TV and its effects
The average child in America spends about 25 hours a week in front of the television, according to the latest annual Media in the Home survey. This number significantly exceeds the number recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).Over ten years ago, the AAP released a policy that strongly cautioned parents against allowing children under the age of two to view television. The AAP also stated that older children should not be allowed to have televisions in their bedrooms (AAP 195). While this may sound like tight limitations, a number of recent studies have proven that television can be harmful to the physical and mental health of children. Granted, not all television programming is bad and some are quite educational. But research indicates that when children watch television frequently and independently, the effects can be detrimental. According to one study funded by the Cable Television Industry, fifty-seven percent of television programs contain “psychologically harmful” violence. This study was based on 2,500 hours of television, the largest one of its kind to date. The same study showed that twenty-eight percent of all children’s shows contained four or more incidents of violence per show (How). Some may say that this is all ridiculous, and television is just merely entertainment. But think about this. In a matter of seconds children can mimic television characters and sing the tune to a commercial. Children are continuously soaking in their environment, and cannot extinguish the difference between facts and fiction as adults can.