Top-Rated Free Essay
Preview

How Does Reality Television Affect the Minds of Young Children

Better Essays
945 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
How Does Reality Television Affect the Minds of Young Children
How Does Reality Television Affect The Minds of Young Children?
ENG 122 English Composition II
Larissa Purvis
April 7, 2013

How Does Reality Television Affect The Minds of Young Children? Reality television affects the minds of all who watch it, but has a big effect on children because it inhibits social interaction and it is not always intellectually stimulating. In my research paper, I will explain the lack of activities reality television has on young children, and how reality television causes too much drama. I also will explain how reality television affects the minds of young children. “All children in industrialized parts of the world are exposed to television from birth onward, and they begin paying attention to it quite early. When they are between 2 and 5 years old, they form some basic conceptions about the representational nature of the television medium and begin to understand how the content shown on television is related to events in the real world.” (Wright, Huston, Reitz, & Piemyat 1994) “On average, children watch at least four hours of television a day. By the time they graduate from High School they will have spent more time in front of the television than they have in a classroom. If television is used right it can have an educational value, but too much television portraying improper values can harm children.” (American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 2001)
Watching reality television is like being addictive to drugs. Once a children starts to watch one episode they are ready for the next one. It goes on and on. A young child does not realize there are more things to life than to sit in front of a television all day. Reality television can affect a child sleep, grades, and behavior. According to the University of Michigan Health System, “Spending too much time watching TV can take away from the healthy activities like active playing outside with friends, eating dinner together as a family, or reading.”(2010) It is important for young children to interact with their peers because they learn to communicate and learn cognitive and motor skills. Young children that are inside watching reality shows all the time begin to gain excess weight because the lack of activities throughout the day. A young child should be doing homework or studying to increase their knowledge. Young children are watching celebrities’ relationships, how they are living, and how they make everything look so good on reality shows. Some reality television shows are inappropriate for young children such as Love & Hip Hop Atlanta. There are too much gossiping, inappropriate language, and drama. They walk around smoking, cussing and fighting with their housemates. They have multiple tattoos and piercings and show no respect. The men and women have multiple sex partners and sex is openly shown on the show. Love & Hip Hop gives children the idea that it is okay to live like this. “Reality television can add some annoying if not downright dangerous new ideas to kids' imaginations. It also shows kids a distorted view of "reality," since these television programs don't bear much resemblance to the actual reality of daily life.” (Langholt, 2010). It gives the idea that premarital sex, smoking, cussing, fighting, and dressing in a revealing style is normal. There are many video’s floating around the internet of children imitating various characters from this show. Kyla Boyse states, “Media violence can contribute to aggressive behavior, desensitization to violence, nightmares, and fear of being harmed.”(2010) Children should not be introduce to violence behavior because what they see on reality television shows they will think it is alright to do. They are young and act on things they see. With all the inappropriate language than after a while they will be using it. “Reality television can add some annoying if not downright dangerous new ideas to kids' imaginations. It also shows kids a distorted view of reality, since these television programs don't bear much resemblance to the actual reality of daily life.” (Langholt 2010)
Reality television affect young children mind in many ways. Langholt states, “Children are like sponges and they soak up the many things that they see others doing on television, and often repeat what they see on television.”(2010) Some have a favorite celebrity and they want to be just like that individual. Young children see the good of celebrities but not the bad. It is alright to be wanted to be like some of them but not all. Children are looking at the beauty and what they have, but little do they know, they have more problems than normal people. A child does not know that celebrities have on makeup, wigs, and the whole do. Good reality shows for kids are Little People Big World and 19 Kids& Counting. On Little People Big World and 19 Kids & Counting teaches their children how to work for what they want.
In conclusion, reality television shows can cause lack of activities and too much drama. Although reality television affects the minds of young children, and it inhibits social interaction, it can also educate them as well. Children should watch educational channel such as PBS, Nick, and TLC.

