Television Harmful Effects

There are approximately 116.4 million televisions in US homes today, and 99% of eight to eighteen year olds have a television in their homes (Armstrong, Bush, Jones). Television use, by children especially, is continually and rapidly growing. Moreover, the recommended amount of television that should be watched in a day does not seem to be followed as an increasing number of kids are staring at their television for hours. The average eight-year old child watches around 25 hours of television every week and more than 70% of 3 year-olds in the US were exposed to more than 2 hours of television per day (Armstrong, Bush, Jones). Early exposure to television has been linked to attention disorders and sleep problems (Infants, Toddlers and Television).

Reports show that educational children’s shows like Sesame Street and Dora the Explorer, when watched in limited quantities, will improve a child’s cognitive abilities. For example, PBS states that the Sesame Street curriculum is made by child psychologists, educators, and education advisors. Using their expert knowledge, they help children gain an abundance of social and educational tools. Children having these social tools, like learning to understand and regulate their emotions, are included in the show by psychologists for the purpose of improving their behavior towards others. Educators participating in the creation of the show will ensure the children are academically inclined. This point is specifically proven by statistics showing that “American children who frequently view Sesame Street as preschoolers achieve high school grade point averages 16% higher than those who don’t” (Literacy & Numeracy). Children viewing educational shows at a very young age can leave a major, beneficial impact, that will help, specifically high school students, in the future, with higher success rates. But, not all children’s shows lead to success, some instead will lead to substance use. For instance, a study performed by Princeton University found that children who watched more violent cartoons, like Superman and Batman, showed decreases in measures of self-regulation, meaning lower levels of task persistence and rule obedience (Anderson, Kirkorian, Wartella). If these children had watched educational, prosocial shows they too would be more successful. Instead, the television shows included fighting and violence which poorly influences a child's’ behavior and can degrade academic success. Therefore, the overall conclusion found through extensive research and studies were that the genre of television watched by children