical groups (American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, American Psychological Association, American Medical Association, American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Psychiatric Association) warn of these effects of media violence on children:

y Children will increase anti-social and aggressive behavior. y Children may become less sensitive to violence and those who suffer from violence. y Children may view the world as violent and mean, becoming more fearful of being a victim of violence. y Children will desire to see more violence in entertainment and real life. y Children will view violence as an acceptable way to settle conflicts(Congressional Public Health Summit, 2000)

Aggressive behavior especially increases in youth who play violent video games (Anderson & Bushman, 2001, p.353). Research by the National Institute for Media and the Family suggests that children who watched more television and played video games more often were more likely to exhibit hostile attributional biases (Buchanan, 2002).

Offensive Behavior: Studies show that teens have a more positive mind-set about drinking and their own likelihood to drink after viewing alcohol advertisements (Austin, 1994; Grube, 1994).
y

According to theCenter for Media Education: Most children younger than 6 do not understand that the purpose of advertising is to sell a product. (CME, 2002) Children who watch 4 or more hours of TV a day are more likely to believe advertising claims than children who watch TV less often. (CME, 2002)

Each year, US children view 2,000+ beer and wine commercials. In 1999 alone, 52% of 8th graders and 80% of high school seniors reported consuming alcohol, with 31% of seniors reporting 5 or more drinks in a row at least once during the prior 2 weeks (American Academy of Pediatrics, 1995, 2001). Advertisers know

that they can influence youth through media placement. According to the FTC, alcohol corporations placed their products in 233 motion pictures and in at least one episode of 181 different television series from 1997-98. Eight of the 15 most popular television shows with teenagers had alcohol product placements. They also have occurred in PG and PG 13 movies where the primary audience is teens and children (Federal Trade Commission 1999).

Negative Religious Values: The media has been shown to influence the moral values and permissive attitudes about sex. Specifically a study was done on MTVs influence upon college age youth. The study found that the ones who watched MTV regularly, their attitudes toward premarital sex changed dramatically. They became more accepting of it as compared to those who did not watch MTV (Calfin, Carroll, & Schmidt, 1993). In a similar study, 7th and 9th grade youth were found to be more likely to approve of sex before marriage after watching less than an hour of MTV (Greeson & Williams, 1986).

Also, the media has been shown to affect how youth see their physical bodies. The watching of soap operas, movies, music videos (Tiggemann & Pickering, 1996) and commercials (Hargreaves, 2002) and the viewing of teen magazines (Hofschire & Greenberg, 2002) have all been associated with an adolescents level of physical dissatisfaction and their desire to lose weight. Identification with TV stars (girls & boys), female models (girls) and male athletes (boys) also contributed toward body dissatisfaction by teenagers. These youth felt less confident, angrier and more disgruntled with their weight and physical appearance. Children as young as 10 years old stated they were not happy with their bodies after watching one Britney Spears video and a segment from an

episode of Friends(Mundell, 2002). Media consumption by college undergrads was also found to influence their desire for thinness among men and body dissatisfaction among women (Harrison & Cantor, 1997).

Point 5: Not everyone agrees with the current research findings. In an effort to show both sides of this topic, I searched journals looking for current research against media influence. I could not find any. So, I e-mailed Dr. David Walsh of the National Institute for Media and the Family (Minneapolis, MN) to ask if there was any known research which proved that the media did not influence youth. His response was, There is no research showing that media has no effects on children. While this is accurate, there have been some articles which have disagreed with some of the findings because of procedural issues or questionable evidence. Most notably is Professor Jonathan Freedman of the Department of Psychology at the University ofToronto. In 2002, he wrote a 481 page scientific review entitled, Media Violence and Its Effect on Media Aggression. As I was not able to find any actual journal articles by him on the subject, I also e-mailed him requesting direction. He referred me solely to the scientific review. I should mention that this book and his research were funded by the Motion Pictures Association.

Freedman claims that over the past 15 years he has analyzed every study on media violence published in English and in turn has concluded that the results do not support the hypothesis that exposure to media violence causes

aggression or criminal behavior in people. (Easton, 2000) He further claims that people have distorted the scientific data. He claims that there is no causal effect, rather, people with aggressive personalities simply prefer violent shows.(Easton, 2000) Pulitzer prize winner and science author Richard Rhodes who wrote the book, Why They Kill, also claims that there is no significant link between violent media and violence in society (ABC News.com, 2000). Finally, a 1999 editorial written in a British Medical Journal also suggested that the experts are divided on the subject. (Wright, 2003) Freedman and Rhodes are correct in that there is no definitive research which makes the case totally conclusive. However, it is important to note that there have been over 1000 research studies, all suggesting a minimal link between violent media and violence in society and there is currently no research disproving this hypothesis.

Point 6: The brain is manipulated by the media.

As any high school biology teacher will tell you, our brain contains billions of neurons. Everything we do, see, hear, or experience arouses a link between these neurons. Recurring stimulus causes these links to become even stronger. That means if the stimulus is repetitive, the neuron connection becomes more prominent in the brain.

Our brains contain three keys areas: the cognitive, the psychological, and the emotional. While the cognitive is the largest area, it is the emotional section

which seems to have the greatest influence on our behavior. Because of emotional jolts (sex, violence, fear, humor or a desire to belong) the emotional section of our brain reacts. It is this area which grabs our attention, determines significant segments our memory, motivates our actions, determines our attitude and drives our behavior.(NIMF, 1999) The media plays upon the emotional jolts and often uses several simultaneously in order to arouse a significant and lasting emotional response.

Lt. Col. D. Grossman in On Killing: the Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society, says the US Army has determined: y That the more realistic the video game is helps blur the difference between fantasy and reality; y Shooting at a simple target did not encourage real battle killing; y Shooting at realistic targets desensitized soldiers and made killing a reflex (Leo,1999)

Recent research suggests that the final stage of the frontal lobe development which determines discernment versus response/reflex mentality among teenagers does not begin its final stage of development until around 5th grade and does not complete its development until about 17 years old. Research further suggests that brain cells, once thought to not regenerate, actually do develop in areas of repetition (Walsh, 2003). This suggests that repetitive stimulus during this critical stage of development might have a significant influence upon a persons rational discernment capability and could be the reason for the desensitization of violence among our youth. It would explain why seemingly normal youth have no despair in killing people at a school. It would explain why the Columbine boys look forward to actually playing doom for real. As this is new research, there is currently no direct correlation between frontal lobe development and medias influence.

