Tara Parker Church

Numerous studies have concluded that the content and amount of television programming watched by individuals – especially by children - has a direct result on the behavior of that individual. The behavior affected by television viewing can be anything from a desire for a certain food or material good to violent distemper (Zuckerman 1985.) Recently, more and more woman have given up their traditional role of raising their children opting instead to work during the day and leave their children to take care of themselves. Unfortunately, many children find that spending countless hours in front of the television to be a worthwhile way to entertain themselves. Most parents tell their children never to talk to strangers, but what they fail to realize is that every day their children are subject to the messages and ideas of strangers on the television. In fact, a study concluded that an average American by the age of 18 has spent more time watching television than they have spent in school; this study also went on the state that children spend more time watching television than any other activity besides sleeping. This may explain why an additional study revealed that if a child was told something by his or her parents and then viewed on television something that contradicted what the parents had said, four times out of five the child opted to believe the

“How does the passive act of watching television affect the developing children's relationship with the real world?” In the essay “Television: The plug in Drug,” by author Marie Winn, the author examines television’s impact on children. The author uses rhetorical devices such as causal analysis to support her argument on television non-effectiveness on society and cause and effect to illustrate and persuade the unaware attitude of parents towards television. This is an essay on how television affects children’s and how families should interact.

In an article ' The Plug-In Drug ' the author Marie Winn discusses the bad influence of television on today's society. Television is a ' drug ' that interfere with family ritual, destroys human relationships and undermines the family.

The Television is often the centerpiece of typical American house. TVs are now a representative the American dream. TVs are even used to measure finical wellbeing. Huge flat screen TVs symbolize success, while smaller TVs represent modesty. People crowd around the TV to watch the big game, to catch up on the news and keep up with pop culture. Is there something wrong with this so-called wonder device known as the Television? Marie Winn, author of book Unplugging the plug-in drug, argues this point in the chapter “The Trouble with Television” claiming that the television negatively affects families and specifically children. Marie Winn is an author and journalist who is known for her write ups on wildlife and television. The book was published in 1987 and describes eight ways in which the television is damaging. Winn makes it a point not to argue against the content of television, but rather how the television effects family relationships and is a detriment to children’s development. While I agree with some of Winn’s, overall, I disagree with her assessment of television. The points that Winn made that I disagree with include, TV allows kids to grow up less civilized, TV keeps family from doing other things, TV makes children less resourceful, TV has a negative effect on children’s school achievement and TV has a negative effect on children’s physical fitness.

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

Technology throughout the past 30-40 years has become more advanced and accessible than ever. The television specifically has developed extremely since its beginning. What started off as a single camera caption, has developed into a full fledge worldwide availability. Within the United States, the TV is a normal everyday object common in households, hotels, schools, and even restaurants. There are approximately 118.4 million household in the United States that own a television set ( The Number of TV Households in the United States from season 2000-2001 to season 2016-2017 (in millions)).However, the increased amount of time spent watching TV has had a tremendous impact on people, especially kids. The differences in generations throughout the development of the TV has led to many questions, all revolving around whether or not the televisions has had a good or negative impact pertaining to children. Time spent watching television affects the brain, ability to learn, and skill levels in different areas (source. In the book “Last Child in The Woods,” Richard Louv discusses how children in the 1940’s would watch out the window at the scenery and have conversations, while children now sit and watch a movie on a flip-down video screen without knowledge to the outside world (Louv 16-17).

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.

[“TV has even become known as "America's baby-sitter." (Krieg). Meaning that parents are now using the television as a way of entertaining their children while they attempt to accomplish other things such as cooking and cleaning.”] (PATHOS)

It may be hard to admit, but television has become an intricate part of our everyday lives. People children often find themselves sitting in front of the television screen for a longer period of time than before and this has evolved immensely over the past few years. In this article, “The Trouble with Television,” by the author Marie Winn, mentions that addiction of television is negative effects on children and families. It keeps the families from doing other things and it’s a hidden competitor for all other activities. Television takes place of play and on top of that kids who watch a lot of television grow uncivilized. Also, the author mentioned that televisions are less resourceful for children and have negative effects on children’s

In addition, Nyham says that the best solution to this “problem” is a drastic one similar to amputation, meaning a parent should cut off all access to television. (whatever P) This is not only unrealistic, but also would leave a child feeling isolated from their peers. Douglas, on the other hand, is able to suggest a very obtainable solution of using television to teach a child basic media literacy. Nyham also tries to put on an act for the reader by using medical terms and over-exaggerated words throughout the essay. The author tries too hard to sound educated using words like “infernal” (3) or “cynical nattering” (19) and it comes off as a pathetic attempt to sound credible. Douglas embarrasses the Boston Globe columnist in this category. Douglas’ credibility in this subject remains unchallenged by Nyham’s futile attempts to “wow” the reader with a few “SAT” words. Throughout both essays, there is a communal agreement between Nyham and Douglas on the fact that television has the ability to affect this generation’s children in a very negative way; however, Douglas believes if used correctly, television shows can be a tool for parents to use for not only distracting their child for a few minutes, but also for teaching them essential life skills at a young age.

Winn’s usage of the counterarguments provided by the experts strengthens her main argument about television’s strong impact on family life. The author, who paid for the studies, has a deeper understanding of the topic rather than being biased. Thus, attacking the counterarguments along with authoritative quotes makes Winn’s statement even more

Lego article suggests that watching too much TV is bad for kids. The image in the picture conveys

For years, many researchers have done individual studies on how media affects children. A review, which analyzed 173 of the strongest papers over 28 years, found that “80% of researchers are in agreement that heavy media exposure increases the risk of harm to children, including obesity, smoking, early engagement in sexual activity, drug and alcohol use, attention problems, and poor grades” (Szabo).

Each author had a role to explain to readers why their argument was the right one. Tracey argues that networks should be responsible for harmful television content. He tried to explain to readers that networks were displaying content that is harmful to children, and that it could affect the rest of their lives. “Why wait for the regulators? Why not establish voluntary restrictions on what advertising is aimed, through your station, at young children” (Tracey)? This shows how Tracey is trying to reach out to parents and networks to explain how they are negatively affecting children. Thierer, on the other