Running Head: Televisions Impact on the Lives of Children

Televisions Impact on the Lives of Children

Physical, Emotional, Cognitive, and Behavioral Effects of Television on Children

Tayag, Ruth S.
University of the Philippines
Diliman Extension Program in Pampanga
Televisions Impact on the Lives of Children 2

ABSTRACT

Nowadays, television is a big part of the everyday living of each person. However, this

paper only tackles the possible effects of television on children. Television viewing can affect

their lives in different aspects. This study focused on the effects of watching TV on the four

aspects of childrens lives namely physical, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral influence

television has to them.

Television can easily grab attention. It has brought great changes to the way many

children spend their leisure time. Children most likely spend their time watching TV rather than

doing physical activities and socializing with others. Also, due to advancement of technology

today, they have access to more than one type of media, but television is one of those types

which comes early to their lives. Since some children may experience early exposure to

television, they can get both positive and negative effects from it. For the physical effect, eyes

and diet, which can lead to obesity if not properly monitored, are involved. Fear and excitement,

on the other hand, are some of the emotional effects of television viewing on children. The

potentiality of television to educate kids is another effect of TV viewing under cognitive skills.

Lastly, TV viewing of children can affect their behavior including passivity, sleep which can also

affect school performance, violent acts, and the worst of all, addiction.
Televisions Impact on the Lives of Children 3

Children today live in a multimedia world. They are exposed to various forms of media at

their very young age. This is the reason I chose this topic. Personally, I think television programs

have a great impact and influence on the children of today. I want to know what these effects

specifically to children are because they are the ones who are easily being swayed by what they

see and what they hear. I am seriously concern about those children who are greatly affected by

television viewing because it can change their outlook in life. There may have been a lot of

previous studies similar to this research of mine, but I want to find and explore more about the

certain effects of television to children.

The central role that television plays in a multimedia environment for children results

from the fact that television unlike all other media before or since reaches them at a much

earlier age and with greater intensity. Television, as well as other electronic media, is becoming

more important than ever as a certain type of teacher of children. In fact, TV viewing starts

earlier than the ability of children to read and write. Children are very important in our society

because they are the ones who will shape our future. Obviously, there are children in every

family except when they are already grown-ups. Children are everywhere. Because of this, it is

important to know what the effects of television to them are so that appropriate guidance can be

given to them.

The problem of this study lies on the effects that television has to children. In addition,

this study aims to know the effects of television viewing on the lives of children, to be able to

understand the possible harms and benefits children can get from watching TV, and to learn how

to deal with those effects on children.

Televisions Impact on the Lives of Children 4

DISCUSSION

Television occupies a large portion of childrens time. Because of this, it can affect their

life in different aspects. First of all, television viewing may affect the physical health of children.

There are two major physical effects that watching TV brings to children. First is its effect on

their eyes, and the other one is its effect on their diet and weight.

According to Lyle, Parker, and Schramm (1961), any sustained or concentrated use of the

eyes on small figures or small movements may cause eyestrain. This can be associated with the

use of television of children. The occurrence of eyestrain depends on the viewing conditions

especially when those conditions are not good. For example, too much or too little light and

distance, and awkward positions of readers are factors that can cause eyestrain. On the other

hand, when it comes to watching television, eye specialists say that children sitting very close to

the television set, looking up at the picture tube, and viewing in a dark room and thus

maximizing the glare are risking the incidence of eyestrain (Lyle, Parker & Schramm, 1961).

Television viewing of children also affects the size of the blood vessels in their eyes. As

stated on the article of Bakalar (2011), scientists in Australia studied 1,492 children on the age of

6 randomly selected from 34 schools in Sydney. The parents of those children answered the

questionnaires asking about how much time their children spend in doing physical activities and

in watching TV. After that, the researchers examined the childrens eyes. They found that the

blood vessels in the eyes of children who watched the most TV were slightly smaller in diameter

than those in children who watched the least amount. The same is true with those children who

exercised the least because they also have narrow blood vessels. However, the reason for this is
Televisions Impact on the Lives of Children 5

still unclear. But then, these constrictions of the blood vessels in the eyes have also been linked

to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (Bakalar, 2011).

On the other hand, watching television can also affect the diet of children. Based on the

study done by the University of Michigan (n.d.), watching TV for more than two hours per day is

a risk factor for being overweight at ages three and four-and-a-half. Body Mass Index (BMI),

which measures the body fat based on height and weight, can be affected by television viewing

in early childhood which can result to obesity. From the study, they found out that physical

activity and TV viewing are most associated with overweight risk. This is because watching TV

causes inactivity to children, and some children tend to eat more likely while watching TV. Also,

TV advertisements and commercials encourage unhealthy eating habits. Examples of these are

the TV ads that target children and endorse products which are high in calories, sugar, salt, and

fats but low in nutrients (University of Michigan Health System, n.d.).

In addition to that, Bar-on (2000) said that televised characters in some programs deliver

wrong image to children about food consumption. Because some of the characters on television

eat food more often but still remain slim, there is an implicit message to children that it is

possible to eat much amount of food and still stay thin (Bar-on, 2000).

