Television and Children

What do I need to know about children and TV?

Television (TV) has its good side. It can be entertaining and educational, and can open
up new worlds for kids, giving them a chance to travel the globe, learn about different
cultures, and gain exposure to ideas they may never encounter in their own
community. Shows with a prosocial message can have a positive effect on kids'
behavior; programs with positive role models can influence viewers to make positive
lifestyle changes. However, the reverse can also be true: Kids are likely to learn things
from TV that parents don't want them to learn. TV can affect kids' health, behavior and
family life in negative ways.

It's worthwhile for parents to think about what role they want TV to play in their
family. Consider:

A great deal is known about children and television, because there have been
thousands of studies on the subject. Researchers have studied how TV affects kids'
sleep, weight, grades, behavior, and more. Its worth looking at what the research says
when deciding how to manage television in your family.

Spending time watching TV can take time away from healthy activities like active play
outsidewith friends, eating dinner together as a family, or reading. TV time also takes
away from participating in sports, music, art or other activities that require practice to
become skillful.

TV viewing starts earlier than other forms of mediaoften beginning before age
two. In recent years, TV, video and DVD programs geared to babies and toddlers have
come on the marketand now even a cable channel for babies. We don't know yet
what effect TV-viewing by babies may have on their development. We do know that
time spent watching TV replaces time spent interacting with caregivers and other
children. Social interaction is critical to a baby's healthy development.

How big a presence is TV in kids' lives?

TV viewing among kids is at an eight-year high. On average, children ages 2-5 spend
32 hours a week in front of a TVwatching television, DVDs, DVR and videos, and
using a game console. Kids ages 6-11 spend about 28 hours a week in front of the TV.
The vast majority of this viewing (97%) is of live TV [1].

71% of 8- to 18-year-olds have a TV in their bedroom [1a]; 54% have a DVD/VCR

player, 37% have cable/satellite TV, and 20% have premium channels [2].
Media technology now offers more ways to
access TV content, such as on the Internet,
cell phones and iPods. This has led to an
increase in time spent viewing TV, even as
TV-set viewing has declined. 41% of TV-
viewing is now online, time-shifted, DVD or
mobile [2a].

In about two-thirds of households, the TV is

"usually" on during meals [3].

In 53% of households of 7th- to 12th-graders, there are no rules about TV

watching [4].

In 51% of households, the TV is on "most" of the time [5].

Kids with a TV in their bedroom spend an average of almost 1.5 hours more per day
watching TV than kids without a TV in the bedroom.

Many parents encourage their toddlers to watch television.

Find out more about TV in the lives of children ages zero to six.

Find out more about media in the lives of 8- to 18-year olds.

As you can see, if your child is typical, TV is playing a very big role in their life. Here
are some key research findings to keep in mind as you decide what kind of role
you want TV to play in your family:

TV viewing is probably replacing activities in your child' s life that you would rather have
them do (things like playing with friends [6] , being physically active, getting fresh
air, reading, playing imaginatively, doing homework [7], doing chores).

Kids who spend more time watching TV (both with and without parents and siblings
present) spend less time interacting with family members. [8]

Excessive TV viewing can contribute to poor grades [8a], sleep problems, behavior
problems,obesity, and risky behavior.

Most childrens programming does not teach what parents say they want their children
to learn; many shows are filled with stereotypes, violent solutions to problems, and
mean behavior.
Advertisers target kids, and on average, children see tens of thousands of TV
commercials each year [9]. This includes many ads for unhealthy snack foods and
drinks. Children and youth see, on average, about 2,000 beer and wine ads on TV each
year [10].

Kids see favorite characters smoking, drinking, and involved in sexual situations and
other risky behaviors in the shows and movies they watch on TV.

More on how television viewing affects children.

For more detailed information on these and other issues, read on.

Does TV affect children's brain development?

With television programsand even a cable channeldesigned and marketed
specifically for babies, whether kids under two years of age should be watching
becomes an important question. While we are learning more all the time about
early brain development, we do not yet have a clear idea how television may affect
it. Some studies link early TV viewing with later attention problems, such
asADHD. However, other experts disagree with these results. One study found that TV
viewing before age three slightly hurt several measures of later cognitive development,
but that between ages three and five it slightly helped reading scores [11].

