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Essay about Children and Television

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Nearly every household has access to television programming. With the variety of programs available children are exposed to many factors concerning choice. These choices can lead to a wide array of results depending on the type of content which is viewed. Positive programming can promote the learning of valuable skills and knowledge to enable success in life, while negative programming may have diverse opposite effects. The contents of television programming affect the health, behaviors and learned life skills in children. First, a discussion of physical health concerns. Television viewing by children can cause a variety of physical health concerns. Children face physical health issues because of the amount of time they spend …show more content…

The relationship between television viewing and obesity among children is limited to commercial television viewing and probably operates through the effect of advertising obesogenic foods on television” (2010 p338). Children also face psychological health concerns in relation to television viewing. As children advance in age their minds become more developed giving them a better understanding of the environment surrounding them. Some content available on television causes specific phobias which “include fear of insects, snakes, and dogs; escalators, elevators, and bridges; high places; and open spaces” as well as many others” (Healthofchildren.com, 2012). The development of these phobias causes elevated anxiety levels in children. Children who watch many hours of graphic content such as horror movies, nature programs, and news broadcasts which implant images in their impressionable, young minds providing them with a sense that the world is an unsafe place. These anxieties influence different behaviors in children. Generally the negative content that can be viewed on television causes children to mimic behaviors and actions of the characters they see. “Repeated exposure to TV violence makes children less sensitive toward its effects on victims and the human suffering it causes” (Boyse, 2010). Children use their imagination during play.

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