The next effect television brings to children has something to do with their emotions.

Some TV programs can cause fear and too much excitement in them. The first emotional effect

that would be discussed is the fear of children from some TV programs.

According to Lyle, Parker & Schramm (1961), there are three situations on television

which seem most likely to frighten children. One is the situation when harm threatens a character

with whom they identify closely or to whom they feel especially attached. This is true when the
Televisions Impact on the Lives of Children 6

harm is more physically direct. For instance, being shot by a bullet is not as disturbing as the

pain that a child can feel just by watching, like being cut by a knife or stepping into a trap. If this

will happen to the favorite character of a child in a certain show, then it will cause distress to him

because the child feels both attached and protective to that particular character (Lyle, Parker &

Schramm, 1961).

Another situation Lyle et al. (1961) mentioned is one which reminds the child of his own

real-life fears, especially of darkness and loneliness. Fear of the unknown and unseen is still one

of the deepest human emotions, and this is the most often used in horror programs. The dark

room, the stormy night, the threatening shadow, which is seen by a flash of lightning, of

someone or something looking in the window this is the kind of program that frightens many

children. It reminds them of their own dark bedrooms and their own fears of night. They can

imagine themselves in the situation (Lyle et al., 1961).

The third situation according to Lyle et al. (1961) is one in which a child comes too

young to a stressful situation. All television seems real to a child in a certain period of time in

their lives. He has not yet develop the term called adult discount and doesnt know that things

will come out all right because he had not much experience with television. This kind of fear can

be handled by some control over what a young child views (Lyle et al., 1961).

Another emotional effect television has to children is its ability to stimulate excitement in

them. There are TV programs that capture childrens attention because of their thrilling plots or

stories.

Based on the book of Lyle, Parker, and Schramm (1961), children love and seek

excitement, but there is a fine line between excitement and fear as observed by the writers on
Televisions Impact on the Lives of Children 7

childrens emotional development. Fear may leave scars while excitement is relatively harmless

unless it gets out of control. Piling up excitement on television programs is a by-product of the

competition for audiences. However, this can affect the expectations of children in real life. A

psychiatrist named E. D. Glynn asked questions about the effect of too much excitement from

TV on the expectations of children in reality. Examples of those questions are these: what sorts

of expectations children have about school as a result of their exciting experience on television;

how exciting do they expect their teachers to be; and how much do they expect to learn passively

rather than by study and drill. These are serious questions but it is still difficult to answer them

confidently. Further research and observations must be done to a large number of children of the

television generation in order to know what part really the heightened excitement of television is

playing in their lives (cited in Lyle, Parker & Schramm, 1961).

Nevertheless, Lyle et al. (1961) said that the life situation of the child should have a

controlling influence. If the child is well-grounded in his reality experiences and secure in his

personal relationships, he is more likely to be able to take the heightened excitement in stride. If

he can relate to it as thrill play, he can probably put it into proper relationship with reality. If he

can learn to view it with adult discount, he is not likely to be deeply harmed by it. Lastly, there is

a good chance that familiarity with TV excitement may build defenses against it (Lyle et al.,

1961).

I would have to agree that the television viewing of a child should be controlled by the

adults so that harm from too much excitement of the child can be prevented. This is because too

much of anything is bad, and children are prone to suffer severe consequences if they are not

properly guided on what they are viewing in television.

Televisions Impact on the Lives of Children 8

The third effect of television on children is related to their cognitive skills. According to

Bryant and Anderson (1983), television can have the general learning effect on children. This

means that children can learn all kinds of things from television, but much of that learning,

without adult mediation or without specially designed, age-specific, child-oriented programming,

turns out to be incidental and potentially harmful. Therefore, without the aid of an adult at home

or in the classroom, TV can become a hazard to childrens cognitive development (Bryant &

Anderson, 1983).

Charlesworth (2011) mentioned damaging effects of television viewing on the cognitive

development of children. For example, childrens need to develop a sense of trust and safety is

undermined by viewing violent and scary content. Another is their need to develop a sense of

autonomy and connection which is in contrast to the televisions depiction that independence and

dependence cant work together (Charlesworth, 2011).

On the contrary, Charlesworth cited the research of Anderson, Huston, Schmitt,

Linebarger, and Wright (2001) that televisions power can still be a learning tool for children.

Many programs present positive models and useful information. Examples of these include

Barney the purple dinosaur, who is beloved by toddlers and young preschoolers and Sesame

Street which provides opportunities to learn basic skills such as counting and reciting the

alphabet, presents positive, culturally diverse role models, and supplies many types of good

information (cited in Charlesworth, 2011).

Indeed, there are still TV programs that provide information which can help children

improve their mental abilities. Some of these provide information through focusing on their

academic and social skills.

Televisions Impact on the Lives of Children 9

The article written by Kirkorian, Wartella, and Anderson (2008) states that educational

TV programs have intended lessons which their specific goal can be the improvement of

academic and social skills of children. Although there are still vague results about the

effectiveness of TV in teaching children, examples are presented in order to deepen the

understanding of the study (Kirkorian, Wartella, & Anderson, 2008).

