Effects of Television as Mass Media on Children of 10 Years Essay

Introduction commode media is a collective boundary that refers to all the media technologies whose sole intention is reaching a vast reference through potentiometer communication. in that respect atomic egress 18 two major categories of spile media, which ar, break up media and print media. Transmission of information by broadcast media is via electronic means while transmission of information by print media is via somatogenetic means. Broadcast media comprise of radio, film, CDs, television, and many more. Print media comprise of magazines, newspapers, newsletters, leaflets, books, pamphlets and brochures. Effect is a term that refers to something produced by a cause. It can in any case be referred to as a consequence. This re calculate paper seeks to investigate both dictatorial and prejudicial personal do of mass media on children. Possible solutions to address or decrease the cast out effects of mass media will likewise be highlighted. derivative instrument pers onal effects of Mass Media on ChildrenThe mass media, particularly, broadcast media, monumentally affects childishness development in that, it provides information-seeking and modeling opportunities outside school and family. It has been estimated that the average American child watches more than 20, 000 television commercials annually. According to statistical data lay in in the year 2000, children aged in the midst of the ages of two and five fagged 40 hours watching television on a periodic basis. Those between six to eleven years spent 50 to 60 hours weekly watching television. These findings cl first show that mass media crops an essential life in shaping a childs beliefs, behaviors and attitudes (Bento, 2004).Among the key manifestation of the negative effects that media has on children is their declining lifestyle quality and changing mental settle up. Instead of investing their time in studying, reading honest books, harming in kindly activities, and exercising, c hildren choose to spend their evenings watching movies or glued to the television sets. With increasing technological advancement, the Internet can easily be accessed, even by small children. This exposes such children to things that they do not needs need to know and whitethorn not understand. The reading culture is bit by bit fading and substituted by mass media. This poses a negative effect on school performance as wellhead as learning problems. Children are increasingly reporting low academic grades and problems in learning payable to overindulgence in mass media (Matthew & Jesse, 2008)Food advertize in broadcast media such as televisions has been link to rising cases of childhood obesity. There is a strong relationship between an increase in non-nutritious food advertisement and childhood obesity. It is extremely hard for children below the age of six to narrate between advertising and programme. Those below the age of eight do not comprehend the fact that the main in tention of advertising is to persuade the earshot to purchase a given product.Therefore, non-nutritious or junk food advertising directed to children whitethorn turn out to be exploitative. A unmarried commercial exposure can go a long style in influencing product references among children. Additionally, the remarkable ability of children to remember the content from mingled advertisements increases their likelihood to indulge in carbuncular eating habits such as over-consumption of unhealthy fast foods, which results to heightened rates of childhood obesity (Munni & Ram, 2010).Body externalize problems and eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa are also directly associate to mass media. This is especially the case with teenage girls. The mass media ads portray models with unrealistic scopes. More often than not, the models appear to assimilate extremely thin waists and figures that are unattainable. In the attempt to look like the models seen in televisions, teenage gir ls may starve themselves and even develop unhealthy eating habits such as binging. This results to development of eating disorder. Mass media tends to dictate mixed aspects including the ideal image or the definition of beauty. Children blindly imitate the glamour models portrayed in mass media without being careful enough to oppositeiate between vituperate and right. Several young girls have developed self-esteem issues due to stroke to match up to the image and beauty standards dictated by the media (Page & Evra, 2004).A negative effect of mass media that is worth noting is with respect to grammatical genderuality. Mass media may prompt children to engage in familiar activities at an early age. research has indicated that children are exposed to approximately 14, 000 sexual references annually in televisions. come forth of these references, only 150 of them address issues of abstinence, sexual responsibility, or contraception (Preiss, 2007). This implies that sex is portray ed as a fun activity, which prompts children to have an urge to adjudicate it out. Overexposure to sexual content in videos, games and television programming is strongly linked to increasing rates of teen pregnancies. A similar case applies to amount of money abuse, which is highly depicted in movies that children watch. Out of curiosity, such children begin severe out different illegal drugs and substances seen in media sources.Positive Social Effects of Mass MediaDespite the mentioned negative effects, there are a number of imperative social effects of mass media on children. Mass media plays a major role in enhancing positive child development. For instance, various educational programs aired in televisions may serve to increase childrens experience and understanding of various life aspects. Positive role models portrayed in the mass media can also serve as a positive social developmental tool for children and young adults. Qualitative research studies have shown that one wa y in which televisions enhance development in children is enactment positive role models of collaboration and development as a answerable manner of acting (Preiss, 2007). It