As children are our future, showing violent and frightening images on television has a negative impact on society because it aids in the creation of a society that is both aggressive and fear. And what causes war and conflict other than aggressive fear?
In addition to creating a society filled with those who are both aggressive and fearful, television creates a society filled with those who do not succeed academically and intellectually, preparing the world to spiral into a downturn of less than qualified leadership. According to Hedley et al.'s book, the negative correlation between television viewing and academic performance can be supported by five major studies. These studies, conducted mostly during the 1980s, used data collected primarily from educational and academic sources, such as the Educational Testing Service, the California Assessment Program, and the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Susan B. Neuman, in Literacy in the Television Age, a book published in 1999, adds to this data by arguing that the television could have been a great educational tool. Tha I t is not, and is rather a tool commonly seen as eroding academic ability, certainly speaks volumes to its nature. Neuman argues that three arguments have been made, associating television with negative affects on society. Some have argued that television takes time away from more academic pursuits like reading and imagining, while others suggest that it shapes the way that students' think....
The other argument holds that TV makes students exhibit poor behavior during class. Clearly, one of the most important pursuits of a child or adolescent's life is education. Without it, society will be doomed to malfunction. Because television impacts education negatively, it has a negative impact on society.
Now that we've established how television can have a negative impact on society through encouraging violent behavior and poor academic performance, we can start to consider what can be done. Clearly, children are the focus of television's negative affects on society. Therefore, it must be children that are targeted in order to improve this situation. The burden must fall on parents, who should closely monitor what children watch and how much television they watch a day. Parents should encourage children to engage in other, more intellectually stimulating behavior, such as reading. By doing this, the negative societal affects or television can be removed. So make sure the children in your life aren't watching too much TV or shows that are inappropriate for them.
Thus, the television has been a wonderful invention that has helped us travel to other worlds. But the amount of children watching televisions for periods as long as their parents go to work is causing problems, impacting society negatively. In order to create future leaders who are not aggressive or intellectually stunted, parents must strictly monitor children's television watching.