The American Academy of Pediatrics takes a "better-safe-than-sorry" stance on TV for

young children [12].

"It may be tempting to put your infant or toddler in front of the television, especially to
watch shows created just for children under age two.

But the American Academy of Pediatrics says: Don't do it!

These early years are crucial in a child's development. The Academy is concerned about
the impact of television programming intended for children younger than age two and
how it could affect your child's development. Pediatricians strongly oppose targeted
programming, especially when it's used to market toys, games, dolls, unhealthy food
and other products to toddlers.

Any positive effect of television on infants and toddlers is still open to question, but the
benefits of parent-child interactions are proven. Under age two, talking, singing,
reading, listening to music or playing are far more important to a child's development
than any TV show."
In addition, TV can discourage and replace reading. Reading requires much more
thinking than television, and we know that reading fosters young people's healthy brain
development. Kids from families that have the TV on a lot spend less time reading and
being read to, and are less likely to be able to read [13].

What about TV and aggressive or violent behavior?

Literally thousands of studies since the 1950s have asked whether there is a link
between exposure to media violence and violent behavior. All but 18 have answered,
"Yes." The evidence from the research is overwhelming. According to the AAP,
"Extensive research evidence indicates that media violence can contribute to aggressive
behavior, desensitization to violence, nightmares, and fear of being
harmed." [14] Watching violent shows is also linked with having less empathy toward
others[14a].

An average American child will see 200,000 violent acts and 16,000 murders on TV by
age 18[15].

Two-thirds of all programming contains violence [16].

Programs designed for children more often contain violence than adult TV [17].

Most violent acts go unpunished on TV and are often accompanied by humor. The
consequences of human suffering and loss are rarely depicted.

Many shows glamorize violence. TV often promotes violent acts as a fun and effective
way to get what you want, without consequences [18].

Even in G-rated, animated movies and DVDs, violence is commonoften as a way for
the good characters to solve their problems. Every single U.S. animated feature film
produced between 1937 and 1999 contained violence, and the amount of violence with
intent to injure has increased over the years [19].

Even "good guys" beating up "bad guys" gives a message that violence is normal and
okay. Many children will try to be like their "good guy" heroes in their play.

Children imitate the violence they see on TV. Children under age eight cannot tell the
difference between reality and fantasy, making them more vulnerable to learning from
and adopting as reality the violence they see on TV [20].

Repeated exposure to TV violence makes children less sensitive toward its effects on
victims and the human suffering it causes.
A University of Michigan researcher demonstrated that watching violent media can
affect willingness to help others in need [20a]. Read about the study here: Comfortably
Numb: Desensitizing Effects of Violent Media on Helping Others.

Viewing TV violence reduces inhibitions and leads to more aggressive behavior.

Watching television violence can have long-term effects:

A 15-year-long study by University of Michigan researchers found that the link between
childhood TV-violence viewing and aggressive and violent behavior persists into
adulthood[21].

A 17-year-long study found that teenaged boys who grew up watching more TV each
day are more likely to commit acts of violence than those who watched less [22].

Even having the TV on in the home is linked to more aggressive behavior in 3-year-
olds. This was regardless of the type of programming and regardless of whether the
child was actually watching the TV [23].

What parents can do:

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, media education can help kids
become less susceptible to the bad effects of watching violent TV. Some studies have
shown that kids who received media education had less violent behavior after watching
violent programs. Teach your kids to be media savvy. Find out more about media
literacy.

Watch with your kids, so if the programming turns violent, you can discuss what
happened to put it in a context you want your kids to learn.

Know what your kids are watching. Decide what programs are appropriate for their age
and personality, and stick to your rules.

To minimize peer pressure to watch violent shows, you may want to talk to the parents
of your child's friends and agree to similar rules.

Visit YourChild: Managing Television: Tips for Your Family for more ideas.

For more on TV violence and kids:

Key Facts: TV Violencea report from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

A 1993 summary of some of the research on TV violence and behavior.

Television Violence: Content, Context, and Consequences.

The National Television Violence Study (NTVS).

Television Violence: A Review of the Effects on Children of Different Agesa 1995 70-
page report and review of the literature.

