Controversial arguments in mass media

Children and Television

Violence in American society is a public health problem, according to author W. James Potter, who researched hundreds of existing empirical studies about violence (Potter, 1999, p. 1). Potter claims that "most" of the 2,000 teenagers in a national survey said they had a degree of fear for crime and violence that affects their "everyday behavior" (Potter 1). The author blames the media -- and in particular television -- and asks (Potter 2) "…What strategies can we use to protect children from the negative effects of exposure to violence" on television? This paper reviews current literature relating to several problems connected to excessive television watching by children including: excessive violence; obesity and a lack of fitness; dissatisfaction with one's physical appearance (that can lead to eating disorders); and poor literacy development. The position of this paper is that television is harmful to children in many instances, and that it is up to the parents to take control away from children when it comes to the remote channel changer.

The Literature on Television and Children:

On page 29 of his book, Potter asserts, "…Boys and younger children are more affected" by violence on television; boys "pay more attention to violence" and that may be part of the reason they are affected to a greater degree, he explains. But the fact that younger children have more trouble "following story plots" (in other words, children at a young age have limited attention spans) leads them to "drawn into high-action episodes without considering motives or consequences" (Potter 29). Moreover, children from low-income families and children from minority and immigrant groups are "vulnerable" to the violence because they are "heavy viewers of television" (Potter 29). There are studies that show children living in households where they are abused "watch more violence, and identify more with violent heroes" (Potter 29).

Potter points out (Potter 30) that studies conducted by developmental psychologists have revealed that age 3, children begin watching television "using an exploratory approach" in which they are searching for meaning; and prior to reaching age 5, children are "attracted to and influenced by vivid production features" which of course include violent action (those kinds of features are in many cartoons).

Studying the negative effects of television violence on children is not a new concept; there are published studies dating back to the 1950s on this subject. Researchers were already conducting a great deal of research work in the 1980s. In a 1983 article in the NASSP (National Association of Secondary School Principals) Bulletin the writers claim too much television "retards the language development of viewers who are middle level age and older" (Van Hoose, et al. 1983). Typically, middle level youths begin watching television after school at about 4:30 P.M., the article explains, and while a break is taken for dinner and homework, many youths go back to the tube for several hours. What they watch during those hours are "large doses of violence and sex" (Van Hoose).

Poor fitness and obesity among children are serious issues for families and communities, and an article in the journal Behavior Modification points to children's use of media (including video games, phones, Internet and television) as a "primary contributor" to those health problems (Larwin, et al. 2008). The study done by Larwin in this journal pointed to the need for parents to require children to spend more time doing physical activities, and less time using media, including television. The authors assert that childhood obesity and the lack of fitness that goes along with obesity are a "national epidemic" (Larwin 938). So there is clearly a need for research that provides data along with answers and ideas. This article points to the fact that according to the Kaiser Family Foundation report ("Kids and Media Use") today's youth aren't just sitting in front of the television, they are texting and chatting on cell phones and they are online at the same time with the television nattering away in the background (Larwin 939).

Indeed, children are spending as much time online as they are watching television; and meantime the television is on, so children are being exposed to it even though they are simultaneously texting or talking on the phone. The study in this report involved a 14-year-old adolescent female who was 5-feet 2-inches and weighed 132 pounds; she was given a challenge to walk for exercise and use an exercise machine at home -- and in turn she agreed to cut back on television and other media usage. The bottom line was, she lost weight, but moreover, one year after the study she was increasing the level of physical activity she had been given at the outset of the study.

Evidence is presented in an article titled "Body Dissatisfaction and Patterns of Media Use Among Preadolescent Children" that boys and girls determine to some degree how their bodies should look from watching television. The authors' empirical research indicates that "body dissatisfaction and concern with weight" actually develop before a child reaches age 7 in Western societies (Jung, et al., 2007, p. 40). The alert researcher can see from the outset that marketing efforts by companies selling clothes, music, food and other products have a dynamic effect on children. "Thinness is considered as one of the most important criteria for female attractiveness," (Jung 41) the authors explain; and for males, "well-developed chest and arm muscles" are very important.

And how do young people develop these ideas about the preferred body types? The article points to television as the source of these attitudes by children; indeed, a study referenced by Jung found that "adolescent females who viewed more television were more dissatisfied with their bodies than were females who viewed less television" (Jung 42). In another study (this one involving grade school children) the amount of television viewing time was linked to "increased eating disorder symptoms" among both boys and girls. As weight issues, another study showed that, "below average weight female characters [on TV shows] received significantly more positive verbal comments from male characters with regards to body weight and shape than their heavier counterparts" (Jung 42). The result of studies like this show that television images (of thin pretty characters) can cause girls to potentially develop eating disorders, a dangerous and unproductive dynamic for parents and communities.