("What do I Need..." para on "How big a presence...") The "American Academy of Pediatrics" believes that too much television at such an early age can negatively affect brain development since the first 2 years of a child's life are especially important in the growth and development of the brain and a child needs good, positive interaction with other children and adults in this period. (Ibid.)
The link between violence on television and violent behavior in children has been well established in numerous studies and is particularly disturbing. Statistics indicate that the typical American child is exposed to 12,000 violent acts on television a year and children's TV programming alone contains about 20 violent acts an hour. (Ibid.) Children imitate what they see and watching violent TV programs teaches children that violence is an acceptable way to solve problems. According to the "American Psychological Association," besides learning aggressive behavior, children exposed to TV violence are likely to become desensitized to real world violence and develop a fear of being victimized.
As we saw in this essay, television viewing can have both good and bad influence on children but the negative effects outnumber the positive effects by a long way. Parents, however, can minimize the bad...
"Children and Television." The Museum of Broadcast Communication. 2005. November 13, 2006. http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/C/htmlC/childrenand/childrenand.htm
Fact Sheet: Television's Effect on Reading and Academic Achievement." National Institute on Media and the Family. July 7, 2002. November 13, 2006. http://www.mediafamily.org/facts/facts_tveffect.shtml
The Good Things About Television." Media Awareness Network. 2006. November 13, 2006. http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/parents/television/good_things_tv.cfm
How Television Viewing Affects Children." Bulletin #4100: University of Maine Cooperative Extension. 2006. November 13, 2006. http://www.umext.maine.edu/onlinepubs/htmpubs/4100.htm
What do I need to know about children and TV?" University of Michigan: Health System.
2006. November 13, 2006. http://www.bipolarfocus.org/1libr/yourchild/tv.htm
TV & Children