Point 7: My sponge theory: One thing usually does not make our behavior change. If I had a new sponge and chose to clean up a coffee spill, a juice spill, a water spill and a milk spill, when the sponge was rung out, the combination would be an unpleasant mess. If I left the sponge that way, eventually it would begin to smell, mildew and subsequently grow mold. However, if the sponge simply soaked-up four piles of water, it would not smell and the growth of mildew or mold would be less likely. In the same way our brains soak-up considerable amounts of data from a variety of sources. Throughout a lifetime, we are influenced by many factors which contribute toward our values, beliefs and moral judgments and eventually contribute toward our behavior. People are influenced by multiple things in life including relationships, family, parents, friends, experiences, sexuality, maturity, intellect, education, religious beliefs and convictions. Each of these becomes another item soaking in our sponge. No one item fills the sponge; instead they all become pooled together within the sponge.

In the same way, the causes of the violent or immoral behavior described at the beginning of this review can not simply be attributed to a linear deduction. For many, their approach to the media and behavior is that listening to Eminem or

Marilyn Manson will make a person hate God, or viewing an R-rated movie will cause a person to have sex before marriage, or playing Grand Theft Auto will suddenly make a person a violent murderer. This is not true. It is important that we understand that the media on its own does not cause a person to become any of these things. They are all items soaked up which become combined with our other influences in our life.

Many factors in the portrayal of media violence contribute to its affect on children and teens. (Comstock, 1994, Huesmann, 2001). Many studies indicate that a single factor or a single defining situation does not cause child and adolescent antisocial behavior. Rather, multiple factors contribute to and shape antisocial behavior over the course of development. Some factors relate to characteristics within the child, but many others relate to factors within the social environment (e.g., family, peers, schools, neighborhood, and community contexts) that enable, shape, and maintain aggression, antisocial behavior, and related behavior problems. (CDCP, 2000)

In my experience as a high school principal, teacher, Director of Religious Education and yuthguy, I believe teenagers are influenced predominately by the media during a critical time in their mental development. This is further complicated by the fact that most youth are home alone often and they lack parental influence. Their mentoring is done via the media through video games, movies, the internet and music. According to the book How Well Do You Know Your Children, 63% have both parents working and three fourths are latchkey kids where a parent is not home when they arrive from school. According to their research, teenagers average 3-1/2 hours alone each day (Kantrowitz & Wingert, p. 39-39).

The problem occurs when we consider that during the teenage years, the media becomes a youths predominant influence. It causes repetitive messages to be soaked-up into a persons brain messages which when pooled together can significantly affect a persons overall sponge. Eventually, the medias reoccurring message could stimulate the emotional section of the brain and could negatively change a persons behavior causing youth to compromise or totally ignore their social and spiritual upbringing. While the media is not the sole determiner of the sponge, it can significantly compromise it. But what if we could adjust our media consumption to be more in line with our morals, beliefs and values? What if that portion of a persons sponge was clearer and not muddied with the corrupt messages of the media? Obviously, the impact of adolescence would not be easier, but the conflicting messages during adolescence would be less of an issue. The medias messages for violent retribution, ungodly sexual behavior and material worldliness would no longer be the preferred model, but instead family based values and religious morals could once again take precedence.

Conclusions y The media is one influence in the behavioral development of a youth.

y

The graphic violence, overt sexuality, morally mixed and negative messages of the media have polluted the established truths a youth may have learned at school, home and/or church. In the teen years, the media replaces and or takes on a more significant influence upon youth than at any other time in their lives. Stronger research is necessary to make the correlation between media and its influence on youth; however, there seems to be enough research to justify a concern and a preventative approach to the issues of media

influence.
y

The media messages and portrayals do have a lasting negative effect upon a youths behavior and judgment. Proper media discernment and evaluation processes must be engrained into the youths minds to allow them to better cope with the graphic violence, overt sexuality, morally mixed and negative messages. Significant reductions in the negative influences of the media are necessary.

Points to remember before you participate in this disuccsion:

y y y

Assume, you one of the member of a real group discussion. Take the initiative to participate and contribute your thoughts. Express your positive attitude towards providing the solution.

Smit said: (Wed, Jan 4, 2012 05:13:52 PM)

The affect has a big disadvantage. This is a waste of time, because half of time there are advertisements showing, and the knowledge advantage we can take with books and newspapers. So I suggest that we should concentrate on studies more than television.
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Naga5 said: (Mon, Jan 2, 2012 06:51:11 PM)

In my view present youth are affected by telivision those are good or bad, if we can take the news channels those are helpful to us to know more about what happpenning around peoples, I think it is an advantage of telivision. But present generation is want to see the dance programs and films and etc it is just entertainment purpose. From the use of tv we have both advantages and disadvantages that will be based on the peoples thinking mannner, if they want good qualities from the tv then they will got it, but they want bad qualities those are also available in telivision, my suggetions to my youth (friends) is always try to more succesful in our life, consider the tv is just like an entertainment instrument.
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Rajkumari said: (Fri, Dec 30, 2011 03:09:23 PM)

It is not at all possible that a full thing is sarvagundsampann. everything has its good and its bad but it depends upon us how we deal with it. As TV has so many positive points and less negetive points so it is considered as good as majority always wins.........
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Sapna said: (Tue, Dec 27, 2011 04:04:28 PM)

Television has both cons and pros, but its depends on us only , what we takes and what we discard in our life. Its precious but when it takes a proper utilize, thought on these words "Life is never give back to your valuable time so be careful to use it". I know television is entertain and relax our mind but do not forget its gives you lots of knowledge also.
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Vikram Rathore said: (Wed, Dec 21, 2011 10:06:59 AM)

Hello friends Let me introduce mYself I am Er. Vikram Rathore from shimla and currently associated in International Business. My opinion on this topic is that Change is the law of nature so we have to deal with so many up & downs in life means advantages and disadvantages are a two side of a coin. I want to say that its up-to us that how we are taking things, its our understanding, thoughts, education etc which teach us the way of leaving. So its no doubt televison provide us News update, Entertainment movies, Weather conditions, Various competetive exams etc. So its a good approach by media to provide home made services in a short interval of time. But some channels for their popularity and money they start porn serials, movies and many more. So I am not saying that these have negative impact on us but its upto us how we can deal with it.
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Sameer said: (Tue, Dec 20, 2011 04:33:53 PM)

Television has a very heavy impact on youth. It is one of the very important medium that makes a youth global citizen. An album released in a country is aired on telivision and a person sitting in India enjoys it in the same way as a person in some other country. Thus the youth is both socially and culturally aware of the other parts of the world. With an increase in number of news channel propagating news in different manner has helped the youth in analysing the events rather than excepting what is bombarded on him. The live broadcast of an event embarks majoer emphasis on the youth and he readily understands the gravity of the situation rather than drawing false conclusion. Many newschannel related to different subjects play crucial role in building the personality of an individual.
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Divyanshu said: (Thu, Dec 15, 2011 06:13:33 PM)

I think TV is not good for the young ones because it can adversily affect them. The advertisements of smoking and alcohol ensures the children to take them. But somewhere it is good also. It gives latest knoledge about the technology. It depends upon the youths that how they use it.