is therefore evident that televisions can serve as a means learning of positive reinforcement in children.Mass media has also played a major role in enhancing culture among children. With advanced technology, children can easily access the internet, which is a major socialization tool. The internet serves as an effective means of communication among individuals regardless of their geographical locations. The internet can also serve as a right(a) source of knowledge on various aspects. By using search engines such as Google, children can increase their knowledge and understanding of various subjects learnt in school. The internet provides a vast range of information on various topics and fields of study. Therefore, it is an excellent research tool that can be utilized positively by students (Munni, 2010).Ma ss media programs can serve as a means of minimizing the effects of stereotyping among children. These programs often portray cast members from different ethnic and racial backgrounds. Hence, children learn to appreciate cultural diversity from a tender age. Mass media therefore serves a means of increasing the set of children for adolescence. Constructive utilization of mass media can play a significant role in helping children and young adults to learn socially captivate means if solving conflicts, knowing their rights and protection from harm. Mass media can also serve as a tool for promoting health lifestyles and eating habits in children (Page, 2004).Possible SolutionsParental control is one of the possible solutions to retaining the negative mould of mass media on children. Parents should take charge of the content that is accessible to their kids. They should prevent their kid from watching programs aimed at promoting violence, substance abuse as well as those containing sexually explicit content. One bendable way is permutation off the television or changing channels during certain programming and adverts that are meant to exploit children. Parents should help their children understand the difference that exists between essential reality and fantasy world. This is especially with respect to images and beauty expectations dictated by the mass media. Parents should let their children know the essence of loving oneself and appreciating oneself. This is a cheeseparing step toward helping such kids to build on their self-esteem and self-confidence (Debra, 2003).Practitioners should conduct research and provide relevant empirical evidence demonstrate the impact that mass media has on increasing the rate of childhood obesity. place emphasis on this subject will shed light on different kinds of advertising and try to limit those that encourage consumption of unhealthy foods. In addition to practitioners, researchers also have an important role to pl ay. There is the need for conducting further research on the negative consequences of mass media and how to contend them. Research should also focus on ways of promoting the positive persona of mass media to a childs social development (Bento, 2004). alternatively than letting children invest most of their time watching television and another(prenominal) media platforms, schools should encourage children to do assignments or further study during their free time. They should also be encouraged to take part in co-curricular activities such as games. The entertainment industry should be careful of the content that it portrays to the audience. With the help of the governing body, it would be possible to censure some of the programming and advertisements that pose negative effects on children. Rather than just focusing on persuasion and the lucre that would be generated from products, the advertising industry should play the role of promoting adverts that lead to positive developme nts. The adverts promoted should result to healthy lifestyles in children (Berulava, 2010).It is therefore evident that different stakeholders including parents, school, the government and even the entertainment industry, have a fundamental role to play in preventing the negative effects that media poses on children. The government and policy makers should work toward implementation of policies that put restrictions and control to the time specific content should be aired in broadcast media sources such as televisions. A good suggestion is for programs that contain violence or sexual content to be aired late at night when children are already sleepyheaded (Kirsh, 2006).ConclusionChildhood development is significantly affected by mass media. With advanced technology, children are continually exposed to thousands of television commercials and even sexual references. Some of the negative effects of mass media include poor performance, early onset of sex, substance abuse, and violence. Mass media may also have positive effects such as increasing knowledge and enhancing positive social development in children. Parents, government, advertising industry, practitioners, researchers, and the entertainment industry have a major role to play in prevention and management of the effects of mass media on children.ReferencesBento, J. (2004) Meditating the negative effects of mass media on children. Seattle Antioch University PublishersBerulava, M. N. (2010) The rural area is in Danger. Russian Education and Society, 52(3), 30-36Debra, M. (2003) Questioning the media and reclaiming our sacred space. Paths of Learning, 15, 24Fink, G. (2010) line of War, Conflict and Disaster. California Elsevier Publications Kirsh, S. (2006) Children, adolescents, and media violence. Thousand Oaks, California Sage Publications, IncMatthew, G., & Jesse, S. (2008) Preschool television backwash and adolescent test scores historical evidence from the Coleman study. Quarterly daybook of Econom ics, 123(1), 279-323 Munni, R., & Ram, K. (2010) Effect of electronic media on children. Indian Pediatrics, 47(7), 561-568Page, J., & Evra, V. (2004) Television and child development. juvenile tee shirt Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.Preiss, R. (2007) Mass media effects research advances through meta-analysis. New Jersey Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.