The Effects of Television on Children

There are several areas of concern which can be impacted negatively by excessive TV watching. I would like to take a closer look on the area of learning and education first, and then mention some other areas that can be influenced by television. To begin with, the medium is frequently blamed to interfere in the education of children. More time spent in front of a TV and watching programs is connected to poor academic performance by keeping children away from reading and doing their homework. Thus, intellectual ability, achievement and grades can be deleteriously affected by television. According to the Media Awareness Network, especially very young children should spend most of their free time with other activities than watching TV. Alexander emphasizes that the impact of television depends on age and gender. He points out that not only do children who excessively watch TV poorly in school but also perform children who spend a moderate amount of time watching television better than others.

Moreover, especially late-night TV viewing has been connected to abnormal sleep patterns in children. Violent programs evoke emotional stress in children which prevents them from getting to sleep or causes nightmares. Television tires children out so that they are exhausted at the next morning. This leads to daytime sleepiness so that children are less alert in school and cannot pay attention. Therefore, poorer sleep patterns caused by late-night TV watching also contribute to poorer school performance.

Furthermore, television enhances passivity. While sitting in front of a TV, children shy away from activities. Physical as well as mental workout comes off badly. Therefore, excessive TV watching promotes a lack of creativity (toys) and fantasy (books). Children do not have to think anymore since television provides them all the answers and therefore promotes passive learning. Additionally, TV viewing also provokes short attention spans. As a result, children have difficulty concentrating and working hard to solve a problem.

In my opinion, children’s TV is required to have a teaching assignment and to import valuable information to children. Unfortunately, according to Miller, most of the programs for children on television are non-educational. Only a few shows teach important skills such as reading, math, science or problem solving. However, the Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS) emphasizes that “television can be a powerful teacher.” It can be an educational tool for children and teach specific skills - such as the American children’s TV series ‘Sesame Street’. This educational program, established in 1969, combines both entertainment and education. Minors can learn valuable lessons, for example about the alphabet, reading, simple arithmetic or international understanding. These abilities will contribute to their performance in school. The success of the show is proven by the audience of over 6 million pre-school children every week all over the world. Here is an example of how stars are integrated in ‘Sesame Street’: Feist on Sesame Street.

Educational television can be a beneficial teaching tool for disadvantaged groups, according to CPS. Moreover, such programs encourage children to go to the library or bookstores, to visit the zoo or museums as well as have a positive impact on the pro-social behaviour of children. According to Alexander, ‘prosocial behavior’ is generally defined as "good for persons and society". In the main, data suggests that excessive television can have an adverse effect on learning and the education of children.

Apart from learning and education, there are other areas which can be affected by excessive TV watching. According to Gavin, “TV characters often depict risky behaviors, such as smoking and drinking, and also reinforce gender-role and racial stereotypes.” He also points out that “kids who view violent acts are more likely to show aggressive behavior but also fear that the world is scary and that something bad will happen to them.” Furthermore, he states that children who excessively watch TV “(…) are more likely to be overweight.” Therefore, the healthy child development can be deleteriously affected by too much TV viewing. Television might also undermine family life as well as affect social abilities such as friend- and relationships. Finally, also commercials can have a negative impact on children. Thus, in 1995 the New Zealand Television Broadcasters’ Council (NZTBC) issued some guidelines concerning children and television advertising. These guidelines include policies and voluntary rules which regulate media communication with children and have been revised over the years.

Here you can find the 2008 edition of Advertising on Television. Getting it right for children as well as the 2001 edition. With this brochure, the NZTBC acknowledges that there is “the need for a high level of social responsibility in communicating to children.” Moreover, all bodies involved in television broadcasting - the media, advertisers and advertising agencies - take into the consideration the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. In Article 13, the Convention appreciates a child’s right to “freedom of seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kids, …through any media of the child’s choice.” On the one hand, the Convention recognizes each child’s uniqueness, individuality and personality, potential and competence. Furthermore, on the other hand, the agreement is conscious of violence, unsafe and risky practices, impropriety, bad taste and offensive language on television. The Convention provides children protection. All bodies involved in television broadcasting mentioned above consent to act according to the Advertising Codes of Practice through membership in the Advertising Standards Authority Inc (ASA). A Code for Advertising to Children is included. The brochure contains some supplemented, voluntary rules and principles to the Code concerning children’s TV and advertising. The guidelines represent the responsibilities of advertising broadcasters in programming for children and commercials.

Apart from all these negative effects of television on children, there might also be some advantages and even benefits. In moderation, television can be excellent entertainer as well as educator for children. According to CPS, the influence of television on children depends on several factors such as the amount of time spent in front of the TV, the child’s developmental level, the individual susceptibility as well as whether children watch television with their parents or rather alone.