Does TV Impact the way children interact

Does TV impact the way children interact?

These days just about every household owns a TV. There are many programs for children on the TV and we may think that it is harmless for a child to watch TV because they are “educational” or what not. True, some shows can teach your child some beneficial things such as learning to count or the alphabet, yet if a child is watching too much TV how can this impact the way children interact? And how much do you think is too much TV watching? Well according to the website (Kids Health from Neumors) they say : “The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that kids under 2 years old not watch any TV and that those older than 2 watch no more than 1 to 2 hours a day of quality programming.” We may think, well why this is when the kid is under 2 years of age how can it have an effect on them. Well the website (Kids Health from Neumors) they mention “The first 2 years of life are considered a critical time for brain development. TV and other electronic media can get in the way of exploring, playing, and interacting with parents and others, which encourages learning and healthy physical and social development.” I personally have noticed that kids in this day and age play less outdoors and when I was a child I always wanted to go play outside and use my imagination to create my own adventures. Now I see many parents struggle to get their kids to go outside and play. I notice many kids are addicted to watching TV or even more so be stuck on playing video games. According to (CNN.com) “ when you consider that more time is spent in front of a television means less time spent on homework or having stimulating interactions with adults or other children. In addition, late-night TV watching tires kids out so that they can't pay attention in school. Also, television hands kids all the answers, promoting passive learning and short attention spans. As a result, kids have difficulty concentrating and working hard to solve a problem.” So, we can see here that TV in excess can deprive a child of proper stimulating interactions with other people, whether it is adults or other children. Another aspect that we may have not thought about also, is the affect of background television. According to the website (PubMed.gov) there was a study performed on background television and its impact and it mention “this study investigated the hypothesis that background television affects interactions between parents and very young children. Fifty-one 12-, 24-, and 36-month-old children, each accompanied by 1 parent, were observed for 1 hr of free play in a laboratory space resembling a family room. For half of the hour, an adult-directed television program played in the background on a monaural television set. During the other half hour, the television was not on. Both the quantity and quality of parent-child interaction decreased in the presence of background television. These findings suggest one way in which early, chronic exposure to television may have a negative impact on development.” So we can see here that even television in the background can have a direct affect on children’s interactions. As for television effect on children’s behavior there are so many TV shows nowadays that portray violence, drugs, sex, etc. and these can have an effect on children and affect the way they think by what they are exposed to. Children’s minds are so fragile and they absorb information like a sponge at such a young age. So many children act out in violence at school or with other children with bullying and fights and a lot of this is seen on TV. Even cartoons these days have a lot of violence in them and innuendos of drug use or the like. Albert Bandura’s social learning theory was based on the fact that children could easily learn and model their behavior to what they have observed on film or television. He claimed that children whole have watch programming filled with violet actions have a tendency to imitate those action. Laboratory experiments have also demonstrated that soon after watching violent programming children are more likely to show an increase in their own levels or aggression according to an article in (Study Health). Another aspect we can be aware of is television and cognitive development. As we have already concluded, violence on television is a present and most visible and bad impact. We however must be aware that there are also some potentially beneficial effects of television on the line of thinking and understanding. Some claim that it just ruins a child’s creativity and imagination but other theories claim that children’s attention is closely linked to comprehension. They say that children’s attention is fragmentary before the age of two and that it increases continuously during preschool years and then visual attention begins to increase around the age of eight according to Dr. Harold Gladwell. He does mention that however, all children watch television from a different perspective and that studies have shown that younger children experience difficulty with a number of tasks involved in understanding television programs. In conclusion with all the information gathered and the research that is out there I believe that there definitely is an effect in the way that television impacts how a child interacts with others by maybe what they view but it may not always be negative, but for a majority there is a lot of negative influences on television that all parents should be aware of to help out children be able to develop good social skills and interactions with others. Being aware of this information definitely has helped me be more cautious as to the television watching I will allow my own child to do. It is amazing at how much television can affect a child’s development and how it is beneficial to educate ourselves as parents and be aware of this fact.