The mental and physical development of children is dependent on their exposure to television. Before starting school, the majority of children immerse themselves in the world of television. According to Kaiser Family Foundation, the first two years of growth are critical for brain development. Exploring and communicating with people can be hampered by television. According to recently conducted research, most children in the United States, their eyes are usually transfixed on the clock because they long to go home to watch their favorite programs. Thus, they ignore most classes (Carson et al. 5). Therefore, children are traumatized by television, which leads to unhealthy lifestyles, obesity, and aggression.
To begin with, youngsters who watch television for more than four hours per day are more likely to be overweight. Americans appear to be oblivious that television has become a significant contributor to the inactivity of children and has harmed their health. Most parents in the United States have given their children the freedom to watch as much television as they want. Unfortunately, such parents usually have neglected to engage their children in beneficial physical activities, allowing them to become severely overweight (López-Bueno et al., 106349). These children range in age from two to fourteen years old, with a total of nine children who have lost out on playing outside with friends because they watch too much television. When children sit in front of the Tv for lengthy periods, they are not physically active. These nine children ate snacks while watching television, leading to obesity and affecting their social and physical notions of life.
The brutal and frightening facts that are shown on television every day have an impact on children. Processing violence leads kids to believe that it is acceptable because it is on television and that witnessing violence in the real world should be expected (Mustafaoğlu et al. 51). Children have a strong desire to copy what they see, which is a crucial influence of social behaviors that have encouraged aggressive traits, beliefs, and concepts and a lack of sympathy from these young viewers. For instance, in California, a seven-year-old child was seen throwing dredged glass into stew the family was to devour for supper. “I wanted to confirm if it will be the same as on TV,” he said after being questioned why he did it. Still, in another instance, an Alabama boy wedged parking rat poison in a chocolate box that he intended to deliver to his class teacher due to his poor report card results. The boy claimed that the idea was from a TV show he had seen the previous night. These are shocking illustrations of how television violence can affect children.
It is still dangerous for a child to watch too much television, regardless of whether or not the visuals are violent. Scientists claim that spending much time in front of the screen is linked to speech issues in more than 51% of those polled. This also affects the ability of the child to communicate and speak. It is tough to listen when there are too many distractions. A babysitter is always available in the form of television. There has been a significant loss of family time due to using the television as a “babysitter.” Three of the nine children in this family have developed speech problems due to their hectic lives.
Even though television episodes can be violent, some programs can teach youngsters basic skills. For example, on PBS Kids, they can learn the alphabet, or on Discovery and National Geographic, they can learn about different creatures. Even back then, television continued to teach youngsters to eat sweet delicacies, market violence, and even sexual pictures to persuade people to buy the New Turkey burger or other things (Carson et al. 5). This is the primary source of disdain for those around them, leading to aggressiveness and unresolved conflicts with their parents.
However, the ability of children to be creative is crucial in their intellectual development. The child is entertained in a relaxed mood without thinking through watching TV for a few hours after school. Thus, they develop the spirit of being spoon-fed with information, which affects their book-reading habits in school, while some students may struggle to grasp ideas (Carson et al. 5). Typically, they are accustomed to images flashing before their eyes to aid comprehension, leading to difficulty acquiring information for themselves. With the television in front of them providing entertainment, they may never consider that putting together reading a book or putting a puzzle together could also be entertaining. They could grow so reliant on this single fantasy source that they do not bother to build their own. Thus, as children grow older, they are less likely to engage in activities such as playing with other children or pursuing a hobby.
In addition to losing inventiveness, the children may develop impatience. They can quickly lose interest sitting in a classroom all day if all the stories and facts are placed before them. However, during their beloved TV shows, there is a momentary shift of pace in the storyline every seven minutes when an advert comes on (Mustafaoğlu et al. 51). This constant interruption molds their attention spans, forcing kids to lose focus frequently. According to research, modern teachers are using far more multimedia gadgets to capture and sustain the attention of children at school. They pay more attention when learning with multimedia devices in school and are more likely to recall it since they are so used to seeing information presented by the television. Therefore, excessive Tv viewing in primary school pupils has been linked to Attention Deficient Disorder in numerous studies. This disease is becoming increasingly prevalent in the classroom, where students struggle to concentrate.
However, it is shocking that many studies suggest that the second favorite activity for children after-school is watching television. On average, children aged between six and seventeen watch approximately four hours of television every day. It is possible that by the time they graduate, they spend about 15,000 hours while watching television, in comparison to merely 11,000 hours spent in school (López-Bueno et al., 106349). Thus, when they grow old, such habits lead to loss of effort at work, inadequate communication, and even distorted perceptions of reality. Parents must exercise control over how much and the programs their children watch. Undoubtedly, it can aid in developing fledgling minds by allowing them to increase their talents, remain focused, and discover nonviolent methods of life.
Scientists agree that television can have positive impacts; experts also agree that it can have harmful consequences and influence the conduct and values of children. Due to their hectic schedules, many parents are not regularly monitoring the television viewing habits of their children. This has led to children watching too much television, resulting in obesity, aggression, and a loss of necessary family time. Many parents are unaware of how powerful television is to growing minds. When they see their children watching, they should think twice because they could be consuming harmful content. Thus, parents should not abandon their efforts to keep an eye on what their children are seeing.
Works Cited
Carson, Valerie, et al. “Associations of Subjectively and Objectively Measured Sedentary Behavior and Physical Activity with Cognitive Development in the Early Years.” Mental Health and Physical Activity, vol. 13, 2017, pp. 1–8.
López-Bueno, Rubén, et al. “Potential Health-Related Behaviors for Pre-School and School-Aged Children during COVID-19 Lockdown: A Narrative Review.” Preventive Medicine, vol. 43, 2021.
MustafaoğluRüstem, et al. “The Negative Effects of Digital Technology Usage on Children’s Development and Health.” Addicta: The Turkish Journal on Addictions, vol. 5, 2018.