Violence in the Media--Psychologists Help Protect Children from Harmful Effects:

Decades of psychological research confirms that media violence can increase
aggression.

Comfortably Numb: Desensitizing Effects of Violent Media on Helping OthersThis

study by a University of Michigan researcher demonstrates that watching violent media
can affect willingness to help others in need.

Joint Statement on the Impact of Entertainment Violence on Children: Congressional

Public Health Summita statement of the American Academy of Pediatrics, American.
Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, American Psychological Association,
American Medical Association, American Academy of Family Physicians, American
Psychiatric Association.

Can TV scare or traumatize kids?

Children can come to view the world as a mean and scary
place when they take violence and other disturbing
themes on TV to be accurate in real life.

Symptoms of being frightened or upset by TV stories can

include bad dreams, anxious feelings, being afraid of
being alone, withdrawing from friends, and missing
school.

Fears caused by TV can cause sleep problems in

children[24].

Scary-looking things like grotesque monsters especially

frighten children aged two to seven. Telling them that
the images aren't real does not help because kids under
age eight can't always tell the difference between fantasy and reality.

Many children exposed to scary movies regret that they watched because of the
intensity of their fright reactions.

Children ages 8-12 years who view violence are often frightened that they may be a
victim of violence or a natural disaster.
Violent threats shown on TV can cause school-aged kids (8-12) to feel fright and worry.
When the threat is shown as news it creates stronger fears than when it is shown as
fictional [25].

How does watching television affect performance in school?

TV viewing may replace activities that we know help with school performance, such
as reading, doing homework, pursuing hobbies, and getting enough sleep.

One research study found that TV's effects on education were long term. The study
found that watching TV as a child affected educational achievement at age
26. Watching more TV in childhood increased chances of dropping out of school and
decreased chances of getting a college degree, even after controlling for confounding
factors [26].

Watching TV at age four was one factor found to be associated with bullying in grade
school[27].

Can TV influence children's attitudes toward themselves and others?

Let's take a look at what kids see on TV, and how it can affect their beliefs about race
and gender:

Children learn to accept the stereotypes represented on television. After all, they see
them over and over.

When non-whites are shown on TV, they tend to be stereotyped.

A review of the research on gender bias shows that the gender-biased and gender-
stereotyped behaviors and attitudes that kids see on television do affect how they see
male and female roles in our society.

Television and movies do not often show Asians or Asian Americans, and when they do,
they fail to show the diversity in Asian American culture [28].

Thin women are disproportionately represented on TV. The heavier a female character,
the more negative comments were made about her [29].

In 1990's commercials, white men more often were depicted as strong, while white
women were shown as sex objects. African American men more often were portrayed
as aggressive and African American women, as inconsequential [30].

Ads for household items, like cleaning products, usually feature women [31].
G-rated movies are commonly viewed by younger childrenoften over and over on
DVD, and perceived by parents as safe for little kids. However, in these movies,
whether live action or animated, males are shown more than females, by three to one,
they are not often shown in relationships, and do not solve problems peacefully [32].

In G-movies, characters of color are under-represented, and are usually shown as

sidekicks, comic relief, or bad guys. Male characters of color are more aggressive and
isolated [33].

Music videos over-represent black males as aggressors, and white females as victims,
compared to actual demographic data [34].

To learn more, visit the Center for Media Literacy's page on Stereotyping and
Representation

How are children portrayed on TV?

A study by a group called Children NOW of how children are shown on local TV news,
found that[35]:

Almost half of all stories about children focus on crime (45%).

Children account for over a quarter of the U.S. population but only 10% of all local
news stories.

African American children account for more than half of all stories (61%) involving
children of color, followed by Latino children (32%). Asian Pacific American and Native
American children are virtually invisible on local news.

African American boys are more likely than any other group to be portrayed as
perpetrators of crime and violence whereas Caucasian girls are most likely to be shown
as victims.

Can TV affect my child's health?

Yes, TV is a public health issue in several different ways. First of all, kids get lots of
information about health from TV, much of it from ads. Ads do not generally give true
or balanced information about healthy lifestyles and food choices. The majority of
children who watch health-related commercials believe what the ads say. Second,
watching lots of television can lead to childhood obesity and overweight. Finally, TV
can promote risky behavior, such as trying dangerous stunts, substance use and abuse,
and irresponsible sexual behavior.

