People who watch violent television as children behave more
aggressively even 15 years later, according to one of the few TV
violence studies to follow children into adulthood. The study linked
violent TV viewing at ages 6 to 9 to such outcomes as spouse abuse and
criminal convictions in a person's early 20s. ...Joanne Cantor,
professor emerita of communications at the University of
Wisconsin-Madison, called the new study "a very strong addition to what
I consider a large amount of data that points in the same direction."
Summary of Research on the Effects of Television Viewing
U.S. surveys indicate that 7-17 year olds average between 25-30
hours per week, while pre-schoolers may be viewing up to 60 hrs/wk. In
1971
average viewing time for pre-school children was 34 hrs/wk; most recent
figures suggest 54 hrs/wk. This means that in many instances, the
majority
of a child's waking hours are spent with TV on. Pre-school children
make
up the largest TV audience in the U.S.
Surveys further indicate that by the time children graduate from
high
school, they will have spent more hours in TV viewing than in school.
Assuming an average of 3 hrs/day, children view 20,000 commercials a
year. By age 16, they will have witnessed 200,000 violent acts,
including 33,000
murders.
Numerous scientific studies have assessed the effects of TV on
children,
evaluating the question from many points of view. Following is a brief
review of research findings.
Effects on sensory development
Children who are actively playing will have more opportunity to
develop
their senses than children passively viewing. By its very nature, TV is
an impoverished sensory environment. In a recent study comparing TV
viewing
with laboratory simulated sensory deprivation, researchers found that
96
hours of laboratory induced sensory deprivation produced the same
effects
on the person as only a few minutes of TV viewing. Normal sensory
experience
is vital to maintaining a balanced state of mind and body.
Sight
While viewing, the eyes are practically motionless and `defocused'
in order to take in the whole screen. Constant movement is required for
healthy eye development. Visual exploration is a prerequisite of
seeing, and necessary
for developing a sense of depth and perspective. The two-dimensional
screen
does not facilitate such development The sense of sight is maturing
through
age 12. Excessive TV viewing, one of the most passive visual
activities,
can seriously impair a child's observational skills. Viewing affects
not
only eye mechanics, but also the ability to focus and pay attention.
Hearing
Since TV is more visual than auditory, children's sense of hearing is
not
being fully exercised. Active listening is a skill that needs to be
developed. Children need practice in processing auditory stimulation,
making their
own mental pictures in response to what they hear. Also, when TV is
constantly
on, the sense of hearing may be dulled by the persistent background
noise.
Sense of wonder
The subtle rhythms and patterns of life's wonders which can only be
appreciated
through patient observation and experience will hold little interest
for
a child given a steady diet of TV. The fast paced, action-packed, high
drama which is programmed to keep viewers tuned in does not accurately
represent
the natural world, yet it is what children come to expect. Real
experiences,
therefore, can't compete with TV and the child's sense of wonder is
dulled.
Effects on Health
Because of the activities it displaces, TV viewing certainly impacts
motor
coordination, balance, and general level of fitness. Yet there are
other,
perhaps less obvious, effects.
Radiation and artificial light
Early research on radiation has led to a substantial reduction in the
amount
of X-rays being emitted. Little experimental evidence exists on the
effects of artificial light on people; further research is needed
before conclusions can be made. In the meantime children should be
nourished as much as
possible by natural light, and not `overdosed' with artificial TV
light.
Obesity
Elevated cholesterol and obesity are two of the most prevalent
nutritional
diseases among U.S. children today. TV viewing has been found to be
associated
with both of these conditions. Likewise, viewing correlates
significantly
with between-meal snacking, consumption of advertised foods, and
attempts
to influence mothers' food purchases.
Sleep deprivation
Many studies indicate that children are staying up late to watch TV.
One
reported that children as young as eight were still watching TV at
11:30pm
on school nights. Teachers comment that children are too tired and
irritable
to work well after late night viewing. Sleep is a physical necessity,
required
to build up the growing organism. It is also a psychological necessity,
the prerequisite for dreaming. Yet dreams after TV viewing may be
disturbed,
with vivid TV images resurfacing and causing nightmares.