Rate this:

+10

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Robert said: (Wed, Nov 30, 2011 03:11:35 PM)

Television has a positive and negative impact, as we have all agreed. It can dispense invaluable knowledge as many of us have mentioned previously, or it can dispense entertainment, with little use aside from filling an emptiness one feels when any other constructive activity does not occur to the individual. My issue with television is the effect it has on a child's cognitive development. Their ability to visualize images through words and creative thought, interpret it and apply it to their lives on a personal level. Television is a sort of instant stimuli. It doesn't require you to construct an image in your mind, nor does it require you to imagine sound. A scene, with textures, and tastes are devoid in television programs. A child is not required to interact with it, which is the most important thing for children aged 0-5. They need an environment that reacts to their actions, including people who can give them positive feedback. Many programs on television try to simulate that kind of environment, and it is naturally a very addictive thing, since it supplies the child with entertainment. This may have a crippling effect.
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Chinmoy Ranjan Mohapatra said: (Sat, Nov 26, 2011 09:51:31 PM)

Television plays a very important role in todays world. As we all know that television gives very important information and knowledge we cannot say that television is not only for entertainment. Channels like discovery, national geographic, news chanel etc gives valuable information that is not given in newspapers. Reality shows should be banned as it affects youth generation, it does not give any valuable information.
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Shinu Kb said: (Tue, Nov 15, 2011 11:00:37 AM)

I read all of the comment in this forum. From thier comment I understood some facts. TV is providing knowldge as well as entertainent. What means entertainment ? Something provide happiness and relaxation to our mind. But you have think that TV is broadcasting divise. Allover the world. So all the peolpe can see by just switch on TV. As a metured man can distingush GOOD and BAD how can a child do it?. So we canot tell that we have to select. I know in our most of the local channal most of the time only sogs, movies and serial only broadcasting. Whole the family is sitting and seeing even rape seen allso. How you can tell that good or bad deppends on the persons. This our socity moral issues. We have to very careful. If the person is not aware about this the goverment have to do something to controll this kinds of broadcasting.
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Suhail said: (Thu, Oct 20, 2011 12:06:25 AM)

The media is corrupting the minds of innocent youngsters who get addicted to the Idiot Box. They fall prey to the misleading advertisements and ask the parents for al those being advertised the TV, and addicted to Junk Food. At young age, their brains are tuned to manipulations, criminal thinking and violence. There more serials that spoil the children than the ones carrying any social or worthwhile message. In a Slot of 30 minutes allotted to a serial, we only get 20 minutes of the serial and the rest goes for

Advertisements. Many children - as soon as they Come home from the school,throw their books and run for the remote Control to switch on the Carton Shows. These Tiny Tots le*** all nasty language and violent behavior from the Cartons, which put the Elders at time in great embarrassment. In many homes where both the parents are working,when they return home, they too get glued to the TV instead of spending time with their Children or helping them in their studies. At times you can see the parents and children virtually fighting fir their hold over the Remote Control to watch the Channel of their choice. The news is not completely genuine, media adds up stuffs to attract attention this way we are miss lead.. politicians play in media.. so youngsters need to analyze a news before believing it fully, this holds good for any subject or real life situations.
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Aman said: (Thu, Oct 13, 2011 08:15:23 PM)

The affect has a big disadvantage.This is a waste of time,because half of time there are advertisements showing,and the knowledge advantage we can take with books and newspapers.So I suggest that we should concentrate on studies more than television.
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Divya Sareen said: (Sat, Sep 17, 2011 12:54:28 PM)

Telivision has been found to be amongst one of the greatest discoveries of all times for the obvious reason.. one could use it for any purpose depending on the choice of the individual, be it for what's happening around the globe to tv soaps to music, just at the press of a button..!! But who knew it would turn out to be the topic of debate depending upon the manner it is being used and the shows being aired on it.. A common saying heard by us is" every coin has two sides".. similarly, tv has both its adverse and advantageous effects. It is up to us that what we use it for. No doubt the entertainment shows aired are full of cheap comedy, then there are shows which show how to date like dare to date, on the other hand there are shows test the future of your relation like emotional atyachaar and axe ur ex.. with these kind of shows going on air,children and teenagers are bound to get influenced. Undoubtedly this influence is not a positive one..!! A new trend of shows aired include the reality shows where many teenagers will to go just for the sake of publicity, they find it cool enough to come and be a part of such a show. A great example of such a show is Big boss which made many headlines due to the cheap content of the show, which was done to increase the TRP. No doubt, we have great channels like discovery and national geographic which help to increase the learning process of individuals manifold. Then we have shows like kbc which help people to scratch their brains to find answers to questions. My stance is that tv promotes both good education and entertainment.. it is up to the individual what he/she wants to derive from it..!!
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S Phadke said: (Thu, Sep 15, 2011 11:06:48 AM)

The youth always will be fascinated about the most attractive things. The TV also included in the list. TV channels of different kind we have today, which provides good and bad impression on the viewer. Keeping in mind the youth, plenty of TV shows are aired. The shows may comprise of educational purpose. But the common notion in the society about the TV which disturbs the mindset of the youth. For example reality shows. Some of them may bring the hidden talents to the podium but some really makes the youth to imitate the situation in the real life. The effect will be bad name to them. In order to increase the TRP the channels always makes some effort to do the irresponsible activity. Thus even under age children will also know much about what they shouldn't as early.
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Deepak said: (Wed, Aug 3, 2011 08:56:15 PM)

Well when T.V comes to our mind the first thing most attracted by the youth is the MOVIE mania. The youth is some much badly involve in this that they sometimes didnt realize what they are actually eating during the lunch/dinner. Well talking about advantages we can grasp as much knowledge we want..like watching channels like discovery,history or by news channels. We all know that anything must be done within the limit so same like that we should watch T.V within a limit.
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Sana said: (Sun, Jul 31, 2011 09:12:04 PM)

When it comes to the question of whether Television is good or bad for its viewers we must first think about how WE are letting it boss around. We are forgetting that the TV is a slave and we are his master. Whatever happened to self-control? Why blame the television industry or the media for making couch potatoes out of us? The television is there for those who look out for entertainment, and also for those who like to know what's been up around the globe. It provides benefits but has its own set of drawbacks. We must learn how to use it for our good. If a person's getting bored. Just switch the damn thing on! What's the big deal, right? It would only become a big deal when the person gets the hang of sitting in front of it even when there are loads of other things to do. Teenagers and adolescents sneaking a peek in the bad world through the TV is the major focus of its ill effects on the youth nowadays. And it is indeed true. So the overall effect would have to be this itself, as we live in a world full of youth population. And to stop, or to even begin to reduce this, the young people must understand that watching is one thing and implementing what you've seen on the screen is a totally different one. And it has bad results too. So these people have just got to stop copying celebs and involve themselves in some other, better activities like reading books or going out with friends, instead of sitting in front of HBO all day.

