How Does Television Impact Children's Lives

According to California State University, Northridge, 99% of households have a television, Americans watch 250 billion hours of television each year, and children spend more time watching shows than at school (Television and Health). After spending this much time staring at a screen, some do not really stop to think about the consequences. It is especially important to know how television affects the rest of children’s lives. Television impacts children’s lives in various, drastically different ways: providing educational benefits, exposing them to violence, and increasing their obesity rate. First, to list a positive outcome, television helps educate children with a fun and entertaining approach. Credited author and journalist Malcolm

Gladwell reveals, “What they found was that 'Hug' was a resounding success. Seventy-six percent of all fixations were on the letters. Better still, 83 percent of all preschoolers fixated on the letters in a left to right sequence - mimicking, in other words, the actual reading” (Gladwell). Sesame Street also teaches using practical examples and depicts its characters engaging in activities which help promote learning in children that watch the show. Creators of sesame street found that by mimicking how people read, kids can follow and learn very easily. Children are exposed to more information according to the article in the US Library of Medicine. Their study demonstrates that public television programs help children explore and enhances their experiences. Especially true in disadvantaged situations, they learn and grow because it is an easy and convenient teaching tool (Impact of Media). During a show, kids are exposed to opportunities that help encourage them to imagine places and people they normally would not encounter and boosts their brain’s cognitive potential. These shows promote the development of certain skills for

Studies performed by Steven L. Gortmaker, Harvard professor, have shown that more television watching is directly proportional to increased obesity rates. His study reveals it was 4.6 times greater for youth to be obese if they watch more than 2 hours of television in a day. Then the experiment added maternal overweight, socioeconomic status, household structure, ethnicity, and maternal and child aptitude test scores into the experiment. The results were 5.3 times more likely for a person who watches over 2 hours of television to be obese. Four years later it grew again and became 8.3 times greater than people who watch over two hours of television are obese (Gortmaker). Through the years, these scientists observe how obesity changes with the amount of television watched. Their research demonstrates how the obesity rate changes rapidly over the years. Also, the other factors are taken into account into the show television effects people with all different characteristic. Found in the US National Library of Medicine is that television takes away from other important activities and encourages kids to be lazy. Investigations have found that children who watch large amounts of television are more likely to be out of shape and eat unhealthy snacks (Impact of Media). When most of a person’s day is sitting in front of a screen observing, there is not the time to work on being