Children and Television Essay

Words: 1543
Pages: 7

Nearly every household has access to television programming. With the variety of programs available children are exposed to many factors concerning choice. These choices can lead to a wide array of results depending on the type of content which is viewed. Positive programming can promote the learning of valuable skills and knowledge to enable success in life, while negative programming may have diverse opposite effects. The contents of television programming affect the health, behaviors and learned life skills in children. First, a discussion of physical health concerns. Television viewing by children can cause a variety of physical health concerns. Children face physical health issues because of the amount of time they spend …show more content…
These behaviors are viewed as unacceptable in society and can overflow into situations where the actions are inappropriate such as in school, grocery stores, or movie theaters. As children may not have a complete understanding of the motives of the content which they were presented though television, they may accept them as reality. However, the acceptance of this reality can cause positive behaviors as well. “Children imitate their parental role models that they love and trust; then they imitate other role models that might not be so worthy” ( Jagers, 2007). Depending on their understanding of the consequences of an action, children may choose a different mode of behavior concerning situations they encounter throughout their lives. A child who views someone getting burned may take caution when they are in a similar situation themselves. If a child observes someone calling 911 seeking assistance in an emergency situation, when confronted with this type of situation they will think to use this to their advantage. Some television shows for children encourage positive behaviors such as empathy, kindness, and helping others. These television shows encourage emotional development allowing children to display positive behaviors. One show that has these qualities is “Dora the Explorer” which highlights characters helping each other, helping other characters to achieve tasks, and being kind by using polite language such as please