Reading science text books can be really boring so why not go and put up the Discovery Channel and watch some good shows. They might even help you to get your grades up!
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Geetha Sri said: (Fri, Jul 22, 2011 08:16:47 PM)

Television is a mediator between us and the world we can use that in all ways like gaining knowledge, education etc. , when we feel bore we used to sit in front of t. We and watch the programmes but don't sit in front of it for 2 or3 hours just when you feel bore use that it some one used to like cartoons, realty-shows, sports, discovery, news. We come to know what is happening in and around us and there are advantages, disadvantages we can use that in two ways either in good way or bad way I think we should take television as positive for education, information and for knowledge.
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Prasanthkolachana said: (Tue, Jul 12, 2011 12:04:51 PM)

Television. It's a good answer for the scientifical and technological improvement of man. 'Television' the name itself indicates that (in a funny way) it depends upon the complete vision or the view of a man who enjoys watching it. This mightiest world is persisted with some positive and negative views. Lets always be the positive people just entertaining our minds with some good programs which make us sophisticated ones. Lets enjoy some of the programmes which make our minds set right, scientifically, technologically which let us to move forward as a good humane. The degraded usage of this TV makes our life like a mud stone which is being stamped under the feet.
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Avni Sharma said: (Mon, Jul 11, 2011 12:51:32 PM)

Yes it is true that television can be used as a good source of knowledge as there are many education channels and programmes but it is also true that today's kids and children are least interested in those programmes. They like to see cartoons and programmes in which very absurd language is used like shin chan, doremon, reality shows, cheap comedy shows etc. All these programmes play a bad impact on children's mind, thinking and behaviour, In fact today's children don't even like to see news which can give them a good knowledge of their surroundings. So I recommend that only one or two hours should be allowed to children for watching TV, in which half of the time should be given for fun and decent programmes/cartoons with knowledge about great heroes of our India and world, and rest of the time should be for news and educational programmes.
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Richa said: (Sat, Jul 2, 2011 01:27:59 PM)

The effect of Television on youth is a boon as well as a curse... Todays youth watches shows like Emotional Atyachaar.. where you cannot gain anything but gets to know more stuff ... "Every coin has two sides" such has TV.. It varies from person to person how he/she takes it.. But it doesnt mean that by refraining youth from watching TV ,they wont get indulge in wrong things... If ones mind wants entertainment he can get it from anywhere...
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Ashish said: (Sun, May 22, 2011 01:01:24 PM)

Friends, for me, television is a box which provides various options to view good/ bad entertainment, sports,

news, education, geographical or many other programs. It depends on us how we use this box. In absolute terms nothing good or bad. But improper or immature uses of same, make things good or bad. This is similiar to any person is not good or bad, but its act and actions are make him good or bad. I believe, we should take television positively and use for education, information and also for our entertainment purpose. In todays world if use properly it is a great friend.
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Mrs Pallavi said: (Wed, May 18, 2011 12:54:20 PM)

Effect of television on Youth! No one can appropriately says that televisions or entertainment media is harmful for Youth, there is ambiguity because if we decided to take good advantage of television or entertainment media I tell you its really helpful because there are so many things like news channels, discovery, some inspirational movies and international news channels rather than songs, cartoons, movies, serials channel. Today's generation use this useful channels only when they feel bore and whole time they take interest in useless channels they are not useless but you have to watch such channel in leisure time so that you are not getting bore. So if we decided to take advantage you can take advantage from bad things also "take something positive from every negative".
Rate this: +15 -7

Ashwin Kumar said: (Fri, May 6, 2011 09:36:34 AM)

Television is very useful as a medium for knowing news across the world, though nowadays Internet is gaining more prominence. It depends on how we use the TV. Seeing India winning the World Cup this year live on TV was very special indeed; and the last time India won the Cup in 1983; many of us would have only heard what was happening on the radio as the telecast was not widely available then. On the flip side, children are seeing mainly cartoons and amines today. Thus they become couch potatoes with less desire for learning. Teenagers are seeing reality shows most of the time, and that too those using abusive language like Roadies and one show asking personal and embarrassing questions (Moment of Truth). Also there is sensationalism from the media about various issues like 9/11. All these things adversely affect today's youth. We must not let that happen, especially as the youth are the future of India. TV must be used for seeing general news, business news and other useful channels like National Geographic, Discovery etc and not just entertainment and sports.
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Ryan said: (Fri, Apr 22, 2011 10:11:43 PM)

Entertainment is necessary to the health of a person's mind. If all one does is work, eat, and sleep, then he or she becomes physically, mentally, and emotionally drained. Entertainment is a way of relieving the stress of

everyday life. It helps us relax and keeps us from crashing. Of course there will always be those few who take it to extremes and live their lives only to be constantly entertained in some way. Whether it be working out, playing a game (indoors or out) , or watching television is up to them. Not everyone acts like this, but of course those against children watching t. We. Will usually act as if everyone does, and only to make a point (even if the point is not entirely valid). Entertainment is needed for us to rest. It is like sharpening an axe before cutting down a tree, it makes the job that follows the "sharpening" much more efficient. The fact is if we could not entertain ourselves in some way we would end up wearing ourselves out gradually by working too much. This puts stress on the body that needs to eventually be relieved.
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Rajesh said: (Sat, Apr 9, 2011 06:07:17 AM)

Now a days television plays an imortant role in society.And also tv keeps entair world new with quic by the help of media. But also now the media also giving somw false news the media know some little information that tlittle information only expanding lage . show that it is creating some rumours finally the conclusion is it has some advantages and disadvantages.show that we have to us for accqire the knowlege purpose only
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Hari said: (Wed, Mar 30, 2011 12:11:43 PM)

