Should Children Be Allowed To Watch 1-2 Hours?

Television has a widespread influence on everyone, especially children. Children are impacted so much by the things they have seen and watched on TV. They learn many things from TV, but their social skills and other learning abilities slow down. Watching TV numbs the mind of children and keeps them inactive from daily exercise. Furthermore, speech delays can occur in children who watch excessive amounts of television. Television programming such as MTV, Adult Swim, and Family Guy exposes and promotes negative

“Television has changed the American child from an irresistable force to an immovable object.” (Peter). There was a time when all children wanted to do was to run, play, explore, and be adventurous. As time evolved, children have found more interest in television. Statistics show that a child spends 900 hours per year in school,and they spend 1,200 hours per year watching television. When asked to choose between watching T.V. and spending time with their families fifty-four percent of four to six year olds voted they would prefer to watch television. Television has changed the mindset of children over the years it has been proven that the more programs they watch, the more harmful it is to their brain development. T.V.

In the article “TV’s Negative Influence on Kids Reaffirmed” by Jeffrey M. McCall, he addresses the issue of how TV has a negative influence on children. McCall states that young children and toddler’s cognitive ability do not develop as well when they have a television in the background while they are playing and interacting. McCall also argues that TV has a very influential role in the teenage pregnancy rate and how early teens become sexually active. To further prove his point, McCall proclaims that children and teens that are exposed to large amounts of television and video games become socially awkward and have issues interacting in society. McCall also says that the networks are rating their own programs carelessly, which is leading to shows that should be restricted by a V-chip being watched by children, rendering the restricting system null and void.

The negative effects of television are huge. To minimize the potential negative effects of television, it's important to understand what the impact of television can be on children.

In the article “TV’s Negative Influence on Kids Reaffirmed” by Jeffrey M. McCall, he addresses the issue of how TV has a negative influence on children. McCall states that young children and toddler’s cognitive ability does not develop as well when they have television in the background while they are playing. McCall also argues that TV has a very influential role in the teen pregnancy rate and how early teens become sexually active. To further prove his point, McCall proclaims that children and teens that are exposed to too much Television and video games become socially awkward and have trouble interacting in society. McCall also says that the networks are rating their own programs carelessly which is leading to shows that should be blocked

These problems can be connected to television because in the modern age screens sap away the majority of Americans’ time, leading to the neglect of exercise and an absence of stimulating brain activity; this is best reiterated in the quote, “A report released by research firm ChildWise suggests that…children spend more time in front of a screen in one day than they spend exercising in the entire week” (Thomas 2011 n.p). The first way that television can negatively impact American health is that it has been proven to be a prominent reason for the rise of obesity. “Researchers…found children who watched just one hour of television a day were 50 to 60 percent more likely to be overweight and 58 to 73 percent more likely to be obese, compared to kids who watched less than an hour” (Olson 2015 n.p). With weight issues, however, Americans are at higher risks to develop even worse problems such as cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, prediabetes, diabetes, bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, cancer, osteoarthritis, stroke, multiple myeloma, and Hodgkin’s lymphoma (CDC 2015 n.p). Along with physical health complications come mental difficulties that can be traced back to television as well. According to the latest scientific studies done by neuroscientists in Japan, “Brain imaging (MRI) shows anatomical changes inside children’s brains after prolonged TV

As adults we think that watching TV won’t effect us since we are older, but for younger children

Many children are influenced by what they see on television. Some programs have a positive and negative affect on how children behave.(AACAP.org) Using Cultivation Theory, I will validate that the amount of television being watched and the variety of talk shows does impact a child’s health, behavior and family life. After reviewing the outcomes, it is obvious that my hypothesis and Gerbner’s Cultivation Theory which essentially clarifies that the heavy television viewers develop a common socially conservative outlook through constant exposure to the same images and labels.(p. 353) According to the 2011 Active Healthy Kids Report Card on Physical Activity, television is one of the most prevalent media influences in kids’ lives. Children are spending too much time watching television and this is stopping them from doing activities crucial to healthy mental and physical development. Studies has shown that young children who watch too much television have delayed cognitive and emotional development. In older children excessive screen time has been proven to lead to behavioral difficulties, reduced achievement at school, attention problems, sedentary behaviors and an increased risk of obesity.(MediaSmarts)

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under the age of two not watch any television and children older than two watch no more than one to two hours of television a day. The first two years of life are crucial to development they begin to interact with others and their linguistic compatibilities improve. The child also needs to be a busy body as this is the time coordination begins to improve and their bodies become big and strong. Media sources such as Television, internet and other sources of media can impede the child’s way of exploring, learning, playing, and interacting with others, which encourages learning, healthy physical bodies and social development.

Children should not be restricted from the media center of the tv screen or smart phones etc. However there should be a limit.If there is a limit on watching tv then the kids wouldnt be couch potatos like i use to be. In my defense it was amazing sitting around lounging watching tv with friends playing video games etc. But there comes the bad things about sittin inside all day watching tv. You can gain alot of weight watching tv,There for you can become obese and many other health issues can come from it.

Like what others are usually saying, letting your kids watch TV might corrupt their growing mind and is not beneficial to them at all. Contrary

Children on average watch 4 ½ hours of television. What kids watch can affect the way how the kid acts or talks. kids can watch television almost anywhere on their smartphone or tablet.

This paper explores the research findings on how screen time can effect children and their personalities and cognitive development. I have found four credible articles on these subjects from online sources and scholarly publications. These articles discuss the results of different studies about children’s exposure to television and online content and how they have negative effects on the developing child’s brain in terms of cognitive development and personality traits.

Finally, in article It's Time to Let Go of Screen Fears, I don't agree with the article either when they state, some studies show watching too much TV lead to weak executive function, lower test score,and obesity in children. From my own life experences, I have a 4 year old son, and he gets on YouTube and practice his numbers. He's 4 and know all his numbers from one to twenty. He also have a word game on his tablet, and he knows how to spell basic words at his age. I think that's

The second effect that television can cause a child is by simply allowing the child to waste their time. Although it is good a keep a child busy that way they won't bug you. It is best to keep him or her moving doing different things. “Does a youngster have too much free time? Are there books, toys, games, r playmates around? A lot of the time kids watch TV as a default activity: There’s nothing else to do’”(Drexler “Don’t Touch That Dial”, 3). Too much of the same thing can be bad. The child is just bored and wants something to