Children and television
By Patricia Fosarelli, M.D.
In the last 30 years, television has become a pervasive part of our
lives. Children, especially, are attracted by its magic. Children in the
United States watch an average of two to three hours of TV per weekday
and an average of four to six hours on weekend days, and even more
during summer vacations and school holidays. By the time many children
become high school seniors, they will have spent more hours watching TV
than sitting in a classroom. School-age children who watch more hours of
TV per day tend to be poorer students than those who watch fewer hours
per day.
Since so many programs have violent or sexual overtones, the average
child is exposed to much that is undesirable. This exposure is
heightened if a home has cable TV through which children can be exposed
to “adult” programs. In addition to violence and sex, children are also
exposed to blatant commercialism, which imparts a sense of greed to many
affluent children and a sense of deprivation to many children of modest
means.
How do children learn?
Young children learn by observing. They mimic both positive and negative
behaviors that they see around them. An example is the young child who
utters an obscenity, just as he or she has heard an adult do, after
being frustrated in some task.
Young children who watch many television programs will try out some of
the behaviors they see. If they see a pro-social act (helping or
comforting someone in need), they are
likely to mimic it. If they see a hostile act (hitting or screaming at
another person), they might also mimic it. The likelihood that hostile
behaviors will be mimicked is higher if the children live in an
environment that is already hostile, such as a household in which
parents and children constantly bicker.
What programs do children prefer?
Young children prefer programs with lively music, animated figures,
female characters, babies of either sex, and a happy tone. They also
prefer short programs, because their attention span is so limited.
Studies have shown that young children cannot follow the story line of a
moderately complicated plot. For example, many 3- and 4-year-olds cannot
order the sequences properly in familiar fairy tales. These children
remember violent sequences but cannot consistently remember the events
leading to a violent act or the consequences of the act.
If this inability to understand cause and effect is typically at work in
normal 3- and 4-year-olds for familiar stories, it is even more likely
for unfamiliar, long, or complicated stories. Add the effect of “seeing”
such a story, especially if highly violent acts are shown, and it is
easy to understand why children are especially likely to selectively
remember the violent episodes.
Specific effects of TV on children
Violence
Numerous studies have demonstrated that children are influenced, at
least on a short-
term basis, by what they see on TV. When preschoolers watched pro-social
programs, they tended to be more cooperative, tolerant, and helpful to
others. When they watched programs with violent overtones, they tended
to behave more aggressively and in a more intolerant fashion. These
findings were consistent whether the program seemed real or was an
animation (cartoon) and whether it was a brief clip (5 minutes) of
violent action or a longer segment. Children who watched aggressive
programs tended to act aggressively toward both animate and inanimate
objects.
Most of these studies examined only shortterm effects of TV violence on
children—the effects seen for up to three hours after watching the
program. However, at least two studies have suggested that elementary-
school children who watched more than three hours of TV per day and who
preferred violent programs were more likely, ten years later, to do
poorly in school and to be rated as “difficult” by peers.
The effect of repeatedly watching violent TV programs may be intensified
if the child lives in an aggressive, hostile environment. In such cases,
children are getting a double dose, real and fantasy, of violence in
their lives. For these children the violence on the screen might be very
believable, since they see the same behavior in their homes or
neighborhoods. It is not difficult to see how such children might easily
take a violent view of life.
The effect of watching violent TV programs may be somewhat diluted if
parents actively watch with their children. Active TV viewing with one’s
child can be beneficial because it is individualized education, and it
can help dilute the effect of seeing violence on TV.
Active TV viewing means that parents take the opportunity to teach
children about what they see. For example, a parent can say, “Did you
see what happened to that one guy? Why do you think he got beaten up? Is
it practical to beat someone up just because the person disagrees with
you? If you and your friend disagreed, how would you settle it? How do
you think I should settle it if I disagreed with my friend? Do you think
this show is real, or is it pretend? Why?”
An even better strategy, of course, is to limit the amount of violent
adult-type TV programming a child sees. Preschoolers and most younger
elementary school-age children cannot readily follow the plots of adult
dramas. If a TV character is shot, these children might not recall (or
even know) the motive for the shooting or understand the consequences of
the act.