Effects of television on youth:. "All play and no work makes jack a mere toy". This is practical case happening in all younger ages. Young prefers indoor games and T. V shows rather than outdoor games. Also most of the market products are aimed at young people. The television takes us to hypnotic state. Also watching television shifts our brain work from Left brain to Right side of the brain. Thus as right side of rain does not analyse the incoming information. The right side of the brain is responsible for Emotional feelings. Thus, this makes us to feel that everything in T. V as real and true. The right side of the brain releases few chemicals which makes us to feel good, which later reduces brain activity and its intelligence. Watching T. V not only affects brain activities but also health. This results in lack of concentration. Also the characters replicates on the younger ones, either good or bad character. Young behave more violently and they become addict to T. V. This teaches young both good and bad things. Now a days, the world is up-to-dated on T. V. Many things are taught through T. V. Its powerful communicating media. The children are addicted to more cartoon channels, and the consequences are obesity, eye power, health hazards, etc. Thus our children has to be limited on watching T. V and they have to be concentrated more on outdoor games. By practising this, young get involved into society and also they will lead a healthy life, both physically and mentally.
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Ananthakumar P said: (Wed, Mar 23, 2011 06:14:21 AM)

Now a days youths have an lazy mind. The main reason for this is television. Most of the youth are addict to TV. They do want food, water and anything. Their hand has no rest, full time work in TV remote. Television is the way of gaining but for those who use this for good purpose.
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Vasudev Krishna said: (Mon, Mar 21, 2011 11:49:37 AM)

Television it is a telecommunication media for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be multi colour or monochromatic. So use television only for our use. Do not misuse it.
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Nilesh said: (Wed, Mar 9, 2011 11:48:43 AM)

All my friends have enlisted direct effects of telivision on youths. But what about it's indirect effects. Spending lots of time in front of telivision,leave little or no time for outdoor games,sports,exercise,which has added to the side-effects of sedentary life style,viz... many health problems ranging from obesity,diabetes,myocardial problems. Even excessive stress on eyes,insomnia are also there. Also in today's busy world,people overall gets little time to spend with family members. If even this little spare time is spent in front of TV, There will problemslike lack of communication,little emotional bonding betwwen family members. surely TV plays substantial role as culprit. IN addition to imparting knowledge,like all other mass media television can be used for mass education, The various advertisements regarding awareness about AIDS like AIDS chhunese nahi failata,........." are good example for this use of TELEVISION. Many programs on TELEVISION contains immoral,socially unacceptable matters,which can't be shared by all family members at same time, Television can be accused to be responcible for moral disintegration of younger generation. most of other advantages and disadvantages are already metioned by my friends. And i totally agree them that TELEVISION can be a boon or curse ,which totally depends on it's prudent and sensible use
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Amitesh said: (Tue, Mar 8, 2011 11:26:33 AM)

In todays time television playing a vital role in the development of our socitey . Its totally on us, how we are utilising the T.V. ?
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Kripan Sharma said: (Tue, Feb 22, 2011 02:35:19 PM)

The effect of television on youth has both advantages and disadvantages. It is all how we take. Today, there are many channels dedicated for education and general knowledge, but many a people considering television as an entertainment media.Well effects of watching Television on youth depends upon the perspective.Well effects of watching Television on youth depends upon the perspective.
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Mahesh Kumar07 said: (Tue, Feb 15, 2011 10:43:24 AM)

As far as my opinion it depends up on how we are taking it. If we watch a good channels like discovery and some news channels especially career guidance we can improve our knowledge, at the same time if watch bad channels (i do not want to mention them because you all know very well) we can improve our negative thoughts which leads to do bad things.
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Archana said: (Sat, Feb 5, 2011 10:27:23 AM)

Television nowadays is just the source of entertainment. The various programs telecasted in the different channels have both good and bad features to be learnt but 90% of us just see and understand the bad features of it. There are many who use TV as the source of knowledge, they take TV as a medium through which they can know the various facts and discoveries through out the world. So it entirely depends on individuals whether to consider it as a positive discovery or negative one.
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Saurabh said: (Wed, Feb 2, 2011 10:23:25 AM)

As human nature is to attract on negatively the postive .So, every thing in the world has its advantage and disadvantage and all person attract towards negative sides which make them television less of use.
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Sheel said: (Thu, Jan 27, 2011 03:55:23 AM)

The effects of television can be taken as positive as well as negative. Youths uses the media for their knowledge, information and for their entertainment too. The effect totally depends on the mental state of a person whether he uses the information for his entertainment or applies the thing in his own life. It can be said that children mostly waste their time by watching serials and cartoons, etc. I'll say that the small children should watch television under adult supervision and for a certain time limit. Many people just waste their whole day sitting infront of the television and changing the channels, it is really a total time waste. We can't say that it is spoiling the lives of people but also help in knowing the nowadays life and also make dem aware of fresh technologies and products.
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Khyati Singh said: (Sun, Jan 23, 2011 05:51:59 AM)

First of all I want to greet everyone who is viewing my comment.My opinion about television is that it is just like a coin with two faces i.e. pros and cons. It entirely depends on our mind that how we want to use it.If we are using it in a positive way than it will definitely benefit us but on the other hand if we have a negative approach towards it then it can affect our nervous system adversely.So now you decide in what way you want to use it.
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Stuti said: (Fri, Dec 3, 2010 03:00:02 AM)

I think TV is the greatest gift of science and technology. TV is the best way of entertainment inside the home there are many channels available in different languages through which we can learn many things. There are many sources of news but TV represent the things in most attractive way by which people can improve their knowledge. It gives relaxation to our mind, there many shows, programmes and comedy serials which entertain people and help them to get out from frustration. Yes it is true that there is positive as well as negative side. There are many serial which which shows bad things like crime, glamor etc which has very bad impact on our society. It misleads our youth they are diverting from their study and tries to do the same thing as actors do in the movie. Most of the crime in our society our resulting from TV, people learn from TV apply it in real life. But while providing bad thing TV also provides good things, so we cannot blame it. There are also some programs which is helpful in living our life well. There are some spiritual programs which leads people to live there life in better way. There are positive and negative side of TV and its effect on youth totally depend on them that how they are utilizing it.
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Viji said: (Sun, Nov 28, 2010 11:36:11 AM)

As already mentioned above by most of the folks, Television as a communication medium of course has a lot of pros and cons. It definitely heps us to improve our knowledge as well as our language. There are many shows which are being show-cased especially for the benefit of the students. Television, in a way helps us to improve our knowledge. Just because people are watching movies which are being telecasted, it doesn't mean that its a waste of time. There are many who also watch different kind of movies to know and learn a new language and also learn to look at things in a different perspective.
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Aysha said: (Sun, Nov 7, 2010 04:32:29 AM)

