Effects of Television on Children's Development and Behavior

Introduction: Television in the American Home

Television may be an almost universal feature of the domestic scene; however, it is not used in the same way by everyone who has access to a set (Gunter 1). The television set has become an integral piece of household furniture, and practically every home has at least one set — if not more — which means that children are born into a world in which television is present from the start (Gunter 4). According to reports by parents, their children begin viewing television between the ages of two and three. Wilbur Schramm and his colleagues report that the median age at which children begin watching television is 2.8 years (Gunter 4). Although television has its positive side — giving children a chance to see educational programming, learn about different cultures, and be entertained — many professionals and parents believe that television also has a harmful side for children (Television).

According to the University of Michigan Health Systems, the television set is on for over seven hours each day in a typical American home, and the average child spends approximately twenty or more hours each week watching television — more time than on any other activity besides sleeping (Television). By the time the average person reaches the age of seventy, he or she will have watched seven to ten years' worth of television (Television). Critics complain that advertisers specifically target children; in fact, the average child views tens of thousands of television commercials each year, including up to 2,000 advertisements for alcohol (Television). Moreover, television tends to replace activities that most parents consider important, such as playing with friends, physical activity, time outdoors, reading, completing homework, doing household chores, and spending quality time with the family (Television). Television is believed to affect brain development, as well as contribute to poor grades, sleep problems, behavioral problems, and obesity (Television).

Television Violence and Aggressive Behavior

Research reveals that programs designed for children are five to six times more violent than adult programming, and that during prime-time viewing there are three to five violent acts per hour, while Saturday morning programming depicts twenty to twenty-five violent acts per hour (Television). In fact, the average child will witness approximately 8,000 murders on television before finishing grade school (Television). It is estimated that children view some 10,000 rapes, assaults, and murders each year on television, and many experts believe that children imitate the violence they see — thus television violence may lead to more aggressive behavior (Television).

Television violence is believed to have the greatest effect on preschool children, most likely because television tends to glamorize violence and often promotes violent acts as a fun and effective way of getting what one wants (Television). Furthermore, most violent acts on television go unpunished and are sometimes even accompanied by humor. Even when "good guys" defeat "bad guys," this sends the message that violence is normal and acceptable (Television). A 17-year longitudinal study revealed that teenage boys who grew up watching more than one hour of television each day were four times more likely to commit acts of violence than those who watched less than an hour a day (Television). A separate study spanning 22 years revealed that watching excessive amounts of violent television at age eight was linked to more aggressive behavior at ages 19 and 30 (Television). One researcher found that as adults exposed to this early violence more frequently used physical punishment with their own children, those children in turn more often preferred violent programming (Sons).

Experts believe that repeated exposure to television violence tends to make children less sensitive to its effects on victims, such that children may become genuinely unaware of the human suffering it causes (Television). According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, American children watch an average of three to four hours of television each day, and the organization cautions that television can exert a powerful influence on developing value systems and shaping behavior (Children). Hundreds of studies reveal that television violence can cause children to become "immune" to the horror of violence, to accept violence as a way to solve problems, and to identify with certain characters — whether victims or victimizers (Children).

In Congressional testimony in September 2004, Dr. Dale Kunkel, testifying before the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, Committee on House Energy and Commerce, stated that after reviewing the totality of empirical evidence regarding the impact of media violence, the conclusion that "exposure to violent portrayals poses a risk of harmful effects on children" had been reached by the U.S. Surgeon General, the National Institutes of Mental Health, the National Academy of Sciences, the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and a number of other scientific and public health agencies (Kunkel). It has been established by a compelling body of scientific evidence that television violence poses a risk of harmful effects for children, including learning aggressive attitudes and behaviors, desensitization or increased callousness toward victims of violence, and an exaggerated fear of being victimized (Kunkel). Although exposure to media violence is not necessarily the most potent factor contributing to real-world violence and aggression, it is "certainly the most pervasive" (Kunkel).

Fear, Stereotyping, and Social Effects

One notable study by L. Rowell Huesmann of the University of Chicago examined two types of Israeli child-rearing societies (Bower). In the kibbutz, children attended school in the morning, worked with peers in the afternoon, ate dinner with their families, and then returned to communal barracks where they slept and watched television. City children, much like those in the United States, attended school and then spent more time watching television, either alone or with others (Bower). Huesmann stresses that all of the data supports the notion that "social norms mediate the effects of television violence" (Bower). Aggressive behavior was more socially acceptable in the city, meaning that a child's popularity among classmates was not diminished by aggression; however, on the kibbutz, popularity with peers declined among the more aggressive children (Bower).

According to a random survey of grade school children, 37% reported that they had been frightened or upset by a television story during the previous year. Reported symptoms included bad dreams, anxious feelings, fear of being alone, withdrawal from friends, and missing school (Television). Scary images such as grotesque monsters were especially frightening to children aged two to seven, and explaining that the images were not real did not always help, because young children cannot consistently distinguish between fantasy and reality (Television). Many children reported that they regretted having watched films such as Poltergeist, Jaws, and Halloween because of the intensity of their fright reactions (Television). Children aged eight to twelve who view violence on television are often concerned that they themselves may become victims of violence or natural disasters, such as a house fire or drowning (Television).

Because minorities are not depicted on television as frequently as white characters, they tend to be stereotyped, and children learn to accept those stereotypes (Television). One study found that white children who watched more violent television programs believed that African-American children were less competent and less obedient (Television). Women on television also tend to be dominated by men, and research reveals that the gender-biased and gender-stereotyped behaviors and attitudes that children observe on television do affect how they perceive male and female roles in society (Television). Studies show that programming often depicts child characters who engage in antisocial behaviors that yield positive results, and that minorities are consistently underrepresented on television (Television). Although boys and girls are usually equally represented in terms of numbers, there are significant differences in the way they are portrayed (Television).

Conclusion: Parental Guidance and Balance

Television is a fact of life, and any child who grows up without a television set in the home will face significant social challenges in school and later in life. A child who has not seen a particular program or film is likely to feel excluded from mainstream peer conversation. Television has become a core part of American culture, and it can serve as a tool for parents to connect with their children.