Sexuality
Young children do not understand the intricacies of sexual relations.
Permitting young children to watch “adult” programs, especially those
with blatant sex, will confuse and frighten them. This is especially
true if the children live in homes in which they have observed a range
of adult sexual behavior, including sexual intercourse or nude sexual
play, violent or aggressive sexual behavior, bickering about
infidelities, or a parent’s “stay-over” boyfriends or girlfriends.
Many “adult” TV programs also make great use of sexual stereotypes:
handsome, strong men who are rarely shown as weak; gorgeous women who
frequently are portrayed as somewhat helpless.
The best strategy is to prevent children from watching programs with
blatant sexuality. If your child accidentally walks in during a sex
scene on TV or if a program suddenly shifts gears with an escalation of
sexual activity, don’t think, “My child won’t understand it anyway.”
Don’t ignore the situation, and don’t shoo the child out of the room
(which will only heighten curiosity). Instead, ask what the child saw
and what he or she thinks it means. Discuss these impressions with your
child.
Prejudice and role stereotypes
Many programs portray the elderly, the poor, certain ethnic groups, or
people in low-status occupations stereotypically. For example, the
elderly might be portrayed as foolish or forgetful, the poor as
shiftless, certain ethnic groups as lazy or dishonest, and people in
low-status positions as stupid. Studies have shown that children are
likely to believe such TV stereotypes if they have no direct contact
with the type of person portrayed.
A great injustice is wreaked upon members of the group adversely
portrayed, because their self-esteem is diminished. This is even more
tragic for children, who might become ashamed of their parents’ jobs or
ethnic backgrounds.
Active TV viewing is very helpful in these situations. If you and your
child see a TV portrayal that is unfavorable, especially needlessly so,
ask “What do you think of that person? Do you like him or her? Why or
why not? Do you know anybody like that? How would you feel if people
didn’t like (your dad, mom) because (he/she) has a certain job or skin
of a certain color? Would you think that is unfair? How should we decide
whether we like someone?” Remind your child that the program is not
real.
Not all stereotypes are totally negative. TV programs depict, with few
exceptions, mothers as attractive, all-wise, and all-patient, and
fathers as strong but sensitive, attractive people with no glaring
defects. In fact, most TV parents are nice people who (especially the
fathers) are a little confused by their too-cute, too-smart offspring;
sometimes, the parents look a little foolish. In real life, most parents
are not fashion models; they do not have limitless patience; they might
be weak or have defects. Children who believe too strongly in the
television models of parents and family might be disappointed in their
own very real (but otherwise wonderful) parents.
Active TV viewing with your child helps in these situations. Remember,
don’t become defensive, no matter what your child says! For example,
upon seeing an idyllic family scene to which your child murmurs, “I wish
this house was like that,” you could say, “Yes, wouldn’t it be great if
no one got upset? If kids did all their chores and if parents always had
a lot of time for fun things? If brothers and sisters and parents never
argued? That would be great. But remember, this is just a TV show; it’s
not real. Who would watch it if all it showed was yelling? No one. When
programs are written, they’re done in such a way that people will find
them nice to watch. Do you know any real families like the one we’re
watching? Who? Do you think our family could be the stars of a TV show?
Why or why not?”
Commercials
Commercials confuse young children. They find it difficult to separate
them from the rest of the program. In one young child’s mind, a man was
chased by police because he was speeding to get some chewing gum! Young
children do not understand that many commercials are hyperbole, or
overblown language—and they do not understand the special effects that
make inanimate objects talk, walk, or seem larger than they really are.
They may be disappointed when they see the actual product.
Young children are very influenced by ads for products on TV. Studies
have demonstrated that children prefer highly advertised products in toy
stores and supermarkets. In one study, a group of preschoolers was
prevented from watching Saturday morning TV programs for 4 weeks before
Christmas. Compared with a group of preschoolers who watched Saturday TV
as usual, they made fewer demands for products and were less disruptive
in stores.
Although some countries ban or severely limit commercials during
children’s TV programs, this is not the case in the United States.
