Children are victims of TV - Research Paper Example

Watching television by the young children was considered by the analysts as cognitively passive (Kirkorian, Wartella, and Anderson 40). According to (Singer), the busyness created by watching television forms a sensory bombardment which generates a range of orienting responses which affect the reflection as well as cognition. This hinders children’s ability to process the content of television and learn from it. According to (Groebel), media has a big role in the formation of world views, world beliefs, cultural orientations, and the way values and images are distributed globally.

(Huesmann and Eron) attribute the scapegoat role of television to the acceleration of violent crime as it has entered the homes of children. Watching television not only affects the academic and social life of children, it also spoils their habits. The research carried out by (Pine and Nash 529) led them to the conclusion that English children that view the television in general and particularly those who watch it alone are socialized in such a way that they become consumers at a very early stage in their life.

“Young children have a limited understanding of commercial markets, and are unaware that advertisements are motivated out of a desire for profits” (Pine and Nash 530). They want to spend money and because they cannot get enough from their parents, their relationship with their parents distorts. Watching a lot of television increases children’s tendency to become criminals. It raises their aggression which they display in their schools and are likely to join gangs to participate in violence as they grow up.

A study done by (Eron cited in Slotsve et al. 26) revealed that children that watched the most movies and television during their childhood had more tendency to be convicted of violent felonies or get arrested. Likewise, a research carried out by (Bogart) led to the finding that 22 per cent of the 100 criminals involved in the research had imitated the acts of crime they had seen before over the television. Watching television affects the academic performance of the children in a bad way. Many research studies have tested this hypothesis that the attention spans of the children are shortened because of watching television (Singer; Healy).

According to (Christakis et al.) and (Hartmann), watching a lot of television increases children’s vulnerability to a lot of complicated conditions like hyperactivity, attention and other issues of impulsivity. Likewise, (Koolstra and Van der Voort) concluded from their research that watching television leads the children to reduction of concentration in studies and lack of reading. Some studies have shown that watching television can be good for the academic performance of children. Most of these studies (Gentzkow and Shapiro) and (Fisch) have emphasized the role of educational programs in increasing children’s learning.

However, the fact is that these educational programs make very less in proportion to the overall different kinds of programs shown on the television. Children are generally more interested in watching cartoons, commercials, and movies than the educational programs. Consequently, the negative effects of watching those programs entail. With proper intervention, it is possible to reduce the negative effects of television on children. In their research, (Rosenkoetter, Rosenkoetter, and Acock) made an attempt to reduce the negative effects of television violence on the lives of school-going children. The