Effects of TV and Other Medias on Child Development
Introduction
The objective of this study is to explore the concept of media and its
application in child development. The study will therefore highlight
some of the effects that accompany the use of televisions and other
forms of media in homes and other areas of resident. For better
understanding of how televisions and other forms of media such as
radios, news papers, letters, posters, emails and public meetings
contribute to child development, the study will examine the positive
and negative effects or impacts of media in child development.
However, people have different understanding of what media is, for
instance, many people argue that media use radios and televisions
only. Ignoring other forms of media that influence children during
their early ages and as they advance in ages is not good especially
when a child is about to be negatively influenced (CardWell, 2000).
Media is a means of communication used daily by people to pass and
receive information.
Moreover, media in computerized world refers to the different forms
of data storage options include the removable drives such as DVDs,
USB drives, CD-R discs, Flash Memory, CD-ROM and Floppy disks
among others (CardWell, 2000).
In addition to this, a computer takes the form of media since it serves
as a Multimedia integration of other types of media for instance,
graphics, sounds (Audios) and texts. All these forms of media have
different impacts on child development (CardWell, 2000).
Discussion
Traditional society differs greatly from the modern society based on
the types of media used. For instance, in traditional society letters and
newspapers were a popular means through which people
communicated with each other. The flow of information was therefore
slow as compared in modern society.
However, technology advancement resulted to the introduction of new
means of communications that are faster (of high speed). Therefore,
information in modern society spreads from one place to another
within a short duration of time because of increased use of high-speed
media (Singer, 2001).
This explains the reason why the use of media leads to different levels
of impact on child development in both traditional and modern
society. The absence of various media in traditional society affected
child development severely compared to modern society whereby a
child exposes to different ways of communication.
The study will examine the effects posed by media on child
development by analyzing both the positive and the negative sides of
the Media (Singer, 2001).
Positive Effects of Media in child development
Usefulness of Television in child development
As mentioned within the context of the study, television is among the
modern means or type of media that has come along with advanced
technology. Back in traditional society, it was very rare to come
across a homestead whereby people watch news from the television
meaning that children had no exposure to the positive and negative
impacts of television in their development.
However, at ancient times (traditional society), people relied on letters
as the only means of communication. The other means of
communication include the use of word of mouth, which in our case is
a type of media rarely used. It bases on the level of understanding and
interpretation (Van-Evra, 2004).
Entertainment
The use of television as a form of media in modern society has
contributed greatly on child development for instance, televisions
have offers a wide range of entertainment to the children, which is of
much help or use in their development.
Moreover, there are varieties of programs that provide entertainment
centers for children for instant the cartoon program mostly presented
by many television channels have captured the attention of many
children. As young people, children enjoy watching cartoons because
they belief that the cartoons are children like them. Many of such
children addict to the use of television because they only think that the
sole use of television is to watch cartoons but not the news (Van-Evra,
2004).
The most affected children are those brought up in urban areas
whereby each house has a television. The music presented in
television has converted many children into watching channels that
present music. Television plays an important role in socializing of the
children.
As it is known that socialization is the major part in children
development, parents have been freed from actively participating in
the socialization process though their role is still deemed necessary
because if they fail to control the interaction of children and the
television, many children will lose their way. This means that they
will adapt other forms of behaviors contrary to the societal norms
(Van-Evra, 2004).
Still on the issue of entertainment, television gives children the
opportunity to familiarize with the real world by watching programs
for instant watching animals on the television gives them highlights on
the different types of animals existing on the earth.
In so doing children grow up knowing different types and
characteristics of animals. They recognize animals that are dangerous
and friendly to human beings for instance lions, cheaters, buffalos,
elephants, tigers among others kill hence they aware not to interact
with them (Van-Evra, 2004).
Educative
As the saying goes where there is entertainment there must be
education or something that people can learn from, television serves a
resourceful role of educating children contributing to their
development. Children learn many things when they watch cartoons
from the television for instance; the cartoons portray certain situation
such as children in school.
Through watching cartoons relate to their teachers and other pupils,
the child learns to relate with his or her friends and teachers in the
school. This offers the child an opportunity to learn the moral roles
and school norms becoming a good student or pupil. A child may
contemn caning by the teachers without knowing that caning is a
control mechanism for teachers to the pupils.
When such child sees a cartoon showing teachers caning pupils in
school, the child understands the importance of the cane to the
teacher. He realizes that a came guides the behaviors of pupils (Van-
Evra, 2004).