Children who watch more TV are more likely to be overweight

University of Michigan researchers found that just being awake and in the room with
the TV on more than two hours a day was a risk factor for being overweight at ages
three and four-and-a-half. [34]

The effects can carry on into adult weight problems. Weekend TV viewing in early
childhood affects body mass index (BMI), or overweight in adulthood. [35]

University of Michigan researchers and their colleagues who investigated whether diet,
physical activity, sedentary behavior or television viewing predicted body mass
index (BMI) among 3- to 7-year-old children, found that physical activity and TV
viewing are most associated with overweight risk. TV was a bigger factor than
diet. Inactivity and TV became stronger predictors as the children aged [36].

Children who watch TV are more likely to be inactive and tend to snack while watching
TV.

Many TV ads encourage unhealthy eating habits. Two-thirds of the 20,000 TV ads an
average child sees each year are for food and most are for high-sugar foods. After-
school TV ads target children with ads for unhealthy foods and beverages, like fast food
and sugary drinks [37, 38].

All television shows, even educational non-commercial shows, replace physical activity
in your child's life.

While watching TV, the metabolic rate seems to go even lower than during
rest [39]. This means that a person would burn fewer calories while watching TV than
when just sitting quietly, doing nothing.

The food and beverage industry targets children with their television marketing, which
may include commercials, product placement, and character licensing. Most of the
products pushed on kids are high in total calories, sugars, salt, and fat, and low in
nutrients [40].

Children watching Spanish-language TV after school and in the evening see lots of ads
for food and drink. Much of it targets kids and most of the ads are for unhealthy foods
like sugared drinks and fast food. This advertising may play a role in the high risk of
overweight in Latino kids[40a].

Results from recent studies have reported success in reducing excess weight gain in
preadolescents by restricting TV viewing [41].
Childhood TV habits are a risk factor for many adult
health problems

One study looked at adults at age 26, and how much

TV they had watched as children. Researchers found
that "17% of overweight, 15% of raised serum
cholesterol, 17% of smoking, and 15% of poor fitness
can be attributed to watching television for more than
2 hours a day during childhood and adolescence." This
was after controlling for confounding variables [42].

Children may attempt to mimic stunts seen on TV

Injuries are the leading cause of death in children, and

watching unsafe behavior on TV may increase
children's risk-taking behavior.

Kids have been injured trying to repeat dangerous

stunts they have seen on television shows.

Many kids watch TV sporting events. Researchers surveyed TV sports event ads to
assess what kids might be seeing. Almost half of all commercial breaks during sporting
events contained at least one ad that showed unsafe behavior or violence [43].

Watching TV can cause sleep problems

Television viewing is associated with altered sleep patterns and sleep disorders among
children and adolescents.

Regular sleep schedules are an important part of healthy sleep. A recent study found
that infants and toddlers who watch TV have more irregular sleep schedules. More
research is needed to find out whether the TV viewing is the cause [44].

Those sleep disturbances may persist. Teens who watched three or more hours of TV
per day had higher risk of sleep problems by early adulthood [45].

Find out more in this research brief from the Kaiser Family Foundation: Childrens Media
Use and Sleep Problems: Issues and Unanswered Questions.

TV viewing may promote alcohol use

The presence of alcohol on TV runs the gamut from drinking or talking about drinking
on prime-time shows, to beer ads, to logos displayed at sporting events.
Many studies have shown that alcoholic drinks are the most common beverage
portrayed on TV, and that they are almost never shown in a negative light.

Recent studies have shown that exposure to drinking in movies increases the likelihood
that viewers themselves will have positive thoughts about drinking [45a].

Alcohol has damaging effects on young peoples developing brainsand the damage
can be permanent. TV ads are a major factor in normalizing alcohol use in the minds of
children, adolescents and college students [46].

Ads for alcohol portray people as being happier, sexier, and more successful when they
drink. Alcohol advertising, including TV ads, contributes to an increase in drinking
among youth [47].

Television ads for alcohol, such as "alcopop," which combine the sweet taste of soda
pop in a liquor-branded malt beverage, may target youth, especially girls and Hispanic
and African American kids [47a].

The Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY) at Georgetown University found
that in 2003, the top 15 prime time programs most popular with teens all had alcohol
ads [48].

Alcohol is increasingly advertised during programs that young people are more likely to
watch than people of legal drinking age [49].

Kids who watch TV are more likely to smoke

Even though tobacco ads are banned on TV, young people still see people smoking on
programs and movies shown on television. The tobacco industry uses product
placement in films. Smoking in movies increased throughout the 1990s [50] .

Internal tobacco industry documents show that the tobacco industry purposefully
markets their product to youth. The industry uses subtle strategies like logos at
sporting events, product placement, and celebrities smoking to get around the ban on
TV advertising for their products[51] .

Kids who watch more TV start smoking at an earlier age. The relationship between
television viewing and age of starting smoking was stronger than that of peer smoking,
parental smoking, and gender [52].

Recent research has shown that exposure to smoking in movie characters increases the
likelihood that viewers will associate themselves with smoking [52a].
Find out more about kids and tobacco.

Kids get lots of information about sexuality from television

Most parents don't talk to their kids about sex and relationships, birth control and
sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Most schools do not offer complete sex education
programs. So kids get much of their information about sex from TV.

Kids are probably not learning what their parents would like them to learn about sex
from TV.

Sexual content is a real presence on TV. Soap operas, music videos, prime time shows
and advertisements all contain lots of sexual content, but usually nothing about
contraception or safer sex.

The number of sex scenes on TV has nearly doubled since 1998, with 70% of the top
20 most-watched shows by teens including sexual content [53]. Fifteen percent of
scenes with sexual intercourse depict characters that have just met having sex. Of the
shows with sexual content, an average of five scenes per hour involves sex.

Watching sex on TV increases the chances a teen will have sex, and may cause teens to
start having sex at younger ages. Even viewing shows with characters talking about
sex increases the likelihood of sexual initiation [54]. (Read more about this study.)

Watching sexual content on TV is linked to becoming pregnant or being responsible for

a pregnancy. Researchers found that even after controlling for other risk factors, the
chance ofteen pregnancy went up with more exposure to sex on television [55].

On the flip side, TV has the potential to both educate teens, and foster discussion with
parents. Watch with your kids, and use the sexual content on TV as a jumping-off
point to talk with your teen about sex, responsible behavior and safety.

To find out more, read:

The American Academy of Pediatrics' (AAP) Parent Page on Sex, the Media and Your
Child

The AAP' s policy statement on Sexuality, Contraception and the Media

How can I find out more about kids and TV?

Here are some websites with helpful information:

The Smart Parent's Guide to Kid's TVfrom the AAP.

Guia para Ver la Television en Familia, a Spanish publication from the Educational
Resources Information Center (ERIC).

Guidelines for Rating Childrens Television, a guideline from PBS Ready To Learn.

Pautas para la evaluacin de los programas de televisin para nios, the above
guideline, in Spanish.

Special issues for young children (2-11 years) and Special issues for teens address
some developmental issues.

Talking with kids about the news10 tips for parents.

The Federal Communication Commission's (FCC) page on children's educational TV.

Visit these related topics on YourChild:

Managing Television: Tips for Your Family

Media and Media Literacy

Video Games

The Internet

Obesity

Sleep Problems

Reading

What are some organizations that work on issues around kids and TV?

The Center for Media Literacy believes in empowerment through educationthat kids
need to learn how to think critically about TV and other media.

Media Awareness Network is a Canadian group with a wealth of information for parents.

The Center for Screentime Awareness sponsorsNational TV Turn-Off Week each

year. Future TV Turn-Off Weeks are in Spring and Fall: April 19-25, 2010 & September
19-25, 2010. TV-Turnoff Week is supported by over 70 national organizations including
the American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, National Education
Association, and President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.

References
Written and compiled by Kyla Boyse, RN. Reviewed by Brad Bushman, PhD.

Positive and Negative Effects of Television on Children

Television has both positive and negative effects on children. They are each discussed
below:

Positive effects on children

The children of today are notably more smart and knowledgeable than their
predecessors a few decades back. One of the major factors which have led to this
enlightenment is the Television (TV) of today.

1. Children love watching Television and gather knowledge through this

medium. Without doubt, it is far easier on the memory of the kid to retain some idea if
the narrative or lecture is accompanied by the visual.

