Media is one of the essential tools in the society fulfilling the tasks of informing, entertaining and educating the public. One of the channels of media is the television and its invention brought convenience and benefit to the viewing public. News and information are easily acquired through the television.
Television is a diverse media showing various topics and subject to satisfy the craving of the relatively diverse public. One of the topics showed in our televisions sets is violence. This may have an adverse effect on the viewers and manifests same violent behaviors in real life. One aspect of the population susceptible on the violence showed on TV is our children. Children spend an average of three to four hours of watching the television daily. Television may have a powerful influence on the young minds of our children and in the development of their behavior and value systems (American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry, 2002).
There are many studies conducted on the effects of viewing violence on TV on children. Theses studies have found out that children may be immune on the violence and harm, may seek violence as a way of solving problems and children may imitate the violence they see. Extensive television viewing of violence may increase the children’s aggressiveness. Children are more likely to imitate the violence they see when they are not properly guided by their parents in watching such shows (American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry, 2002).
Television programs tend to distort the reality and depict some unrealistic behaviors. Such as cartoons which sometimes reflect unrealistic behaviors. Sometimes the cartoons show a character bawled over by the other but still not getting harmed. Children begin to believe that violence do not really hurt others (“The Effects of Television Violence”, n.d.).
It is not only the television shows that may have an impact on our children but also the hundreds of television advertisements that they see. Some of the advertisements may have contents that are inappropriate for children. This may also negatively influence their behavior and value systems. It is important that parents should accompany their children in their television viewing. Parents should also carefully choose or select programs that have appropriate contents and message for their children.
References
American Academy of child Adolescent Psychiatry. (2002, November). Children and TV Violence. Retrieved December 17, 2008 from http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/facts_for_families/children_and_tv_violence.
The Effects of Television Violence. (n.d.). ThinkQuest.org. Retrieved December 17, 2008 from http://library.thinkquest.org/5676/effects.html.