However, televisions acts as a fertile ground through which the
process of socialization becomes effective to the child. Watching of
television enables the child to learn to communicate by imitating
words either coming from the television or listening to different
people such as presenters as they air news to the public.
In addition, children learn many languages as they continue watching
and listening to different television channels. English, French and
Kiswahili are example of national languages widely used almost by
every nation in the world. Television news presents using national
languages that all people understand.
Based on this issue, the child will be in apposition to learn the national
language enabling communication with other students of diverse
communities. This simply indicates how the use of television plays
crucial roles in child development (Van-Evra, 2004).
Elimination of idleness
A Child is a complex creature whose concentration attaches to a
particular thing understanding the whole meaning because of idleness.
A child can think of many things that have no use in his or her
development. Based on this issue, watching of television keeps the
child busy hence being able to learn useful things or activities in
future, for instance, through media socialization, the child can learn
how to read and write among others.
Local programs have captured the attention of many children hence
developing interest in watching of television as an activity that makes
them avoid boredom associated with their idleness (Calvert & Wilson,
2011).
Negative effects of the use of television on Child development
Bad socialization
Earlier on in the study it has been mentioned that though different
types of media have positive impacts on child development, they also
possess negative effects for instance, despite the entertainment,
educative, socialization, and elimination of idleness role played by the
use of television, other uses bring about negative effects to the child
development.
For instance, some television programs interfere with the child
development by altering their personalities and interests. Programs
such as videos of gangsters and their operations make a child to
develop interest in stealing. Such programs portray how gangsters
break into banks and succeed to steal millions of money without the
track of the police.
A child may think that the best way through which an individual can
become rich or wealthier in short duration of period is through
stealing. That child grows up knowing that stealing is not bad because
is a way of getting money. This evidences television interferes with
mental development of the child (Calvert & Wilson, 2011).
Other programs may present sexually implicit programs whereby a
man and a woman falling in love and are indulging in sex. This affects
the child negatively because he or she comes to learn sexual behaviors
that are not in line with his or her age of development.
Such a child indulges in sexual activities in early age that may
interfere with his or her education due to lack of the required
concentration in school. Sex is for mature people meaning that
children have no right to practice sex until they attain their maturity
stage. At that time, they plan for their lives and are in a position to
protect them from contacting terminality diseases such as HIV/Aids
among others (Calvert & Wilson, 2011).
Deviance
Some television programs turn children into deviants for instance
channels that advocates for deviance activities such as stealing.
Deviance is the manner through which individuals’ acts against the
societal norms meaning that Media can also result into deviance
among children.
For instance, media can highlight sex as an important activity in
people’s lives by arguing that sex results to health. In conjunction to
this, a child indulges in sexual behavior with the aim of attaining
health as presented in the television. By so doing the child will be
deviating from the norms of the society by ignoring the sinful part of
sex (Calvert & Wilson, 2011).
Discouragement
Television is the commonly used media in the modern society
meaning that many people use it to pass or receive information. The
message and pictures in televisions are in form of signals meaning that
people all over the world receive the same message or pictures at the
same time.
This implicates high speed of modern media particularly the
television. Some news may bring about discouragement to the child or
children for instance, if the news reports the alarming increase in
unemployment levels more-so up on the graduates, the child’s dream
would have been cut-off.
For instance if the child wanted to become a doctor in future and came
to realize that through the television news, many students who have
studied medicine are unemployed the child may decide either to forgo
his or her dream and terminate school because learning will be of no
use in future life. Others realize that only children from loyal families
go to better secondary school since children from poor families end-up
studying in local schools and chances of joining a good college are
minima (Calvert & Wilson, 2011).
Health problem
Watching of television for long periods may interfere with
development of the area of a brain that is responsible for organizing,
planning and ordering behavior for attention, self-control and
judgment in children (Anderson, Huston, Linebarger & Wright, 2001).
The part of the brain altered by watching of television for long periods
is the pre-frontal cortex.
Watching television for quite long periods can also lead to attention
disorder in child development. In addition to this, that part of the brain
that is responsible for development of language in a child is interfered
by prolonged watching of television and thus why children who watch
television for long have difficulties in listening and paying attention
when it come to comprehend language (Anderson, Huston, Linebarger
& Wright, 2001).
