Is Television Viewing Harmful to Children? by Shaunte Francis

Is Television Viewing harmful to children? This question has been asked many times in the past and the most frequent answer is yes. Many people feel as though television has no positive effects on children and that children should not watch television at all. Violence on television, inappropriate behaviors, and how they negatively affect children has been an ongoing debate for a very long time, which is why I chose to touch on this topic.        

Pediatricians recommend that children younger than 2 years old should not watch television at all, meanwhile three-quarters of American children currently live in homes where a television is on most of the time. Previous research has concluded that babies and toddlers who watch television for long periods of time have a significantly higher risk for developing Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) by the time they are 7 years old.Heavy television viewing throughout childhood has also been shown to contribute to behavioral and sleep problems. Children usually imitate what they see, so if a character on television is behaving violently or aggressively, the child is more likely to behave in the same manner.

Those who believe that television is harmful for children fail to look at the positive effects that it actually does have on our youth. Television is a significant influence in the socialization of children, and it can be filtered through a variety of sociological mechanisms such as the family. Children's viewing preferences are influenced by what they perceive their parents would want them to watch, and parents who emphasize family relations and the interpersonal nature of those relations are the ones in control of their children's viewing behaviors. Television itself is not to blame, but rather the parents who allows their children to watch certain programs and do not look after their children. Yes, parents may not always be around to monitor their child's every move, however, that is where values instilled in children by parents come into play. To me, it is like being able to determine right from wrong, and as children, it is quite easy to distinguishh between the two.

          Educational programs such as Sesame Street as well as many others, allow frequent viewers to obtain higher grades in Math, English, and Science as opposed to children who do not watch the programs. Children's television programs enhance self-esteem and their understanding of others' feelings and behaviors. Mister Roger's neighborhood was the primary, best-designed program that aimed at addressing the social and emotional development of young children. In experimental studies with pre-school children, this television show enabled them to increase thier pro-social behaviors which included sharing, helping, and cooperating with others.

          According to kidshealth.org, coming up with a family TV schedule, watching television with children, and talking to them about what they see on TV are practical ways to make screen time more productive. For instance, if something that you do not approve of appears on the tv screen, take time out to ask the child thought provoking questions such as "Do you think it was ok when those two mean got into a fight?." Television can be used to explain situations and express feelings toward difficult situations such as sex, love, drugs, etc. Adults can teach their children to question and LEARN from what they see on tv. Therefore television is beneficial, not harmful, and since television is here to stay, parents must view it as a resource and not necessarily a menace.

The Nonsense on TV...
Response By: Jazmon Kearse

As a child I was taught at the young age to know the difference between real and fake. My mother made sure we comprehended that you couldn't imitate what you always saw on television. I mean honestly I believe that if you educate your children first whatever appears on the television will not reflect their way of thinking. However, with me being a parent now I have taken on a new approach.




When I was growing up there were lots of cartoons and educational shows, but now they all seem to have either been cancelled or only play for a short amount of time. For instance while I was home with my son I would try to find some television shows that he could look at and/or hear that would soothe him, but I seemed to only find these ridiculous cartoons. For instance I liked the Backyardigans but was skeptical about it when I learned that the two characters that are supposed to represent the African Americans are named Uniqueqa (Not sure if the spelling is right…but you get the idea) and Tyrone. I mean seriously? Were there not any other names available? There’s also this show called Max and Ruby. Now these two little rabbits live all by themselves with not a parent insight. And the entire episode consists of Max doing what he’s told not to do repeatedly and Ruby telling him he’s wrong. All this teaches is obedience, there’s no educational aspect of it at all! Then I noticed that after 11am Nick Jr. ended and these brutal cartoons come on.



There’s Fairly Odd Parents where Timmy Turner is either getting beat up or creating some sort of chaos. And SpongeBob Square Pants where he always has some sort of ridiculous problem or is getting into spats with Squidwird. This represents once again another cartoon of no substance. Then when I turn to the Disney Channel there’s a group of “non-masculine” men singing and dancing around the screen. Now I have no problem with homosexuals, before anyone jumps to any conclusions, I am just saying can we not introduce children to this at the prime ages of six and under!



I mean where’s the shows like Gullah, Gullah Island, Allegra’s Window, and Rugrats where you learned life lessons and about using your imagination. I know that eventually my son will grow up and want to watch television but the question is if there’s violence in children’s shows now what will be in those of the future.



I hear what you are saying that if you sit and talk with a child about what you watch that you can prevent them from being affected by the media. But let’s be honest if a three year old child flips through the channels trying to get to Nickelodeon and sees a man and women partaking in sexual intercourse, how would you go about explaining that? I can’t say who is wrong or right on this topic but I will say that as a parent I know that I am very reserved about whether or not Kaden will be watching television as often as he wishes.