Influence of Television on Young Children - Assignment Example

Influence of Television on Young Children Almost every household in the U.K and many other countries in the world have a television set. The television serves to entertain, inform and educate the audience depending on the program that is being watched. It is quite evident that young children are never left behind when it comes to watching television. Experts note that children should be allowed to watch TV judiciously and moderately if they have to benefit from it and are quick to warn that young children can be negatively influenced by the content they watch on TV.

Watching television can be educative, informative, and inspiring to young children just like it can be to older individuals. In relation to education and information, television programs can help young children learn some processes like plant growth happen. They can also learn to read, dance, and tackle mathematical problems by watching children’s shows aired on TV. For example, by watching Alesha’s Street Dance Stars, children may learn dancing skills from their peers. In this respect, TV can be an effective complement to school learning.

A study conducted by scientists from the University of Siena revealed that television programs such as cartoons play a good role in relieving pain and stress among young children. In as much as television may have positive influences on young children, it is greatly associated with several ills. For one, studies have shown that when children watch violent programs on TV, they tend to emulate the violent “heroes” that they see and act violently toward their peers, animals, and even older people.

For example, when they watch Steven Seagal acting in The Glimmer Man, young children believe the actor is a hero and may act like they see him do against their peers. Furthermore, children may adopt risky behaviors such as smoking and drinking as a consequence of what they see on television according to kidshealth.org. Other negative influences of TV on children include reinforcing racial and gender-role stereotypes. In conclusion Television may have good or bad influences on young children depending on how much and what they watch.