The Effect TV Has on Children - Essay Example

The effect TV has on children Television has a marvelous ability to entertain and to educate children. However, today one of the biggest concerns among the parents is the effect of television on children. One of the most common question in their minds is how does watching television impact the intellectual, moral, and psychological development of their children? As television has become the most common entertainment source around the world, most children plug into the world of television long before they even enter school.

Studies estimate that the average child spends 900 hours in school and nearly 1,023 hours in front of a TV in a year. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), kids in the United States watch about 4 hours of TV a day. According to the AAP guidelines, children under age 2 should have no "screen time" (TV, DVDs or videotapes, computers, or video games) at all. During the first 2 years, a critical time for brain development, TV can get in the way of exploring, learning, and spending time interacting and playing with parents and others, which help young children, develop the skills they need to grow cognitively, physically, socially, and emotionally.

There is no doubt that TV can be an excellent educator and entertainer. But despite its advantages, too much television can be detrimental. Several researches around the world has shown that children who consistently spend more than 4 hours per day watching TV are more likely to be overweight. In earlier days before the television, children played outdoors more and used their minds to be more creative. Excessive television viewing promotes inactivity. Health experts have long linked excessive TV-watching to obesity - a significant health problem today.

While watching TV, children are inactive and tend to snack which contributes to poor nutrition. Theyre also bombarded with advertising messages that encourage them to eat unhealthy foods such as potato chips and empty-calorie soft drinks that often become preferred snack foods. According to the AAP, children in the United States see 40,000 commercials each year. From the junk food and soft drink advertisements children persuade their parents to buy them. This leads to major health problems and are a serious concern around the world (Dowshen and Gavin, 2005).

Children concur some of the negative moral influences through TV such as media violence, portrayals of sexual exploitation and attitudes, vulgarity and rudeness, intense and disturbing imagery, passive watching - the "couch potato" syndrome, alcoholism, drug abuse, and other kinds of disturbing activities. For example, the average American child will witness 200,000 violent acts on television by age 18. These may lead to serious psychological problems. Too much of TV means that children not exercising, reading, socializing, or spending time outside.

Children, who view violent events, are also more likely to believe that the world is scary and that something bad will happen to them. These could have serious negative influence on the growth and development of the child. If we look at the positive impact of TV on children it can be said that television is useful and least harmful to children in small doses - not more than an hour a day for preschoolers - and when it is shared and discussed with parents. It is important for the parents to monitor their children while watching TV.

Educational channels are informative and are the best way of learning. It is essential for the parents to inculcate in their children the habit of watching TV in a specific time and should not get on the way of studies. Work CitedDowshen, S. and Gavin, M. L., How TV Effects Your Child, February 2005, [Online].