Is tv harmful for children and families?

I'm doing a philosophy assignment for school, and I would like to know some views people have on why television is harmful to children. Any comments would be great.

Thanks in advance!

 

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I don't think it's harmful at all, if the parents censor what they don't want they're children exposed to, but if the child is really young then almost everything that's bad will fly over their head, except maybe all the guns and anger on the Sopranos. And for the parents that don't care, then the child will learn how to deal with what comes it's way.

Movies are far more harmful than TV, even if there are censor ratings for movies.

I have learned more in-depth things from TV than in school.

There are not too many graphic shows on anymore (on cable). Political correctness has taken a firm hold on TV...except the comedy shows

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Television, in it's current guise, is extremely harmful to the development of children. All children are a product of their environment and the television environment is suffused with violence and advertising intended to inure children to the inequality of life and turn them into mindless consumers and potential soldiers.

Children should be outside playing with other children when they are in their formative years, not inside watching television or playing video games and getting fat or flabby and, in many cases, setting the tone of their physical and mental existence for the rest of their lives.

 

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John MacNeil ...

Dag gum it ...

Never did think I'd ever agree with what you had to say ...
And then you have to go and prove me wrong!

Will wonders never cease?

Take care

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Ummm....I think the internet would be more harmful for children than TV.

How old are we taking about here....6?....3?.....17??
Many highschool kids still watch Nickelodeon, which is the purest form of TV, it teaches children good habits and good manners while entertaining them....is Looney Tunes a bad influence on children? I don't think you should shield a child from everyday violence because it will hit them hard and fast when they realize how the world works.

It all depends on their age and maturity level. You have to drop the stereotypical...children are just balls of clay and are only influenced by what they see....that's not true, they think for themselves you know!
Their enironment is a big influence but TV isn't their whole day...they constantly interact with HUMANS....friends, parents, brothers/sisters. If you strip away all evils of the world you will be left with simple people, not unique.

If TV sets their mental and physical existance for the rest of their lives what about all the skinny supermodels....the buff guys.....the seemingly perfect people? If you take things in reality, TV does not affect children as much as you want it to....Shouldn't all children strive to look just as beautiful as the people on TV, yet they "watch TV and get fat and flabby."

Not every child turns out to be like The Cable Guy. What about sports....what about going over to a friend's house...what about clubs (for older kids)...what about doing homework...what about summer camp...what about a job? A child's environment isn't the TV, the TV is only a small part of it.

 

The kind of "evil" influence John talks about, is not coming from the TV only....if you live in a country where businesses compete for consumers you will find propaganda everywhere.

As for "potential soldiers"......are you on crack? What country are you talking about where TV influences children to become killers (if that's what your implying) or join the armed forces.

Kids are smart enough to figure out what is purely entertainment and what is garbage...they are taught that from a very early age.

 

I disagree. With the internet at least the child is actually reading something, rather than simply sitting and staring at a TV show. Using the internet requires much more thinking than watching television.

 

Yes, using the internet definately requires more thought and isn't known for "rotting your brain."

I was thinking in terms of emotionally scaring the children, there is a lot of garbage, extremist groups, porn, false information, advertising, and children have to be careful not to give too much information out about themselves. It's all easily accessible, but that's a censorship issue.

 

only if the family is retarted

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Television is harmful, very- except for Discovery and music cahnnels.
watching video films- even full of blood is not.
The thing that destroys intellect is stupidity and commercial brain washing, not gore.

you know what cruelty there was in ancient Rome- and it was one of the most powerful countries ever. It had an advanced culture.

televison=supidity+brainwashing
supidity+brainwashing = an idiot

 

It goes both ways on this topic, IMO.

On the pro side, young children exposed to tv learn language at an accelerated rate. Not only language but thought trains that go with it. Children of today are more precocious than ever before because of the early exposure to tv. They learn to associate images with sound as a form of communication far earlier.

On the downside, they don't get activity at the rate they need for their bodies to grow up healthy. Further against it is the impression that they just have to have this product to be liked. In otherwords, commercialism.

 

I agree.

An interesting idea would be for TVs to have something in them, so children aren't allowed to watch more than certain hours a day, like a V-chip...controlled by their parents.

 

limiting freedom is not a good idea

 

Blaming TV for comercialism, violence and invoking unrealistic sterotypes is incorrect, for these are attributes of society which TV merely portrays. Don't punch your mirror because you are an uggo.

There is little to no supporting evidence to suggest that TV impairs cognitive development or reading ability. Statements like

are not borne out by any research. Corteen & William(1986) found that TV did slightly reduce the reading ability of younger kids, but this was not seen in older children. On the flipside you have to consider the positive effects of programs like Barney and Sesame Street that teach reading, promote multi-culturalism, yada, yada, yada. Says Carlson & Buskit(in an intro. pysch textbook): "Educational programs and other shows that take into account children's developmental needs would seem to be especially conducive to the stimulation of children's imagination, creativity, language skills, and prosocial behaviour."

Personally speaking, it seems that TV is like most technology: it is ok and perhaps benefical if it is managed properly. After he has watched it for an hour or two get your little porker active. Send him to the shops, take him on a trip somewhere, make sure he has a physical activity. Make sure he doesn't watch what you don't want him to watch. If you let lardass jr. vege out in front of the TV for all hours, what can you expect?

 

'Ummm....I think the internet would be more harmful for children than TV. '

i dont agree... you choose what you surf (not counting the popups), you dont really choose what you watch... you just sorta stare at the screen...

 

GRO$$:

The flipside is that it is harder to force something good in you via the internet. Healthy kids given the chance will go to a bombs or porn site.

 

although I'm not a child I've got loads of stuff of how to make bombs

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'Healthy kids given the chance will go to a bombs or porn site.'

lol, just thought your opinion of healthy kids was very funny... i agree with the latter, but why bombs?

 

correct. That was my point when I said:
"I don't think you should shield a child from everyday violence because it will hit them hard and fast when they realize how the world works."

Except, TV can invoke children to believe unrealistic sterotypes. I know some really stupid kids. My friend never used to bash on Jewish people but after hearing a joke on TV (something about football, a quaterback, and a Jewish person) he keeps refering to all Jewish people as cheap. My dad is Jewish (mom isn't) and when ever he has some change he asks me if I want it...I know he's just joking when he says it to me, but he always makes cracks about Jews around people that don't know he's joking...and sometimes I don't think he is...that was just one example.

 

I myself can handle tv. I watch about an hour a day and it holds no huge allure.

Others cannot. I see some sit in front of the boob-tube and just go catatonic for an entire night.

If TV were banned the world would benifit immensely.