How Television Influences Children

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how Television has become a staple in today’s society. By the time most children graduate from high school they will have spent more time in front of the television then in a classroom. While the television can be an excellent educator and entertainer, its effects on children can be detrimental to their development. All experts do agree that children two years old and younger should not be exposed to the television as it takes away from the intellectual, physical, emotional and social interaction with other people that their quickly developing minds need. However, excluding children under the age of two, children's advocates are divided when it comes to solutions. Although many urge for more hours per week of educational programming, others say that no television is the best solution. And some say it is better for parents to control the use of television and to teach kids that it is for occasional entertainment, not for constant escapism. Either way it is important to know all the effects television can have and know how to assess them. Violence in the media is a huge issue for children. The average American child will witness 200,000 violent acts, 40,000 being murders, on television by age 18. Behavior problems, nightmares and difficulty sleeping may be a consequence of exposure to media violence. Children who view violent acts are more likely to imitate the aggressive behavior but also be fearful of the world. The impact of television violence may be immediately evident in the child's behavior or may show up years later. Young children can even be affected when the family atmosphere shows no tendency toward violence (American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 2002). Young children need to establish a sense of trust and safety. However on TV, they see a dangerous world with enemies everywhere. Children should be seeing a world in which people can
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