Too Much Television On Children And Technology

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).

Some people say that too much screen time for children is bad for their health. Others argue that it's perfectly fine for children to enjoy some time with the TV. I personally believe that in moderation, TV isn't that bad. In the article, It's Time to Let Go of Screen Fears, it states that kids who watched telvison with parent showed signs of decreased anger and fear. In my own experience, I've seen the positive affects that TV has on children. Although it can be a good thing, if you don't limit your time with the TV it can be harmful.

Statistics show that screen time negatively affects children’s learning abilities and development. “The effects of so much screen time can include speech delays, aggressive behavior and obesity.” (Lavey) Since parents play a role in how much television their kids can watch, they can minimize the chances of their brains not developing correctly. “The first 2 years of life are considered a critical time for brain development. TV and other electronic media can get in the way of exploring, playing, and interacting with parents and others, which encourages learning and healthy physical and social development.” (Kids Health) Children do

In this section we will be addressing the effects of technology in these three areas: brain development, cognitive functions, and mental health. With today’s fast paced advancements in technology, there is a growing concern with the use of technology in relation to early childhood brain development. Studies have shown that between birth and age eight, brain development is at a crucial growth stage and is shaped by environment and experiences. With the introduction of technical devices i.e. ipad, cognitive functions in early development are being affected in different ways. Mental health issues are becoming evident in early childhood and research links a correlation to the overuse of technology. The next three paragraphs I will be explaining

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.

In today's society screen time is vital for our childrens' learning and socialisation with others. Children no longer have the trobules of traveling to different cultures; of areas to explore beliefs. They have the world wide web to guide them and give them weather forcast, economic changes,updates about what is going on in the world. Television gives children history education. On some channels helps teach things that is needed in the kindrgarten. Without lap tops most children have fear of rejection interacting with others and with lap tops they are better in communication with others that they were affraid wouldn't accept them. It is in my great opinion that screen time is vital for children. Some studies show watching too much TV leads

The purpose of the research article from the scholarly journal Childhood Education (2014) is to discuss the arguments currently surrounding the topic of media, technology, and screen time (MeTS) and its use with young children, and create an international dialogue on what steps should be taken in the future on how to responsibly use MeTS in a way that is productive and developmentally appropriate. The authors first discuss what global issues currently stand referring to MeTS, citing statistics of television, video game, and computer exposure among young children (children younger than 6). It is described that in the United States alone, “83% of children under 6 years old use…two hours with a television and DVD player, 1 hour with video

According to the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, “8- to 18-year-olds consume an average of 7 hours and 11 minutes of screen media per day” (“Selected Research on Screen Time and Children”). Screen time is time spent watching TV, playing on the computer, or playing on a phone. Too much screen time can have negative effects on young children (“Selected Research on Screen Time and Children”). Since children are having seven hours of screen time a day when they are supposed to have less than two, this is an epidemic that needs to be put to an end. Children are receiving way more screen time than what they should be and it is negatively affecting their health.

Now of days all the little kids want to do is grab a phone or a tablet . Kids these days are getting an average of 7.5 hours of tv per day. Between 2011 and 2013 , children ages 8 and under doubled their useages of media devices. Younger children should be only allowed to watch 1-2 hours if that .

Nancy Shute from U.S. News and World Report states in her article ‘3 Ways Electronic Media Harm Kids’ Health and 3 Ways They Can Help’ “A dozen studies have correlated TV in the early years with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) later in childhood.” Kids today spend more hours on electronic devices such as computers, phones, and TV than sleeping. Having young children watch certain TV shows posed as a positive effect for the brain. However, with recent studies from China, it shows that no matter the affect having a lot of electronic experience is bad for the body. In “Screen Addiction Is Taking a Toll on Children”, Jane E. Brody argues that, although Internet addiction isn’t considered a clinical diagnoses here, more American youths are plugged out of “live” action for many hours of the day.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children under the age of two years have no screen time, with the exception of video chatting. Children younger than two benefit from a hands-on learning approach, therefore, introducing them to a digital device takes away time they need to be socially interactive to develop their cognitive, language, motor, and social-emotional skills. By the age of two, and through the preschool aged years it is recommended that children have no more than 1 ½ hours of screen time per week, and that screen time should be monitored to ensure it is educational as well as age appropriate. There are even television channels and computer applications that are dedicated to creating educational, engaging, and enjoyable content for such young viewers, however, it should be noted that

With the advancement in technology it has become common for infants, toddlers, and young children to be exposed to electronics such as televisions, computers, and videogames for hours at a time. Environmental factors affect children in significant ways. The effects the media and screen time children are revealed to influence their physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development. Television and media can both hinder and encouraging their growth. It is important for guardians, caregivers, teachers, whomever has a child they look after or care for, to make accommodations to construct the best possible environment for children to flourish in. At such a young age, these young humans are like sponges, they absorb much of what surrounds them. Because of this, the importance of trying to make it possible that they are mainly witnessing things helpful to the development of the child and thereby, benefiting them later in life.

This view is supported by Webster-Stratton who described television as “rendering children passive” and referred to research indicating that excessive exposure to television and computers “place children at risk for harmful effects on their physical, social and psychological development”. As a way of mitigating this, she suggests watching television or computer games with the child in order to address any issues that might arise or to identify inappropriate content (2006, p234-236).

As according to a study done by the Kaiser Family Foundation, “8-18 year-olds devote an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes...to using entertainment media across a typical day”. Not only that, but most youths also report to having no rules governing the amount of time spent on entertainment media in the mediums of TV, videogames, and any computer use. Less than 50% actually have rules and regulations on what video games they are allowed to play and what TV shows they can watch. However, I believe that daily media use among children and teens needs to be controlled. If it is not, this could potentially lead to negative ramifications, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, obesity, internet addiction, and negative effects on the brain.

Why is society still worried about kids seeing to much television or playing to many games? T.V. has the abilty to sculp young minds and teach children some of the really important aspects of life. Cell phones, game consoles, laptops, and televisions are a booming industry, and will continue to grow.