It is not only affecting the but also the kids. The cartoon make them happy. But for youth it is an entertainment. There are also good and bad effect of television.
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Prashant said: (Sat, Oct 30, 2010 09:08:38 AM)

In modern era of Internet, television has less effect on Indian youth. In the current survey Internet takes only 3 years to reach 1 million users while television takes 10 years to achieve this. In the recent survey in India news channels and science, technology and research based channels viewers are less than 60%. Most of the youth treat TV as an entertainment medium. But in now days if you take an overlook of serial seasons there are lot of stage performance based serials which are interesting entertainment and gives courage to do something extra in life besides books. So I think in this networking era television is good, sufficient, and beneficial for youth medium of entertainment.
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Nikita said: (Fri, Oct 15, 2010 01:35:00 PM)

From the very starting, parents must develop a habit for their children to watch news and give some time for knowledge gaining through television and a little bit time for entertainment. Thus we can make a proper use of it!.
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Kirthi said: (Sun, Oct 3, 2010 09:50:55 AM)

In my of view we can update the current affairs daily by watching TV. There are many useful channels like Discovery, Animal Planet etc and lots of news, sport channels so that we could know that what happening in the world. We should watch only the useful things which would enrich our knowledge. Let me conclude by saying as a fair coin "TELEVISION IS A NEW SENSE OR NUISANCE" it depends upon the way we utilizing.
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N.Ramachandran said: (Sat, Sep 4, 2010 06:19:32 AM)

First of all greetings to all. In my point of view television gives more and more valuable things to youth to enhance their knowledge in way of watching the innovative programme in TV. And also nowadays there is a thought on youths theirs life is being spoiled by TV Not like that.
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Abhijeet.G said: (Fri, Aug 13, 2010 11:35:34 AM)

I think television is the one of the most useful contribution that science has ever made towards educating people. Today it is only because of television that even the people from the untouched places come to know about what's going around over the world And i think some of them who think television is a nuisance for children is totally wrong because it is a good source for them to relax a bit, also one of the reason that why children of today's generation are more advanced is due to sources like television...
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Renukhshri.M said: (Fri, Aug 13, 2010 06:18:59 AM)

Television became dangerous because of the programs which are conducted. first the channels should avoid telecasting much of songs, films and unwanted things. If they telecast good Programs all the children s and the young ones will watch that only. Its our duty to take the Children ad young ones in good path.
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Vasu said: (Tue, Aug 10, 2010 10:57:07 AM)

Nowdays youth is attracted by glamour. In India most channels giving programs with glamor in TV. Even children are spend their valueble time with Televisions for that glamor.
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Neha Duggal said: (Mon, Aug 9, 2010 11:42:28 AM)

T.V. is doing its work of entertaining us and of providing education through its wide channels, and we should do our work of using it correctly and in a right way.
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Tasneem Shaikh said: (Tue, Jul 13, 2010 01:45:27 AM)

Doordardshan, the first TV channel was launched by the Indian Government to serve the purpose of delivering news quickly and spread knowledge among the people in an attractive way. Now we have numerous channels which are just for entertainment. The key purpose of spreading knowledge has become diminished in front of the entertainment and fun. People just turn on the TV to watch movies, songs, cricket matches, etc. There are only few youth who watch news on the TV. It really depends on us how we take the TV but there should be a definite control on what should be broad casted on TV and what should not be. In my view, the bad effects of television on youth has weighed over its good effects.
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Shaik said: (Mon, Jul 5, 2010 01:10:00 PM)

Hi am shaik. Its upto us how we use TV since it has both advantage and disadvantage. We are not swan to seperate milk alone from the water mixed one. But we must took the most advantageous from it...
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Pawan said: (Sat, Jul 3, 2010 10:27:42 AM)

Well, according to me television is advantageous at many levels. It is a source of relaxation and also a way to learn stuff like what is happening around the world through news we can achieve that. Youth can find a way to relax and enjoy the comedy along with that listening to the terms used in the show and constanly listening to their accent in English it improves our english as well. But the disadvantage would be in two major areas the indian music channels and secondly the reality shows. Now a days more and more insane type of reality shows are coming up in which youths are the ones who are being attracted the most because they can relate to it but it is utter non sense if u ask me because it is anything but real. So in the end television can be a great source for knowledge if you use it right way or it can take form of the well earned name the "idiot box".
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B.Saba said: (Sat, Jul 3, 2010 07:06:35 AM)

TV is very educational. But it is the attitude towards television and its uses that creates a successful environment in which children can learn. Too many people use the TV as a baby sitter. They turn the TV on, go on about their business, and leave the TV to entertain their children. Parents don't sit with their children to see what shows they are watching? They may be surprised at some of the things they are showing on the children's channel now e.g. shinchan. Soap operas are destroying the mindset of the youth. The people are learning from the soap operas just how easy it is to go from one husband/wife to another with no feelings of guilt or how to live together without getting married.
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Lakshmi said: (Sat, Jul 3, 2010 02:15:35 AM)

Now a days television becomes a big entertainment tool in this world. we can't know the news about the cones of different countries without TV.It's very useful to increase our general knowledge and wisdom on one side of the part,on the other side this TV only destroys the future of the youth.The management of the TV channels create the entertainment programmes which are unable to see with our own eyes.they contain very miserable shows.so now a days the TV shows it's bad effect on the future of youth.
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Sandhya said: (Sat, Jul 3, 2010 12:43:52 AM)

Nowdays youth is attracted by glamor.In India most channels giving programs with glamor in TV. Even children are spend their valueble time with Televisions for that glamor.
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Veerabhadram said: (Fri, Jul 2, 2010 02:10:01 AM)

Nowdays most the people attracted with the glamour and also most of the tv companies developed that's type channels.There is a hugu useful with channels like national geographic ,Discovery channel and the language based channels so habituate that channles.If we were watch the news we can know every thing what had happened in the world.some the channels are particularly for the particular age people .we should avoid the channels like mtv,zeetv and ect .some of time for entertainment we can watch and listen songs but don't spend much time that's totally depend upon way of our mentality .....
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Sanjay Chauhan said: (Thu, Jul 1, 2010 05:45:34 AM)

To my mind television has both good as well as bad effects on youth. According to me television helps in providing the latest information to reach us. It can feel us the presence of the remotest part of the earth at home. T.V. provides knowledge and also imparts education to youth aw well as in rural areas. one can gain access to the latest information through television. students after studding for hours feel relaxed on watching movies and songs. To avoid the bad effects of television on youth parents should feel responsible and prevent their children from over-watching.
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Chandrika said: (Thu, Jul 1, 2010 01:52:24 AM)

