Effects of TV Programs on Children Behavior

Effect of TV Programs on Children Behavior

In my experience, when I visit villages I will notice that many villagers now have own television set. Proudly, they place it in a living room. As villagers, they bought TV set for home entertainment, so it is normal if they mostly enjoy films, quiz, magic show, humor, sports and even advertisement. It is unusual for villagers to be newspaper subscriber, because they almost never think of politic, economy, social affairs, etc.
Since TV reaches villages, it becomes the only effective medium to transfer science and technology to all people whoever they are. It must be used in such a way that students, scientist, politicians, farmers and so on can get any information broadcasted.
The development of technology is useful to the development of science and vise versa. The development of science and technology is very much useful to the effectiveness of human activity. For instance, Television, by using television, people can see information from a distance. News reported from the London will reach Jakarta or even around the world. Now distance is not a problem any longer. That is why something happened in one place will soon spread without any interference. The world border lines have been wiped out.
Unfortunately, the success of Television brings negative effect to people. Children stay in front of TV for hours. Indubitably, if they are always busy with TV and its programs they will be lazy, introvert, not be able to communicate with brothers, and not be creative. Watching sadistic films, indirectly, their emotion and character will be badly driven. Physically, their eyes will be irritated, too.
Viewing TV shows where violent behavior is punished my inhibit feelings of aggression to a greater degree for human. Television has become a potent agency of socialization because like the family, school, and peers, it directly provides the child with experiences which shape their attitudes and influence their behaviors. In evaluating television's influence on children, it is important to view this medium as an element in a matrix of influences in a child's social environment.
Television seems to become a growing source of parental anxiety. Parents worry most of all about the amount and kinds of programs their children watch, and definitely these fears are legitimate. According to the American Psychological Association Task Force Report on Television and American Society, by the time the average American child (one who watches two to four hours of television daily), leaves elementary school, he or she will have witnessed at least 8,000 murders and more than 100,000 other assorted acts of violence on television.
Unlike books, television programs are easily accessible to children. In a book culture, parents exercise control over the flow of information by selecting the type of books according to the child's reading readiness. Television presents the same information to adults and to children of all ages; and so parents often find it difficult to censor their children's viewing without censoring their own.
Their difficulty stems from their inability to differentiate what is essential to the plot and what is peripheral. Character actions, especially those showing physical actions and confrontations, are remembered better than scenes offering explanations for their actions. Children find it hard to recall scenes recounting inner feelings that explain previous events.
Young children also have a hard time distinguishing make-believe from reality. A five-year-old child wondered why an actor who "died" in one TV programs "came back to life" in another show; and if Superman can fly, why can't he (the child) even if he wears a Superman cape. Children observe that cartoon characters manage to recover from severe violent acts almost immediately. This kind of exposure could lead them to interpret that in real life, people who are victims of violent acts do not really get hurt at all.
So what parents can do to stop it, Parents should watch at least one episode of Programs their child watches to know how violent they are. When viewing together, they can discuss how the conflict could have been solved without the violence. They should explain to the child how violence in entertainment is "faked" and not real. Such interventions, whether at the personal or family level can moderate the impact of scenes on children. Adult explanation improves children's understanding of plots, characters, and events. Co-viewing with children can provide occasions for parents to discuss values, beliefs, and moral issues. Parents should also set clear guidelines on the time and length of television viewing.
Parents can also encourage their children to find pleasure in other mass media, such as books and newspapers. They can select books that highlight the themes in programs that children have viewed on television and discuss with them what was the same and what was different, as well as their feelings and preferences about characters and scenes, and the way they are presented in both media forms. At the school level, the inclusion of media literacy courses in school systems can be very effective. Children can be taught to be more discriminating viewers and can be helped to understand the influence and the effects of television and other media. Teachers should point out that real violence actually hurts, has negative consequences, and that there are other ways than violence to solve real-life problems.