Reference
Television and Children. (2010 August). Kyla Boyse, RN. What about Reality TV & Aggressive or Violent Behavior. Retrieved from http://www.med.umiu.edu/Yourchild/topics/tv.htm
Reality TV & Its Influence on Children. (n.d). Thomas Forbes. Retrieved from http://thomasforbes.hubpages.com/hub/RealityTVInfluenceonChildren.html
Wright, J.C., Huston, A.C., Reitz, A.L., & Piemyat, S. Young Children’s PerceptionTelevisionReality. Judges Reality of TV: Taxonomy & Developmental Course. 30,Doi:00121649. Retrieved March 1994, from Ebscohost database

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Although reality TV is fascinating and full of drama, it still has an enormous effect on today’s youth. Throughout the years reality TV has become popular and it has attracted different age groups. But one group that reality TV attracts would be teens. Now I am not talking about all teens, but some teens do look at the actions of the television stars and think what they’re doing is “amazing”. When teenagers watch reality shows it opens their eyes to a lot of sex, vulgar language, and drugs. Allowing teens to be exposed to this much disapproval behavior is dangerous and can later bring problems later on in life. My best friend younger sister, who is fifteen, is starting to live the life of a reality star. She wakes up early for school, tired, from the previous night. She enjoys staying up all hours of the night just to be able to catch her favorite show, “The Bad Girls Club.” Wanting to be free, and doing whatever she feels like doing. Saying anything she wants to whomever, going out partying with all her friends, open to try drugs (weed), ready to try and have sex. At a young age she wants to do everything like these “bad girls” do. Is it healthy? No, going out every weekend and partying is making her tired. All this “freedom” that she’s getting is making her not want to study for school. But watching these reality shows isn’t healthy for a fifteen year old. According to Mullings “The impact of heavy television viewing and the effects it has on young viewers has been a dominant topic since the 1960s. With the ever-changing landscape of television programming, reality television has become increasingly popular, especially among the pre-teen and teen audiences” (Mullings)…

    • 563 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Dr. Gohl article “Debilitating Effects of TV on Children” brings to light the long and short term negative effects that too much television have on children, which spans into adulthood. His purpose of this article is to educate parents on the dangers of television and highlight the facts based on Research to support his Argument.…

    • 548 Words
    • 16 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Television is a big part of everyone’s life, it’s the largest format for sharing information and has the largest audience compared to the internet, radio and newspaper. Television can shape the way we learn for the better or worse. It’s no secret that too much of anything is bad for us and the same can be said about the television. The first 2 years of life are considered a critical time for brain development. The APA recommends, kids younger than two are recommended to not watch television, kids older then two are recommended to only watch two hours (How TV). As kids get older, too much screen time can interfere with activities such as being physically active, reading, doing homework, playing with friends, and spending time with family (How TV). Children are not the only ones affected from television adults can also be affected. While children are becoming lazier and less academic with television viewing most adults are becoming aggressive with violent television viewing.…

    • 1238 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Watching Tv

    • 416 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Watching television is an experience shared by most adults and children. It is cheap, appealing and within the reach of the general public. In this way TV has become an important media around the world. Sadly this resource isn’t used in a way that people could get the best possible benefits from it. The purpose of this essay is to persuade the reader that people shouldn’t watch too much television because the content of many TV programs is not educational; it makes people waste time that could be used in more beneficial activities; and it negatively affects people’s mental development.…

    • 416 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Best Essays

    How Tv Makes You Smarter

    • 1539 Words
    • 7 Pages

    People all over the world turn on their television each night and watch a few moments to a few hours of television and it is hard to miss a reality show which on almost any channel. If they were to pause on one of these shows they might not know it but they would bettering themselves on a personal level. Based on the ideas of Steven Johnson the average person could learn a thing or two from reality TV. In his article called, “Watching TV Makes You Smarter” Johnson states that; "For decades, we've worked under the assumption that mass culture follows a path declining steadily toward lowest-common-denominator standards, presumably because the "masses" want dumb, simple pleasures and big media companies try to give the masses what they want. But as that 24 episode suggests, the exact opposite is happening: culture is getting more cognitively demanding, not less."(214). Johnson talks explicitly about what a scholar might call the “dumbing down of America”, which in his mind is completely false. Watching reality television in his mind makes a person more aware of the everyday occurrences that happen. The major point first made in Johnsons article is based on his theory called, “The Sleeper Curve”. This theory is about how: “television alters the mental development of young people for the better” (215). Johnson talks about reality TV affecting younger generations in a positive light and helping with personal development. Another major topic discussed is how; “multiple threads in new television episodes are much more complex than old television shows.” In talking about this Johnson refers to the Mary Tyler More show being cookie cutter whereas reality TV today has real life issues. Through this kind of television our younger generation can be taught how to handle tough situations. The third major topic that is brought up in Johnson’s article is about how younger generations are given mindless television that provides them with…