2. Through Television one gets to know details of incidents, discoveries and

achievements visually, and the positive part is that even Children who catch fever and
other discomforts while studying, do not need to be coaxed to gather visual
information.

3. The advantages in gaining knowledge and information, which could be understood

even by kids, were multiplied.

4. Television is a major source of entertainment for kids. There are many television
channels that are dedicated for child related shows. Many of the kids shows are based
on moral stories. These serials attempt at moral building and polishing without losing
the entertainment aspect of it.

Negative effects on children

The negative or harmful effects of watching Television on Children are manifold.

1. The problem with children is that, they do not have the wisdom to discriminate,
between what is good and what is bad for them.

2. Child gathers incomplete information from adult channels available on Television

(TV). When we are saying that they should not view what is wrong, we are talking
about several Adult channels which have been made accessible today. A child gathers
incomplete knowledge from them and more often than not tries to repeat what he has
seen being done.
3. We are also discussing the length of the programs which are interesting to kids.
Interesting far more than their studies or other work more important, like the Cartoon
channels. These characters are lovable but if viewed for long durations, disturb the
concentrating power of children, in their studies.

4. Most of the movies do not depict a true picture of our society which has its adverse
impact on the childs mind.

5. The violence shown in these movies, which is another major factor, working as a
deterrent for the young viewers.

6. The other point is the situation where the hero is shown as invincible. He fights 10 or
12 goons and wins in the end, after smashing them to pulp or riddling them with
bullets. This does not happen in real life but the kid at this impressionable age believes
it to be true. In some cases, he tries it out on his own, doing the stunts he has seen,
resulting in serious injury.

Conclusion:

We may conclude that, the advantages of Television are overshadowed by the adverse
impact it has on a childs mind. Restriction should be enforced against indiscriminate
viewing. It is therefore a strong case to enforce restriction on indiscriminate viewing of
Television by children.

Effects of television viewing on child development

CHILD DEVELOPMENT

WRITTEN BY:

Michael C. Roberts, John L. Powell III

LAST UPDATED:

11-7-2014 See Article History

RELATED TOPICS

personality

psychological development

Pioneers
childhood

life cycle

human behaviour

infant and toddler development

biological development

human development

adolescence

Effects of television viewing on child development, highly contested topic

within child developmentand psychology involving the consequences for children from
the content of and the duration of their exposure to television (TV) programming. The
effects of television viewing on child development have aroused a range of reactions
from researchers, parents, and politicians that has fueled a debate that extends back to
the mediums inception in the 1940s.

It is difficult to argue that youths are not affected by what is broadcast on television.
However, it is equally difficult to pinpoint particular shows or genres of programming as
causing specific behaviours in children without considering the innumerable amount of
alternate influences that may have an effect on their actions. Some have argued that
television clearly has negative effects on youthssuch as violent programming resulting
in children who are more fearful, more aggressive, or more insensitive to the suffering
of otherswhereas others believe that such effects are, at best, ambiguous. Although it
is uncertain which perspective is right or wrong, it is quite certain that the debate
continues to galvanize social scientists, parents, and politicians in the United States and
elsewhere.

Early Findings

As commercial television began to flourish in the United States in the 1940s, televisions
effects on the first generation of individuals raised alongside the new medium became a
topic of interest. In 1949 theColumbia Broadcasting System (CBS) sponsored a study
conducted by Rutgers University that found that television increased family unity and
cohesion, did not promote viewer passivity, and did not replace other valued diversions,
such as outdoor activities and social interactions. That landmark report was one of the
first and most widely disseminated of its kind, and several more would follow in the
forthcoming decade. Soon, however, questions were raised about whether television
viewing decreased dialogue between children and parents and whether children could
be expected to maintain academic progress as their average total viewing time
increased to more than 20 hours a week. Eventually, broadcasters capitalized upon
those youthful watchers by developing targeted programs such as puppet shows and
Saturday morning cartoons. Although those were highly popular, many children
especially those from households that provided minimal parental involvement in viewing
choiceswere also watching wrestling shows, TV westerns, and mystery-crime dramas,
all of which incorporated a significant amount of violence into their story lines. That, in
turn, raised even more concerns about the impact of television on American youth.

Effects Of Television Violence

SIMILAR TOPICS

puberty

self-actualization

infant and toddler development

Oedipus complex

sibling rivalry

child behaviour disorder

infancy

child development

adolescence

adulthood

In several studies in the 1960s and 70s, American psychologist Albert Bandura found
that children learn from and imitate the behaviour of individuals they observe,
specifically when the individual is rewarded for aggressive acts. That finding
corroborated the admonitions of those who suggested that children who constantly
witnessed their favorite TV heroes being praised for beating up or killing the bad
guy would, in turn, incorporate aggressive acts into their own repertoire of behaviours
for use in situations characterized by conflict. Throughout the following decades,
psychologists, sociologists, criminologists, and other social scientists have argued a
number of different perspectives with respect to whether television violence facilitates
or triggers violent behaviours in children. Some believe that watching violence on
television likely causes a significant number of children to behave violently. Others have
agreed that this may be true but that it is so only with children already susceptible to
exhibiting violence. As a result, some have argued for tighter controls, either voluntary
or legislative, concerning what should be allowed on the airwaves. Alternately, some
have blamed parents instead of the broadcast industry and contended that parents are
ultimately to blame for their childrens viewing habits. A general point of agreement (or
compromise) among the research community is that television can have effects on
childrens behaviours but that it must be considered as one of many determinants that
may cause a child to act in a particular manner.

Other Potential Effects

BRITANNICA STORIES

The debate of whether violence on television begets violence in children may be the
most-salient issue, but some social scientists argue that television programming has
negative effects on children beyond promoting aggressive behaviour. For example,
television shows appear to perpetuate gender and racial stereotypes and offer young
viewers a distorted perspective of how the world works and how people behave.
Several studies have correlated television with deficits in attention and focus and have
revealed negative correlations between test scores and the number of hours of
programming watched. In addition, parents have complained about the content of
certain shows, contending that even the most child-friendly programming may
present values (especially those regarding sex, alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drug use)
that contradict those they wish to pass on to their offspring.

Health care professionals have also weighed in on the television debate. They believe
that children who spend more time watching television are going to spend less time
engaging in physical activity. That trend, combined with the ubiquity of fast-food
advertisements during such programs, may be largely responsible for
Americas obesity epidemic. Additionally, psychologists argue that the large amount of
time spent watching TV threatens the cohesiveness of the family. Such negative effects
may also include inhibiting childrens social development by diminishing the number of
conversations between them and their family members.

Despite all the negative influences attributed to television, some commentators note
that the medium can have a positive effect on youths. For instance, television programs
are quite commonly used in school classrooms, and teachers may use educational
videos or segments recorded from network broadcasts to accentuate their lessons and
provide learning avenues for children with different learning styles. Also, television has
exposed people to a wider array of cultures and societies and has made more young
people aware of political and social issues, which in turn may increase their influence on
their respective nations government.

Policy Issues

Because of the television-viewing habits of youths, some legislators have advocated for
stricter regulation of what is shown on TV. In the United States in
1996, Congress mandated that V-chips, devices that parents can use to block
programming inappropriate for children, be installed in every television set produced
after 1999. In 1997 the entertainment industry, pressured by Congress to enact a
ratings system to work in conjunction with the V-chip, developed the TV Parental
Guidelines, a ratings system based somewhat on the Motion Picture Association of
Americas long-standing system of rating movies, where television shows are marked as
Y (young children), Y7 (older children), G (general audience), PG (parental
guidance suggested), 14 (parents strongly cautioned), and MA (mature audiences).
Studies indicate that most parents do not use the V-chip, which may render the effects
of such legislation negligible.

CONNECT WITH BRITANNICA

Although members of the television-broadcasting community have been largely

compliant in providing ratings and guidelines for their shows, they generally challenge
governmental attempts to restrict their product. In essence, they argue that television
is part of the free-enterprise system, and any attempt to control its content violates
constitutional principles. They argue that their programming reflects events and actions
already taking place in the world and is not their cause. Critics of that position argue
that most countries have laws that ensure that television programming is regulated in
order to make certain that what is aired does not contradict laws guarding against
public indecency and obscenity.

John L. Powell IIIMichael C. Roberts