Effects on cognitive and intellectual development
Numerous child development and educational experts express great
concern
with television's numbing effect on children's brains. Many reports
suggest
that our children's minds are not developing the way they should, and
this
is attributed in large measure to excessive TV viewing.
Language acquisition
In the early years, when the brain is so malleable and sensitive, TV
viewing
prolongs the dominance of right brain functions which induce a
trance-like
state. When viewed for more than 20 hours per week, TV can seriously
inhibit
the development of verbal-logical, left brain functions. The patterning
that the brain needs for language development is hindered by viewing
during
this language sensitive period of infancy, and it may be more difficult
to acquire speech later on. Studies document that general word
knowledge
and vocabulary are not effected either positively or negatively by TV,
but that creative verbal fluency is lower for children who watch TV
more
because it does not offer time for interactive play and conversation.
Reading skills
There are more videotape stores than book stores in the U.S. today. A
great
many studies have documented declining literacy rates over the last
thirty
years. TV viewing is an easier and preferred activity compared to the
challenge
of book reading, especially for children who have not yet developed
fluent
reading skills. TV requires little concentration, de-focuses the mind,
offers electronically produced images, and encourages passivity, while
reading
necessitates concentration, thought, focusing, and the ability to
visualize. Television trains short attention spans, while reading
trains long attention
spans. Studies suggest that light viewers learn to read more easily
than
heavy viewers. Research into brain wave patterns confirm these
differences. Studies of both children's and adults' brain wave patterns
while viewing TV confirm that brain activity switches from beta
(indicating alert and
conscious attention) to alpha waves within thirty seconds of turning
the
set on. Greatly increased alpha waves resulted regardless of whether
children
were interested in the program or not. The electrical responses of the
brain while viewing resemble those which do not normally occur when the
eyes are open.
Effects on Creativity and Imagination
Boredom is the empty space necessary for creativity. With TV filling a
child's leisure moments, the necessary void is never experienced.
Additionally, the child's play is often restricted to forms prescribed
by adult programmers
whose primary objective is to sell toys. With pre-determined themes and
ready-made playthings, little is left to the imagination.
Furthermore, when children are bombarded with TV images, their own
ability
to form imaginative pictures becomes severely impaired. This process of
generating internal pictures is critical to the development of
dendrites
and neural connectors which lay the foundation for intelligence and
creativity. Studies which have investigated how TV viewing affects
performance in
creative problem solving suggest that excessive viewing may lead to
decreased
attention, persistence, and tolerance. The displacement of problem
solving
opportunities also results in a more limited repertoire of creative
solutions.
Effects on Social Development
Television is not a substitute for meeting and interacting with real
people in real situations. A child cannot develop a sense of self in
the absence of contact with others. While viewing, a child is not
gaining practice in relating to others, and in constructive
interpersonal problem solving. Furthermore, most TV problems are framed
in oversimplified, black-white
thinking and resolved, often violently, in one hour (less commercial
breaks).
Over thirty years, findings have consistently demonstrated that
violence
on TV correlates with subsequent aggressive behavior. Recent evidence
from
an extensive longitudinal study carried out in four different countries
suggests there is a sensitive period that begins before age eight when
children are especially susceptible to the effects of violence shown on
TV.
Effects on Perceptions of Reality
Heavy TV viewers develop a distorted sense of reality. Most notable may
be an exaggerated perception of the prevalence of violence in society,
which comes from an over-representation of violent acts in programs.
(The
frequency of violence in children's programs is six times greater than
that of adults').
Pervasive sex-role and racial stereotyping further perpetuates a
distorted
view. A recent census of characters and their occupations depicted in
prime
time and childrens' programs revealed that three times as many men as
women
appeared on TV, and the most common jobs portrayed were in
traditionally
male areas.
A publication of the Green Mountain Waldorf School
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