    • 1539 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    In “TV’s Negative Influence on Kids Reaffirmed” by Jeffery M. McCall, he claims that too much television is unhealthy for children. McCall states that children are more likely to be sexually active, violent, and socially impaired. The author claims that television not only negatively affects children, it also prevents children form doing productive activities such as doing homework, participating in sports, and reading. Even though all TV manufactures include v-chips in all televisions, McCall says that most families do not understand the system ratings that come with the v-chip. The author goes on to say that networks rate their own television programs and are not accurately labeling or rating their shows. McCall also argues that parents should…

    • 444 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The main arguments that the author is making are:TV can be very detrimental to the mental development of children and teenagers. And that it should only be allowed in moderation. Not “whenever they want” and “as much as they want.” The main purpose of this article is: To show that Americans watch way too much TV and are raising their children in the same manner. Oblivious to its negative effects on their child 's development.…

    • 304 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Interestingly, all the parents I surveyed watched reality TV with their children, varying in frequency from ?sometimes? to ?all the time.? Foremost among their concerns were the following: projection of values and language used; exposure to sex and violence; wrong impressions given regarding love and relationships; behaving ?over the top?; encouragement of voyeurism and public display of areas in life that should remain private.…

    • 790 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Lastly children that are exposed too much TV can show risky behaviors not appropriate for children. You may think a show is not bad but something simple as a child seeing someone smoking can provoke thoughts in the child’s head. Some TV shows and cartoons also promote racial stereotypes. All this can affect the child when they go out in the real world and how they treat others.…

    • 357 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Best Essays

    Youth Culture

    • 2379 Words
    • 8 Pages

    TeenInk. 2000. Reality Tv 's content is negatively influencing our youth-should be censored. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.teenink.com/opinion/movies_music_tv/article/383652/Reality-Tvs-content-is-negatively-influencing-our-youth-should-be-censored/. [Accessed 30 August 14].…

    • 2379 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Better Essays

    In the mid 1900’s reality television began. It was small time shows like, “Alan Funt’s TV series Candid Camera.” Big Brother, Survivor, America’s Funniest Home Videos, and many more, reality began a new era of showing audiences that these were entertainment and how we should seek entertainment through reality. In the early 2000’s majority of teens would watch shows from MTV, popular shows like 16 and pregnant, Teen Mom, Jersey Shore and The Real world, this was when the real world moved the format ahead by staging an environment in which, “reality” became so real. While watching the uphill battles of young and naïve people who are seeking to be famous on the show. Some children at home act the way they see and watch things on TV which makes things difficult for the parents to control.…

    • 2041 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    04) Boyse, Kyle, “Televion And Children” University of Michigan Health System. Updated August 2010. Accessed November 6th 2010. http://www.med.umich.edu/yourchild/topics/tv.htm…

    • 1101 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Contemporary, readily TV shows have become merely a time waste for many youngster and teenagers. As the TV shows attempt to keep on their programs at times very important, it grabs the students studying time. Reality TV shows have resulted for people not to have a family time as well.…

    • 274 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    There are many discussions about the effects of reality TV on society. Positive and negative effects of reality TV are two parts of a coin. Unfortunately the coin mostly falls on the negative side. Many reality TV shows are created purely for profit without thinking about its consequences on the mindsets of viewers, especially young viewers . Media companies accept that they make these shows for profit and they do not care about the effects on people. They say that they just show us what we want. Is it right not to care about the viewers mental health just to make more money? Most of these shows do not portray reality and this weakens the ability of critical thinking, causes to depict a ''false image of life'', develops wrong notions, erodes some ethical and moral practices.…

    • 998 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Reality Tv Stereotypes

    • 108 Words
    • 1 Page

    Reality television has influenced the lives of countless people across the world. What is done on a reality TV show, either it be moral or corrupt, is usually mimicked by people. For example, the fashion, actions, as well as way of life. Most reality television shows however, promote a dangerous stereotype. These stereotypes are then seen by viewers and influence their actions. Since teenagers are the main audience of reality television, the dangerous stereotyping affects this age group the most causing them to act or want to be like the people they see on TV. Therefore, reality television promotes dangerous stereotypes that must be put to an…

    • 108 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays