Essay 3

Kristine Obert
kmobert@mail.usi.edu
Eng. 201.022
Essay 3, Rough Draft
Word Count: 1, 215

Television, Not So Good

Barney, Sesame Street, Blue’s Clues, and many more characters are children’s idols while growing up. What if these characters did more harm to a child then good? Research has recently found out that toddlers and children who watch television while they are young can cause lifelong illnesses. Many children develop hypertension, obesity, irregular sleep patterns, and also can cause young children to develop type II diabetes. Studies have shown that children who watch television regularly do poorly in school, do not play with friends, and even lose their imagination.
Many years ago, children did not watch as much television as kids do now. Children before the eighty’s and ninety’s would spend their time helping the family businesses or tending to the family farms. Most of the time children did not have time to think about sitting in the house all day watching their favorite television shows come on the networks every hour. Children started spending time watching a lot of television in the eighty’s and ninety’s. According to the University of Michigan Health System states that children between the ages two through five spend an average of thirty- two hours a week in front of a television watching either TV, DVD’s, DVR and videos, or game consoles. Kids that are six to eleven spend about twenty-eight hours a week in front of a television (Boyse,2009).
Many children replace many activities to watch television. Children do not spend as much time with friends, doing physical activities, playing outside and getting fresh air, playing imaginative, doing homework, and even doing chores. Children believe that watching imaginary characters on television helps them be more imaginative, but it certainly does not. The charters allows the children to imagine what they are seeing while show also shows visually how to see each scene. Research has show that many programs so not even teach children what parents want their child to learn. Parents say that shows are filled with stereotypes, rude behavior, and also violent situations to problems.
Much of the shows are shown on different television programs and cable channels, specifically for young children and babies. Many of the networks provide shows that teach children how to read, spell, and even life lessons, but researchers believe that this may cause brain development for children in their future. According to Pediatrics for Parents stated, that children who has watched a lot of television before the age of three has a higher potential developing attention regulations, aggressive behavior, and a slower reading and math skill development by the time they reach elementary school (Zimmerman, 2007). Also some research believes that television can harm some children by creating sleep problems, obesity, and even children having a slower language development.
In 2004, Disney developed a product called Baby Einstein. They sold books, CD’s, and DVD’s. Parents were told that if their child watched these DVD’s that the child would provide the child with whatever skill the parents wanted to learn. Whether it would learn music and making the child a music prodigy, or another one to make the child a math genius, or become an astronomer. In 2006 the Federal Trade Commission complaint, Disney stopped claiming that Baby Einstein videos were educational for infants, but the company made no move to compensate parents who purchased them (Business Pundit, 2009). Research shows that the DVD’s do not make babies smarter, so in 2009 parents that purchased Baby Einstein were able to be refunded back if you were not satisfied.
Children who sit around watching television at a young age can replace doing different school activities such as doing homework, reading, pursing hobbies or even getting enough sleep. Studies have shown that children who watched more television increased the chances of dropping out of school and decrease in a college degree (med.umich.edu, 2009).
One of the biggest risks for children that watch a lot of television at a young age is obesity. Children are known to become obese by watching television because they become bored so they eat some food while they are watching their favorite show, many children do not become physically active and do not run around outside to burn off fat, and the biggest problem with television and children’s obesity is all the commercial’s shown during just one program. According to National Institute on Media and the Family, obesity in children increases the more hours they watch television (2009).
Children are at high risks for being overweight due to the commercials on television and the eating habits shown on the shows they are watching. Children see about 40,000 commercials a year including everything from junk food, toy advertisements, and children’s favorite cartoon characters promoting different foods (kidshealth.org, 2008). According to commercialalert.org, between the years of 1977 to 1995 the percentage of meals and snacks eaten at fast-food restaurants doubled. Also between the same years the consumption of soda among the ages of twelve to nineteen years old increased seventy-five percent in boys and forty percent in girls (2003).
Other risks parents should have for children who watch a lot of television is illnesses that stay with them throughout their lifetime. Many children now have high blood presser, type II diabetes, and many other health and social problems due to watching television. Studies show that even if the child is not obese they still have a high chance have hypertension. According to Pediatrics for Parents, a study of 546 children, ages four to seventeen years old, found that children who watch two to four hours of television each day were two-and-half times more likely to have high blood pressure than children who watch less than two hours of television per day” (2008).
Children who watch television regularly have irregular naptime and sleep schedule. Many children have a hard time falling asleep at night because they are still acting out the super hero or the cartoon they just finished watching. According to the University of Michigan Health System, teens who watch three or more hours of TV per day had higher risk of sleep problems by early adulthood (2009).
Many television networks and programs allow children to see violence. Two out of three television shows contain some kind of violence, averaging about six violent acts per hour (kff.org, 2003). Kids who are exposed to the violence imitate the characters which may in the future influence their behavior. Children who watch the television violence can lead to three potential harmful effects. One an increase in aggressive behavior or becoming antisocial, accepting violence in the real world and not caring about other people’s feelings, and lastly an increase in fear of becoming a victim in a violent act. Kids may think nothing of these violent acts they are watching, but in the future it can become a major problem.
Many people believe that watching television cannot harm children but research has shown otherwise. Children watching less television can decrease obesity in the country, young children getting lifelong illnesses, and help children have a better sleep pattern. Also many kids will stay in school and will get a better education to exceed in the future. If children did not watch so much television they would be able to do so much more in their life. They would be able to achieve so much more and be able to live a healthier life.
References
Gavin, M.D., M. L. (2008, October). How TV Affects Your Child. In Kids Health. Retrieved April 14, 2010, from http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/family/tv_affects_child.html#
Frederick J Zimmerman. (2007, July). Early Television - Widespread, with Uncertain Consequences for Children's Development. Pediatrics for Parents, 23(7), 4-5. Retrieved April 19, 2010, from Health Module. (Document ID: 1338329581).

After Controversy, Disney Issues Baby Einstein Recall. (2009, October 26). Business Pundit. Retrieved April 17, 2010, from http://www.businesspundit.com/after-controversy-dinsey-issues-baby-einstein-recall/

The Fast Food Trap: How Commercialism Creates Overweight Children. (2003, October 31). Commercial Alert. Retrieved April 18, 2010, from http://www.commercialalert.org/issues/health/childhood-obesity/the-fast-food-trap-how-commercialism-creates-overweight-children

Media Use And Obesity Among Children. (2009, June). National Institute on Media and the Family. Retrieved April 14, 2010, from http://www.mediafamily.org/facts/facts_tvandobchild.shtml
Anonymous, . "Television, Hypertension, and Obesity. " Pediatrics for Parents 1 Sep. 2008: Health Module, ProQuest. Web. 19 Apr. 2010.

TV Violence. (2003). Key Facts. Retrieved April 17, 2010, from http://www.kff.org/entmedia/upload/ Key-Facts-TV-Violence.pdf

University of Michigan Health System [Television and Children]. (2009, November). Retrieved April 16, 2010, from http://www.med.umich.edu/yourchild/topics/tv.htm