Now-a-days televisions became a part of ur life.There is a quote in english that a knife has two sides.Similarily television has both merits and demerits but all people are addicted to watch it for longer durations which effects their health to a large extent.Though it provides news,technology updates but most of the people are attracted to the crime stories n serials.As people are watching longer durations it can affect all body parts of all age groups. Now-a-days parents are giving milk to infants by showing them television.Its no wonder that one day television becomes announced as a citizen's right and also as a primary need. Then people will be in such a manner that they can live without food but not without television even for one day
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Gowri said: (Wed, Jun 30, 2010 04:51:22 AM)

Television is the most important in our daily life. But some of the people don't use properly. They use for songs, music and also movies. That is not right way. Television is using for news and other important things. It is mainly effected on the youth.They use television for only entertainment.
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Swarna said: (Mon, Jun 28, 2010 07:26:17 AM)

People cannot really survive without entertainment lest they become zombies. So Television as a source of entertainment is commendable to a certain extent, but one must not overdo it. Definitely, news Channels,Discovery etc offer lots of knowledge which may not be easily available elsewhere. Internet is gaining momentum considering the amount of time people spend on it, however for many Television is still an important source of knowledge. So Television if used in the right context and for the right amount of time is beneficial. However excess of anything is harmful and so is the case with television.
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Aarthy said: (Mon, Jun 28, 2010 04:16:36 AM)

Music channels make them to relax but all youth must consider watching news channel, cooking in regular channels would be useful.
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P.Immaculate said: (Sun, Jun 27, 2010 05:54:12 AM)

Hai friends.we must take everything with the positive approah.Because the things are not bad,but we made it bad.All are happenens according to our hands.For example we take,50% of tv programs is mainly used to expose the talents of people.It helps the people to show their talents.It will enourage the others to show their intelligence.
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Pretty said: (Sat, Jun 26, 2010 12:49:16 PM)

Television has the immense potential to impart knowledge because of visual effects it presents the things in much attractive way but internet has emerged as a better option for knowledge. So the youths are viewing television as the source of entertainment which is creating a negative impact and their mind.
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Parvathi Devi.Mosali said: (Sat, Jun 26, 2010 12:41:49 AM)

HI i'm Gowri Television has both advantages and disadvantages .and it is boon for us but now a days the people miss use the television by addaption of entertainment,it is also some what better but not more. Because of that purpose television directly spoil the life's of youth .bcz of the television now the people saw overall the world .it is great adavantage for us.so keep this points in yours mind and don't miss use the television.
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Thilaga said: (Sat, Jun 26, 2010 12:35:39 AM)

The part played by television is quite large.Above all newspapers and journals,the easiest way to make technology to reach the corners and hooks of a nation is only through televisions. Though it contains good and bad,it depends on the persons mentality of observance. so in my view, television is one of the best endowed feautures both in uniting different nations and transfering informations.
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Ratnavelu said: (Fri, Jun 25, 2010 10:11:21 AM)

Television has both boon and ban to the youth.Television is the only source of electronic media that helps us to connect to the outside world,Know about the happenings surrounding us.At the same time it has certain disadvantages by showing things that are not suitable for youths and others.We should only take good things and leave bad things.
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Samridhi said: (Fri, Jun 25, 2010 04:17:07 AM)

Television is an important media nowadays.It depends on a person how we use a particular thing.Now a days in school also some children go to have enjoyement while some students attend the lectures to gain knowledge.So it depends on us that how we are using are minds.Television nowadays is mainly used by students for entertainment purpose,they are not gaining any knowledge from it.A large amount of time is waisted because of which dey are not able to concentrate on there studies.They are very much influenced by the actors.According to a study done in 2006 the smokers in young people have incresed by 30% as they are influnced by the actors on television.
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Poornanand Dubey said: (Wed, Jun 23, 2010 03:45:41 AM)

Television is the most important part of human being, Iam telling this thing in the sense that through which any one can updated via News Channels, they can refresh their mind after studying for a long period of time by watching some pretty programmes.This i am telling about the positive aspect of it. Another important aspect that cannot be thrown into oblivion is that we should not waste our time by watching the serials continuously and that create a stress in our mind. Television is a part of our life as long as it is a little involvement in our life and our regular curriculum is not going to affected because of it.
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Satya said: (Tue, Jun 22, 2010 04:06:12 AM)

There is a advantage and disadvatages from T.V It is dependence on our perfomance so youth should realise this.
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Venkat said: (Tue, Jun 22, 2010 02:32:06 AM)

Television plays very important role in society now a days,due to this both advantages and disadvantages are there,there are so many channels which are useful for students,the good and bad depends on each individual, how they receive the things from TV pro grammes. But now a days all students prefer for entertainment only. The media also became very irresponsible, they are not focusing on problems which our country facing, they just focusing on some celebrities life and they are showing very small issues as big, they must focus on real problems what actually India facing today. What i am saying is due to television both good and bad is there,so we should adopt good things and have to leave bad things.
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Shivam said: (Mon, Jun 21, 2010 11:07:19 PM)

Well, there is a lot of disadvantanges and less advantages of TV for Youth, because today's programms and films are disturbing the mentality of the youth. which makes the youth idle and addict, TV is one of the cause of problems of the growth of youth.
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Sanhit said: (Sat, Jun 19, 2010 11:11:43 AM)

Telivision plays an important role in our daily life .It enables us to every part of world but we 've to acknowledge that it shows impact over youth very vigorusly we also have to realise that it is the only part that gives us mental entertainment in home .Now a days the channels upcomimg are really amazing .But it is okay that people are enjoying them and coming to youth they are wasting a lot of time by being addicted to the programmes. which are not very thoughtful

so we should mould us by using it in aproper way like seeimg science and learning new things.. use it properly an dget proper results
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Madhavi said: (Fri, Jun 18, 2010 05:27:59 AM)

Television place an important role in our lives because all people are attracted by that one. We can't say that the television is destroying the youth.Because it provides lot of information regarding inventions,politics,education and knowledge and also entertainment.We say that it is a tool. In what we can use it depends on our minds. If we use it in a good way it gives good results but if we use if in worse it also gives bad results. So we have to think about ourselves and our future and decide in what we have to use it and decide what are the good and bad channel in it.
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Suresh said: (Thu, Jun 17, 2010 01:35:25 PM)

ITS DEPENDS ON ME HOW I UTILISE THE RESOURCES NOT BY TV

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Raminder S said: (Tue, Jun 15, 2010 11:33:54 PM)

