Mental and Physical Effects of Television on Children

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Mental and Physical Effects of Television on Children COM/156 September 22, 2012 Mental and Physical Effects of Television on Children My daughter likes to sit in front of the television for hours on end eating potato chips and cookies and watching shows like SpongeBob or iCarly. If I allow her to do this she rarely gets up to do much more than go to the kitchen or the bathroom. She does not like to go outside and play or use her imagination. She has become overweight and lazy. She is often more concerned with watching television than doing her chores or homework. I have started regulating what she watches and limiting the amount of television she watches, but sometimes this leads to an argument. I also only allow healthy snacks. I allowed her to become this way, and now I have to correct the problem. While children can learn from educational shows, television can adversely affect children both mentally and physically. Instead of sitting around all day and being complacent children could watch a few hours of educational television like Dora or Between the Lions then get up and play either with toys or outside. Caregivers of children should be educated on the facts and monitor what and how long children watch television. Poodleism (2010) Physical Effects of Television on Children During their research, Dr. Hancox and Dr. Poulton found a direct correlation between childhood obesity and television watching (Hancox MD, Milne MSc, & Poulton PhD, 2004). One reason for this is marketing. Companies market certain products during children’s television programming. Most parents cannot make it through the grocery store without their children asking for this cereal or that cookie. Cookies, pasta, crackers, even chicken nuggets come in the shape of children’s favorite characters. Marketing companies use techniques that include cartoon characters and emotional

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