Little was known about its impact on mankind, when the idiot box was first invented. Television has come a long way since its invention and today it has become a necessity. American children spend a substantial amount of time watching television. The television is a primary means of entertainment but also exposes kids to violence. Children love watching action movies and programs that are aired on television and demand toys such as guns and tanks. It is but natural for young minds to imitate what they learn from others and television is a great teaching aid for young kids. The important question to be determined is “Does television viewing cause violent behavior in young children?” which is also the thesis statement for this paper.
Studies on children have indicated that violence on television has a harmful impact on children and also on the way they behave and act . The various programs that are telecasted on the national televisions have a negative impact on the behavior of children. Children tend to be more argumentative after watching violent programs and tend to seek aggressive strategies as solutions to their problems rather than aiming for peaceful solutions .
According to a study published by Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine in the year 2009, it has been found that three year old kids that watch television along with the adult members of the family are more likely to exhibit violent behavior than other kids that do not . The behavior of young children is largely influenced by what they watch on the television screen. Children are very serious observers and they learn a lot from their environment. They tend to identify themselves with the characters that they see on the television and tend to live their lives just like their heroes.
A research study by Pediatrics has reported that excessive television viewing in childhood and adolescence is associated with anti-social behavior in adulthood. Children that watch excessive television in their young age tend to develop abnormal behavior and personality traits that encourage aggressive behavior. The relationship is found to be similar for both males and females. It is important to protect young and tender minds from the adult television programs that encourage criminal thoughts and incline them towards violence. Antisocial personality disorder is found to prevail in adults that were regular viewers of television in their childhood .
Conclusion
In view of the evidences presented earlier, it has been justified that excessive viewing of television by children at young age leads to an expression of aggressive and argumentative behavior in children that may take the shape of personality disorders and criminal mindset in adulthood. The role of parental control in protecting the children from violent television channels and restricting the time limit for television can be instrumental in preventing the young minds from negative influences. Parents need to be strict with children and need to divert the minds of kids towards recreational activities such as sports and music that relax young minds and contribute a great deal in their positive development and thinking ability. Therefore the thesis statement “Does television viewing cause violent behavior in young children?” is justified.
Works Cited
Gross, Gail. Violence on TV and How It Can Affect Your Children. 15 August 2013. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-gail-gross/violence-on-tv-children_b_3734764.html. 5 October 2014.
Huff, Ethan. Watching television causes aggressive behavior in young children. 5 February 2010. http://www.naturalnews.com/028096_television_aggressive_behavior.html#. 5 October 2014.
Robertson, Lindsay A., Helena M. McAnally and Robert J. Hancox. "Childhood and Adolescent Television Viewing and Antisocial Behavior in Early Adulthood." Pediatrics (2013): 2012-1582. http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2013/02/13/peds.2012-1582.full.pdf+html.
