Television Influence Essay Research Paper Television influences

Television Influence Essay, Research Paper

Television influences behaviors, social attitudes and physical health especially

in children. Children today spend more time watching television than on any

other single leisure activity. In fact, studies have shown that "the

average child spends more time in front of the television than in school"

(Clarke and Kurte-Coastes, 1997). There are a variety of influences that

children gain from watching too much television. The impact of violence on

children is a major issue, as well as the impact of stereotypical views, such as

sex roles. Health can also become a problem for children who spend excessive

amounts of time in front of the television. There are, however, alternatives to

these problems. Parent, schools and the governments need to take control and

monitor children and television. After all, television was once used as an

educational tool it has only recently become a babysitter. The effect of

violence in television has been debated for many years. In a recent study,

Strasburger and Donnerstein (1999), suggests that there is a positive

correlation between violence viewed on television and aggressive behavior in

children. The way television violence is portrayed encourages children to learn

aggressive attitudes and behaviors. For example most violence on television is

glamorized by using a "good" character that is likely to be perceived

as role model to initiate violence. This gives children the impression that

violence is justified, desirable, and painless. Violence on television also

increases fear or gives children the wrong impression about the world. Many

children have a hard time making distinctions about what is real and unreal.

Therefore, they begin to believe that the television depicts violence in the

"real world." The bottom line is, "children learn their attitudes

about violence at a very young age, and once learned, the attitudes tend to be

life-long" (Strasburger and Donnerstein, 1999). Television also encourages

stereotyped opinions on topics such as sex roles. Research shows that children

who spend more time watching television tend to think that both women and men

have specified roles in the world (Kent and Moy, 1999). Television usually

portrays women as passive and weak compared to men who are usually depicted as

strong and dominant (Steinberg and Kincheloe, 1997). This gives children a clear

impression of what is expected of them in society. It insists that they too

should act this way because it is, after all, what society views appropriate.

Television even pushes children toward specific sex role using toys. Most toy

commercials, for example, even insist that some toys are only for girls while

others are only for boys. Children are very rarely encouraged to play with toys

that are known to be for the opposite sex. For example, boys aren’t aloud to

play with dolls and girls aren’t aloud to play with trucks. Television also

emphasizes the importance of physical beauty. Stress is placed on looking a

certain way, whether it is having the right clothing or being a certain weight.

These are influences that children take very seriously considering that most

children want to be the "popular" one in school. Take the Mighty

Morphine Power Rangers, for example, the female good rangers are viewed

typically as beautiful and perfect. The female villains are typically viewed as

"repulsive" and are teased. In most schools this is the " kind of

schoolyard harassment to which unpopular girls are subjected" (Steinberg

and Kincheloe, 1997). Television also takes a major toll on a child’s physical

health. Obesity in children is rising and television is being credited in

playing apart. One reason may be that children are spending less time on

physical activities, such as, swimming and riding bikes (Vecchine, 1997).

Evidence also shows that children like to snack while watching television, which

can add to the weight especially for those children who do not do much physical

activity. Commercials on television also play a part in weight gain among

children. Commercials tend to enhance a child’s craving for the food products

being advertised which persuades children to buy their food. In most cases the

food advertised on television is high in calories and fat, which adds weight

(Anonymous, 1999). Although television influences many children all over the

world there are alternatives to the problem. Starting at home parents need to be

aware of what their children are watching, as well as how many hours are spent

watching television. More importantly parents need to take time to watch and

discuss the programs with their children. (victor stasburger and edward

donnerstein, 7). This allows for the children, especially the smaller ones who

have a hard time differentiating

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