Newspapers
Newspapers just like the television plays critical role in entertaining,
educating and socializing of the child. Newspapers are entertaining in
that they highlight humorous incidences that make people happy and
have animal chapters that cover the most interesting animals and their
means of survival such at the cheater, kangaroo, and lions among
others.
Stories on animals, for instance, why a certain animal appears the way
it is on the earth and why some animals lack horns among others
attract the attention of children very much. Such stories will act as
center of entertainment to the child hence impact his or her
development positively.
Educating comes in line with entertainment meaning that as the child
read the story on animals he or she will learn more about animals as
well as enjoying the story (Anderson, Huston, Linebarger & Wright,
2001).
Negative effects of the use of Newspapers as a media
Addictive
Reading of newspapers is addictive to some extend and that is why
many children used to reading newspapers find it difficult to quit the
behavior. Such addiction may result to negative impacts on the child
development for instance; the reading of the newspaper interrupts the
part of brain that is responsible for listening and attention. The
development of this part encourages reading of newspapers hence
influencing child development in totality (Anderson, Huston,
Linebarger & Wright, 2001).
Computers/Internet/Radios
In ancient times, the use of radio as media was common in many parts
of the world. In conjunction to this, the emergent of television has
taken a large portion in the urban areas whereby signals are readily
available (Singer, 2001). Nowadays, the advancement in technology
has led to the introduction of computers that are incorporated with
radios.
This is to mean that a person can use a computer to listen to radio
news and access television news. These features have made computers
a multimedia device that is widely used in places such as in offices,
working places and in learning institutions. The current curriculum
has incorporated the use of computers in teaching or learning process
(Singer, 2001).
Effects of computers/internet/radios on child development
The positive uses of computers/ internet/ radios as media on child
development include entertainment, educative, socializing among
others. Through interaction with computer, child can access music and
video clips that are more entertaining meaning that internet is a useful
source of entertainment.
Sport sites in computers have become centers for many children who
are lovers or soccer fans. It is a kind of recreation source liked by
many people both young and adult. Based on the issue of child
development, many children are able to realize their talents through
interact with various sport centers and others forms of entertainment
(Singer, 2001).
Educative
The information got through internet plays important role in educating
different categories of people that include the young and adult.
Computers or internet contributes to the development of that part of
the brain responsible for organizing and planning of individual
behavior.
The video clips and music contained in computers are of much
important in child development because they carry with them an
aspect of education meaning that a child learns much from interacting
with the internet (Calvert & Wilson, 2011).
Socialization
Internet as a form of media provide child with an opportunity to
interact with wide community for instance, the social sites such as
Twitter, Yahoo, Google and Facebook whereby child can chat with
others online. The online chats bring people from different
destinations together and through this child can learn more from
interacting with other children (Calvert & Wilson, 2011).
Negative effects
Internet provides a child with avenues through which he or she can
access prohibited sites such as phonographic sites. These are illegal
sites because they expose child into evil world at early age. When
child become addicted in phonographic sites on internet, he or she
looses the attention deemed necessary in school.
Listening of music and video from the internet has negative effects on
the child development because it molds the behavior of the child.
Through research carried by many specialized in California, it is
evident that children who interact with internet for long periods have
difficulties in attention and listening when it comes to comprehend
language. Such children learn dirty language that offensive and
discouraged by the public (Calvert & Wilson, 2011).
Conclusion/Recommendations
The study interests in that it explores the concept of media as it
applies to the child development. As mentioned within the context of
the study different forms of media are influential to child
development. For instance, prolonged watching of television hinders
the development of pre-frontal cortex, which is an important part of
the brain responsible for organizing, planning and sequencing
behavior in child development.
All forms of media discussed in the study have common roles, for
instance, they bring about entertainment, education and socialization.
The only difference is their negative impacts on child development.
Parents should ensure that children spend less time watching
television since this affects their concentration leading to difficulties
of attentiveness and listening to comprehended language.
References
Anderson, D.R., Huston, A.C., Linebarger, K.l. & Wright, J.C. (2001).
Early childhood television viewing and adolescent behavior:
Monographs of the society for research in child development. London:
Wiley-Blackwell.
Calvert, S.L & Wilson, B.J. (2011).The handbook of children, media,
and development. New Jersey, NJ: Wiley and Sons.
CardWell, S. (2000). Studying media. London: Crimson Publishing.
Singer, D.G. & Singer, J.L. (2001). Handbook of children and the
media. London: SAGE.
Van Evra, J.P. (2004). Television and child development. New York,
NY: Routledge.
