Effects of Television on Children Essay

IntroductionThe tv is a powerful motor in our lives as it is inevitably present in al or so unity C% of tender homes and in its offer of a light, relaxing entertainment is oerwhelming to many. Children as an audience atomic number 18 especially vulnerable to its harmful effects. With good slight experience with various facets of life, pip-squeakren atomic number 18 more prone to scud what television offers them for granted. This un capitulumed absorption of ideas and morals often makes children still recipients of television ideology, so to say, which often undermines their ability to make a motion on their admit and develop their own views of the world. They do not need to probe actually(prenominal) deep since the answers to many things lie ready-made on the surface, given in television platforms.Thus, television has some harmful effects on the youth, which in the first place depress free lance judgement and activity. I harmonize with Gatto that modern children fox almost no wonderment, and what little they do have is transitory (p.474). This can be overdrawn to some extent, however, it is certain that television depresses curiosity in children. This passivity stems from several reasons, among another(prenominal)s, from the inherent passivity of the display edge, brain-washing techniques rampant in TV programs, and effect of TV viewing on diminution in human interaction. passivity Is Inherent in the ProcessPassivity is a characteristic trait of the television viewing process, something that stems from the very spirit of this activity and shapes certain moral and mental qualities in lulus. Consider the very process of watching a telly as opposed to indicant a book. Someone engaged in the viewing activity scarce sits there flipping through the channels, inevitably reduced to the position of a passive chooser of a program to watch.Surely, there are choices, provided my legal opinion is that most TV programs are very more alike, and this lack of laissez faire prevents meaningful choice. One can surely dig in the TV program laborious to do some research and identify the broadcasts that are really worth watching, but, frankly, how many people do it on a regular basis? After clicking through three or iv programs a human mind inevitably gets tires and is relaxed to watch whatever program imagems more suitable to tastes a ikon, a comedy show, or a news broadcast, often regardless of the quality.Now compare to the process of choosing a book or a video to watch. A person get a book goes to either an online or bricks-and-mortar store to look up some items and make the final decision depending on the quality of the meter reading offered. It takes time, effort, and commitment of some financial resources, even if these are small as compared to other expenses.Anyway, money and effort that go toward choosing a book are a strong incentive to make a meaningful choice, to question oneself What will I gain from read ing this stuff? Do I buy this one simply to while away the time? And this one to expand my knowledge about a certain subject? The uniform is true for video rentals a person usually picks a movie since one has heard something about it, a neighbour recommends it, or the eyepatch abstract seems gripping.TV, on the contrary, encourages passivity of choice and prevents active decisions on the constituent of the viewer. It is true to say that activity on the whole is a point of superior intelligence, whereas passivity is typical of weak minds. In this sense, television as a medium perpetuates the weakness of viewers minds, turning them into passive on-lookers kind of of active billeticipants.I can refer to my personal observation of a four-year-old niece, Maggie, watching a TV program. She is too young to know how to flick channels and thus watches whatever the bounteouss turn on for her. In fact, she is aware of how to switch, but she often forgets about it or is lazy to come up to the telly to change the program. The adults need to check constantly if they have not left something inappropriate for her to watch. Television as a Medium for Brain-Washing novel children, as stated before, too often are left with television as the only medium to provide them with guidance for everyday situations. This is dangerous because here they are more liable(predicate) to become victims to brainwashing techniques that in themselves encourage passivity.Surely brain-washing can take place in other media as well much(prenominal) as newspapers, magazines, Internet, and the like. However, here its impact is potential to be limited by the active choice of the reader one time again, people tend to go to sites they like and buy newspapers they prefer over others. Books require even more conscious choice, and thus are less likely to become instruments of brain-washing. Television that is often on, providing a background for commonplace home activities, can let the message s ink in without the undivided even noticing it. Besides, images that unite words with movement and color are likely to have increased emotional influence, especially upon young children.Thus, sticking in front of the TV for hours leaves children exposed to norms and values TV staff wants to establish in them. This will take away the capability to make independent judgements, moral and intellectual independence that forms the basis for any freedom. A creature cannot be free since there is often an invisible force that pulls the cords, much in the way TV advertising and programs make us cogitate their messages, presenting them in an alluring way.For example, I can already see how Maggie, my niece, already begins to show traces of consumerism she is about to accept as she grows older. She watches bright ads, then trying to talk her parents into buying a certain product. She even goes as uttermost as try to influence their choice of a car to purchase. She formerly desperately wante d them to buy a Nissan because the commercial is so good.What is of import to me is not that she becomes taken with a certain brand, but that she has already picked up the notion that things are very important and worth a hole of attention. This makes her more likely to spend time and effort in her adult life to gain more money and possibility to buy the sought after thing. Intellectual passivity stemming from brain-washing will prevent her from questioning the assumptions she learned in her childhood.3. Television Decreases Amount of Child-to-Child InteractionsTelevision on the whole can alike be called an interaction, but a very peculiar one. It evolves between the viewer and the production staff, in most general terms. The role of the viewer is limited, and although he or she may be intensely thinking about what is shown on the screen, the activity is relaxing because it does not call for an immediate response.On the contrary, human interaction demands from participants const ant involvement and often calls for immediate action. In this sense, it is passing useful for kids as it helps them to develop their intellectual abilities, at least that part of their abilities that remains neglected by teachers and other educators interpersonal skills. Talking and contend with other kids and adults, children learn a lot about human nature, but most importantly they learn how to deal with various constitution types, what personality types there are, and develop strategies that will shape their interactions for the rest of their lives.Even the tame environment, with its accumulation of children, is much more developing that passive sitting in a room with the telly on. A boy who faces the threat of a fight with older and stronger guys has to invent immediately what to do in gild not to be beaten. Conflicts in particular stimulate a childs intellectual development as they teach one to act on the spot.Gatto states that children on average watch TV fifty-five hour s a week out of 168 total. This time can surely have been utilise for play with other children or communication with adult relatives. Recently I paid attention to the fact that today one can see very few children moving around, running along the streets. They seem to be stuck inside their homes, and it seems that the easiest pursuits for them there are either TV or computer. This promoter that most probably they feel isolated from other children, except for family members such as brothers and sisters.Siblings, however, cannot provide an adequate basis for development of communication skills in kids as family communication is surely different from external interactions. Thus, in absentminded human communication, children can miss a chance to develop a part of their brains responsible for interpersonal skills. Human communication is perhaps the most challenging sphere of our activity that boggles representatives of such professions as managers, teachers and priests with years of ex perience. Thus, wanting(p) a chance to develop this sphere through lack of communication, children risk of infection underdeveloping their overall cognitive abilities.ConclusionTelevision can clearly modify to the development of intellectual curiosity in children if it is used wisely and in reasonable doses. Contemporary families often allow their children to overload themselves with the information electric current from TV, which, as observations suggest, leads to intellectual passivity.Passivity stems from the very nature of the viewing process that depressed active choice involving the use of reason for decision-making. Heavy viewing leaves childrens minds open to brainwashing that can supply them with ready-made answers alternatively of stimulating the ability to seek for answers on their own. At the same time, reserve of direct interactions with TV watching deprives modern children of a chance to shade their communication skills, developing their cognitive abilities throu gh interactions with others.Gatto, J.T. Why Schools Dont Educate.