Commercials for toys, candy, or sugar-coated cereals are prominent on
Saturday morning children’s programs, especially before Christmas.
Commercials lend themselves to active TV viewing by parent and child.
When you see a ludicrous commercial, say to your child, “Look at that!
Have you ever seen a book talk? I haven’t. How do you think they did
that?” When you see an obvious visual exaggeration of a product, say,
“Did you see that doll? I’ve seen that doll in a store, and it’s not
nearly that big. How do you think they did that? And you know how it
moves? With batteries, but they didn’t mention that. Without batteries,
it wouldn’t move at all!” This kind of education can make children wiser
consumers.
When you see an ad for sugar-coated cereal or candy, say, “Have you ever
tasted that? Was it good? Why did you like it? Was it sweet? Sweet means
there’s a lot of sugar in it. Too much sugar can cause your teeth to
develop cavities. Can you think of a cereal that is good but is not
sweet? What is a better snack to eat than candy?”
TV’s portrayal of health behaviors
Most characters on TV are in perfect physical condition, but few are
shown exercising. While many TV characters are shown eating, or drinking
alcoholic beverages, few are overweight and even fewer are shown drunk
or with hangovers. Point out to your child that unhealthy behaviors lead
to unpleasant consequences in real life and that these consequences are
not often shown on TV.
Television watching in itself can create poor health habits. Children
who spend many hours in front of the television are not exercising, and
many are snacking on the same sugary, salty, and empty-calorie foods
extolled on the commercials. Consequently, children who watch many hours
of TV per day are more likely to become obese than other children.
Children are more likely to adopt healthy habits if their parents
demonstrate healthy life styles. This includes exercising and not
snacking while watching TV. If you must snack while watching TV, eat
fruit.
Pro-social, pro-learning programs
Some programs are meant to teach children about their world. These
educational programs impart lessons about the world of nature, science,
other cultures, or emotions. Other educational programs can teach young
children about letters, colors, numbers, and other reading readiness
skills. Some programs present valuable lessons for children and adults
alike. Parents who watch with their children demonstrate that learning
is enjoyable at all ages.
What can parents do?
Parents can limit the amount of television that their children watch
each day. Watching television is a privilege; it is not a right. Parents
should not use television as an electronic babysitter.
Young preschoolers should be limited to one or two short age-appropriate
programs per day. Older preschoolers and young elementary school-age
children might be allowed to watch one or two hours of age- appropriate
programming a day. School-age
children should be permitted to watch television only after homework and
chores are completed. The hours of viewing can be liberalized on
weekends, but children should be encouraged to spend more time outdoors
and/or with other children than watching TV. If your child is shy or
socially awkward, taking refuge in the fantasy life of television is
easier than making friends. Don’t let television become a crutch for
your child.
Watch the effects of TV programming on your child. Children with marked
fears and nightmares should be forbidden to watch frightening or
stimulating programs, especially before they go to bed. If your child is
frightened by a program, offer reassurance—and avoid teasing. Teasing
does nothing to “toughen up” a frightened child, and makes the child
lose self-esteem.
When a special program is aired, you might permit an extra hour or two
of TV time. Be sure to tell your child why you are granting the
privilege. If older children are permitted to watch more TV or different
programs than younger children, be sure that the younger ones understand
that certain privileges come with age and that TV viewing is a privilege
in your home.
Children may complain if their friends are allowed to watch programs
that they are forbidden to see; they may also feel left out. Parents
must handle this in their own way. If your child really wants to see a
particular program and you do not object to it, it might not be worth
making an issue of it. However, if you do object to a program, you
should explain why you will not permit it. One approach to a child who
wants to watch a variety of programs (to which you have no inherent
objection) is to let the child choose one or two, with the understanding
that he or she can choose differently the next week.
In addition to these active TV viewing strategies, you should watch some
children’s programs yourself, including cartoons, to assess their
quality. You can also plan an activity that is fun and interesting to
most family members and have a “no TV” family evening now and then.
By your own example, you can diminish the importance of television in
your family’s life. It’s well worth the effort!
