Screen Media And Young Children: Who Benefit?

Technology throughout the past 30-40 years has become more advanced and accessible than ever. The television specifically has developed extremely since its beginning. What started off as a single camera caption, has developed into a full fledge worldwide availability. Within the United States, the TV is a normal everyday object common in households, hotels, schools, and even restaurants. There are approximately 118.4 million household in the United States that own a television set ( The Number of TV Households in the United States from season 2000-2001 to season 2016-2017 (in millions)).However, the increased amount of time spent watching TV has had a tremendous impact on people, especially kids. The differences in generations throughout the development of the TV has led to many questions, all revolving around whether or not the televisions has had a good or negative impact pertaining to children. Time spent watching television affects the brain, ability to learn, and skill levels in different areas (source. In the book “Last Child in The Woods,” Richard Louv discusses how children in the 1940’s would watch out the window at the scenery and have conversations, while children now sit and watch a movie on a flip-down video screen without knowledge to the outside world (Louv 16-17).

I was never too concerned or caught up in what was going on with the news and I also did not have a phone or any sort of mobile device until the 8th grade so I was never caught up with that. The shows that I watched played a significant role in defining how I was and the things that I was interested in. For me, Mass Media did not have a negative effect on me growing up. Times are changing though, even from when I was a kid.

The media affects children by shortening their attention span drastically. How the media affects children is because of the way the editors edit their works. The media is very fast paced and constantly cutting scenes which shorten children’s attention span. It is harmful to younger children because of how fast paced media produce their content.

There have been a multitude of studies in recent years on the subject of screen time and the effects it can have on children of all ages. Previously, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended that children from 0-2 years of age not be exposed to any screen time at all (American Academy of Pediatrics, [AAP], 2016). This included television, video games, smart phones, tablets, movies and computers. The AAP has recently changed its recommendation, though, stating that “Some media can have educational value for children starting at around 18 months of age, but it 's critically important that this be high-quality programming, such as the content offered by Sesame Workshop and PBS.” (AAP, 2016). The recommendation for children ages 2-5 is still the same, at one hour of high quality programming a day, and for children age 6 and older, to use consistent limits on the

     What impact does sex, violence, drugs, etc. in the media have on children? What can we do about it? How do we balance the tension between freedom of expression and the need to protect children? When you talk about the media and whether or not it is harmful on children, you must examine the whole industry and all aspects of its effects on children. It is that the media as a whole is not as harmful to children as some intense other can, but over exposure to certain aspects of certain types of media can be harmful. To say that all media can be harmful to children is a fallacy that must be avoided when examining this topic. Most people when analyzing this issue tend to focus on drugs, sex, and violence in terms of

One of the major concerns surrounding children's exposure to the media is the detriment to their learning and social skills.

According to the book, many parents and child advocates are strongly against using smart toys. They claim that smart toys and TV put infants in a passive role instead of actively exploring their world (Fogel, 357). The critics think smart toys will create television addicts and sedentary children. They also believe TV, DVD, and video viewing, under some conditions, may have harmful effects on cognition and brain development for children under the age of 3 years.

This shows that children spend more time involved in the media than they do with their parents and education. This means that the media is imposing a negative impact on children by eliminating important factors in a childs growth such as learning and spending time with family.

According to Juana Summers, writer on NPR website, research from UCLA shows that children under eight years of age are spending a minimum of 2 hours a day in front of a screen whether it be a handheld device or a television (Summers). To sum those numbers up into a more direct base that is 14 hours a week, 56 hours a month, and up to 672 hours a year based on the rounded value of 2 hours a day, that’s 28 days a year total that a kid waste on looking at a screen. Thatis incredibly concerning considering the fact that the human brain does not fully develop until the mid-20’s based on gender, health, and genetic background. By allowing children to waste their time looking at screen we are allowing them to potentially harm their brain

Media and its content have become an important part of our society. As traditional family bonds seem to be disappearing, more and more young children are relying on media to get the information they need on how to act as adults and function in society. However, most media is not created in order to instruct young children. On the contrary most of the media that adolescents are exposed to are created for adults who have the capabilities to recognize what is appropriate and moral. 64% of all shows on TV have sexual content, (Collins, Elliot, Berry, Kanouse, Kunel, Hunter, Miu) many of the shows on prime time (after nine pm) have intense sexual messages that are not meant to be seen by younger viewers. However, lack of parental presence,

Television’s substantial impact on all growing children began in the 1950s with the proliferation of TV sets3. About four generation of children have been raised with TV. Almost hundred percent of American household has at least one television set and children starting to watch TV very early, usually before they turn two years old. But today kids don’t watch TV very often, and reason for that is not a parental control. It is because other sources also available for them: computer, internet, smartphone, tablet.

Throughout the years technology has increased greatly which has caused great leaps for society as a whole. For example, television has become more assessable to many families. The usage of television has changed from being a way for a family to relax after a long day. Now many parents or care give givers use television as a tool to keep children occupied for long periods of time. The effects of children viewing television for long periods of time has increased recently. Children can have issues regarding socialization, loss of interest and commitment to their school work, vioence, awful eating habits, and attitudes towards themselves and others. How much television is too much? Television is becoming a major addiction among school aged children which is causing life time concerns.

What is media? Defined by Oxford Dictionaries, the media is “The main means of mass communication (television, radio, and newspapers) regarded collectively” (Oxford University Press, 2014, pp. 1). The media can have a vast array of influences on children whether they are positive or negative. Research shows that despite the positive influences it also raises negative implication¬¬¬¬¬¬s on children’s behaviour, habits and ways of thinking through themes such as violence and aggression, sex, substance use, eating disorders, developmental concerns and school performance. Although the media may not be the leading cause to these problems, research has proven that it is a significant factor (Strasburger, Jordan & Donnerstein, 2010).

In the modern household, TV is one of the most common electronic devices to have. There are countless entertaining TV programs for children on many different channels everyday. Watching TV is the easiest way to entertain children at home. With just one push on the remote controler, it is not complicated for even young children to turn on the TV and find their favorite shows without parent’s help. TV shows for children are made for making children to stay on the channel or to watch the same show again, so it likely leads children to be addicted to TV. In fact, many families try to get rid of the TV or lessen the TV time for children to avoid the addiction. Although TV can affect children negatively, there are also many quality programs for children. TV can provide educational contents, fun family time, and relaxation time for children and family. If parents use TV wisely, TV will benefit children and their family.

Media has a powerful reflection that influences the development of children. Parents need to know when their child is exposed to media parent involvement that includes positive guidance on appropriate use of all media that includes internet, music, television, and video games. All media has the possibility to develop positive and negative effects on children and adolescents. Depending on the child’s developmental stage determines if the effect will be