I feel that these days the Television Industry is all about the TRP's. There is hardly any good message spread by the most of the Television channels. Anything that creates a sensation among the audience is aired and no importance is given to the quality and value of the content that is being shown on the Television
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Aravindhan said: (Tue, Jun 15, 2010 04:52:57 AM)

Now a days television plays one of the most media to spread information to people. There are three kinds of media to transport information to wide range of people. One is television, internet, printed media(news paper). Of course news paper is one of best media to transfer news to all kind of people. But, Television is best to transfer the news up to date. Television has negative and positive sides. Television plays vital role. According to up date our knowledge about what are all the events happening around us. Also, some of the channels telecast useful program for students, enterpruners, and more people.The good and bad things depends only how we approach. So, I hope television keeps updating our knowledge up to date.
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Renjith said: (Tue, Jun 15, 2010 04:15:57 AM)

Now a days youths have an lazy mind. The main reason for this is television. Most of the youth are addict to TV. They do want food, water and anything. Their hand has no rest, full time work in TV remote.
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Naveen said: (Mon, Jun 14, 2010 10:24:41 AM)

Nowadays some youngsters are gaining the knowledge through electronic media such as television,radio etc. Some channels in the tv are broadcasting useful things related to our communication and as well as our studies. And some others are not using for good purpose. so, the television cannot be tell as bad,the usage of particular one's is important and i hope, in future it will improve a lot i.e using good.
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Niraj said: (Sun, Jun 13, 2010 03:12:37 AM)

The effect of television has both advatages and disadvantages. Television is the way of gaining but for those who use this for good purpose.

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Sharayu said: (Sat, Jun 12, 2010 05:51:16 AM)

It depends on the youth how they take it..we just cant make a plain statement. There are many channels imparting knowledge like history, national geographic etc. But nowadays youth are interested in watching only mtv, zee tv, songs etc. that should be avoided to a certain extent. some time watching is fine for the purpose of entertainment.
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Neelanjana said: (Sat, Jun 12, 2010 05:40:53 AM)

Well effects of watching Television on youth depends upon the perspective.It can act as a boon or again too much viewing can lead to wastage of time.With the advent of new and new channels ,youth find themselves in a dilemma situation because too much options can create confusions with no fruitful purpose for which initially Television was invented.Now days ,type of program which are being shown on TV are not at all advisory because the knowledge content is becoming less while it encourages glamour and plasticity of life.
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Mukesh Babu said: (Fri, Jun 11, 2010 10:47:37 AM)

Yeah, many youths are becoming and always wathing t.v not utilizing in the proper manner the are many channel for gaining the knowledge. We should alwas want to here the news because by that we can come know what an all happaning in our surrounding.
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Raghunandan said: (Fri, Jun 11, 2010 01:54:59 AM)

It is all how we take. Today, there are many channels dedicated for education and general knowledge, but many a people considering television as an entertinement media. This shows youths want entertinement. Even if there are no reality shows or any other entertinement stuff, they will find other way for satisfying their need for entertinement; so if we can only transform the idea of entertinement viz., gaining knowledge rather simply watching movies or shows repeatedly, we can take more advantage from television.
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Sakila said: (Thu, Jun 10, 2010 12:15:44 PM)

The effect of television on youth has both advantages and disadvantages. Its according to the mind of the youth. But todays youths use television for entertainment. They dont use that for gaining the knowledge. They always watching songs, films etc on television. This spoil their studies because they always watching that and don't concentrate on their studies.
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Arun said: (Wed, Dec 21, 2011 07:42:18 PM)

Hi every one now a days movies are most effective part of entertainment for youth and for the all but that is up to youth whether they are edict to the movies or they take it as a part of their entertainment. Their is a positive and negative impact on youth. But were as some of negative impact can be eradicated by government by giving proper certification to the films. But mostly it depends up on the person thinking ability ya can say one thing their should be more negative impact on illiterate youth.
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Abhishek said: (Tue, Dec 20, 2011 04:09:12 PM)

Movies have undergone tremendous change in these few years. And yes its influence is easily felt especially among the youths. With society broadening its mind the movies are getting bolder and bolder. Movies inspire,motivate and improve once understanding of social gestures. But youths are also inspired by seeing those hair raising stunts, smoking(a style statement) and "cool dude" stuffs. However I totally believe its once perspective as to what he absorbs. If a person at a particular stage develops bad habit it need not necessarily be due to movies. So i believe its better we enjoy the 2 hours in a theater and leave the stunts to the hero :)
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Jasmine Pandit said: (Tue, Dec 13, 2011 03:25:41 PM)

As per my perception, most of the films are based on fiction and made to entertain people. Films are sources of entertainment and they should be watched as the way they are. Today youngsters fascinated by films and this thing depend on person to person what he or she get from that thing. So are the films. No doubt, today young people are easily influence with film, they follow the habits and lifestyle of actor/actress to pose in the society but forget the nitty gritty of the films and think it is a status symbol and this influence them to earn money by legal or illegal means. As a result of this, some youth indulge in bad habits like robbery, looting, smoking, drug addiction etc. Some films expose vulgarity, abuses etc. Which caused lots of problems for the youths. But there are some films like tare jameen par, 3 idiots, chak de etc. These kind of films are not only good source of entertainment but also teach our youngsters some motivational lessons.
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Shinukb said: (Mon, Dec 12, 2011 11:44:31 AM)

Hi All, Our debate is how movies affecting our youth? Its Not only applicable to youth but everyone. What factor brought us to this discusion forum. Obiviuosly there is something seriusnes in that Topics. If it a good things there no need of debates. It making something bad culture in our socity thats why we are here. If there is bad and good why should we try to filter good from bad. I am not teeling all the movies should ban. What ever movies makes nagative feeling to the socity must BAN. And more over we should not commenly use the term movies. Becuase cartoons movies not creating any crual characters in socity especialy like TOM and Cherry. I think I can further comment on this based on other reply.

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Ali said: (Mon, Dec 5, 2011 04:19:59 PM)

Hi everyone, I don't think that today movies were corrupting the youths because now the has come when each youth has the ability to take decisions what to do and what not to. So, if anyone tries a youth to watch the movie then the youth will see that movie when he wants otherwise not. And movies are not so much bad thing, they also provide some knowledge to those who understand the message of the movie. We should use our senses in good direction about the message given by the movie, because it depends on ourselves that whether we take the good things from the movie or the bad things as every movie contains some bad and some good things. I just want to say that we all know what we have to do, so why blame others things that it make me bad or corrupted.