Kirkorian et al. (2008) cited Jennings Bryant who conducted an experiment on children

who are watching the particular show, Blues Clues, and on those who are not. In a two-year

program evaluation, he and his team followed preschoolers who were regular viewers of the

show and preschoolers who were not. At the start of the study, the two groups did not differ on

measures of problem solving and flexible thinking. However, these results changed at the end of

the two-year observation period. Regular viewers of Blues Clues outperformed their non-

viewing peers in many measures. They were more comprehensive, successful, and systematic in

solving problems. This demonstrates the immediate and potentially long-lasting effects of a

particular show like Blues Clues especially for regular viewers of the program (cited in

Kirkorian et al., 2008).

Kirkorian et al. (2008) added that television programs, which are designed for young

children and focus on a variety of academic and social skills, help them in preparation for

entering school. An example of this program is Sesame Street, which has been the most studied

childrens program so far. A positive association between early exposure to Sesame Street and

school readiness has been demonstrated by a correlational research. Nonetheless, there are still

other factors and other forms of media affecting childrens school readiness (Kirkorian et al.,

2008).
Televisions Impact on the Lives of Children 10

On the other hand, there are two indicators of whether television is going to contribute a

generally higher level of information to children. Lyle, Parker, and Schramm (1961) said that

children who select some of the reality experiences of television are offered unusual

opportunities. These are the chances to meet great men, to hear issues discussed and interviewed

public figures, to see far places and great events, to hear some great teachers, and to see some

wonderful demonstrations of science and learning. The first indicator, then, is whether a child

selects from television experiences like those just mentioned. These children, who chiefly select

these things, tend to be the most intelligent children. The second indicator is whether the

experiences a child gets from television teach him more than the experiences he might be having

if he were not spending the time on television. In the observation, for example, more intelligent

child spends more than average time on television but still gives time to other useful learning

activities and experiences from print or personal contacts. In contrast, a child of low intelligence

is possibly substituting television for time that could be given to other useful materials such as

books, comics, movies, and others (Lyle, Parker & Schramm, 1961).

Another cognitive effect television brings to a child is its impact on his imagination.

Children have very wide range of imagination, and I think some TV programs really contribute a

lot in their imagination and creative thinking.

According to Valkenburg (n.d.), there are two aspects of childrens imagination that have

been addressed in earlier studies. These are the imaginative play and creativity. In imaginative

play, children pretend that they are someone else, that an object represents something else, or

that they are in a different place and time. Valkenburg (n.d.) mentioned Greta Fein who noted

that imaginative play usually emerges at around twelve months of age, reaches its height

between five and seven years and then gradually declines. Creativity, on the other hand, is
Televisions Impact on the Lives of Children 11

childrens capacity to generate original ideas, for example, in drawings or stories. Creativity is

believed to start at around five or six years of age (cited in Valkenburg, n.d.).

Furthermore, Valkenburg (n.d) stated that there are two major hypotheses which have

contradicting views about the influence of television on imaginative play and creativity of

children. First is the Stimulation Hypothesis where television encourages play and creativity. In

this view, television enriches the store of ideas from which children can draw when engaged in

imaginative play or creative tasks. The second hypothesis, then, is the Reduction Hypothesis.

Unlike the Stimulation Hypothesis, this view supports the argument that television reduces rather

than increases creativity. Actually, there are six different types of reduction hypotheses that have

been proposed in the earlier studies. These are the displacement, passivity, rapid pacing,

visualization, arousal, and anxiety hypotheses. The first four hypotheses pertain to the effect of

television viewing in general, whereas the latter two hypotheses are proposed to explain the

effects of television violence on childrens imaginative skills (Valkenburg, n.d.).

The childs-eye view of the adult world is also a cognitive effect of television to a child.

There are TV programs that can change the outlook of children in life when they become adults.

According to Lyle, Parker, and Schramm (1961), information on adult life, which is the

little-known part of life by the child, is one of the chief topics of incidental learning from

television. On television, the child gets a picture of the sexual element in marriage and the

problems of interpersonal relations between mother and father that he has little opportunity to get

at home. He also gets information about crooks, violent crimes, and punishment that is quite a

revelation to him. From a very early age, he gets an insight into parts of adult life which are

otherwise closed to him for some time (Lyle, Parker & Schramm, 1961).
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Moreover, Lyle et al. (1961) said that televisions picture of the world includes a high

proportion of sexy women and violent acts. It also contains an overrepresentation of inadequate

fathers, of get-rich-quick careers, and of crooked police and judges. It is hard to tell if these are

true, but in any case, the problem lies rather with the childs selection and interpretation to the

depiction of, say, crooked policemen. If the case is that a child is absorbing an inaccurate view of

adult life, then this only means socializing him with these kinds of programs only causes

negative impression on his view of adult world (Lyle et al., 1961).

For this reason, I think it is just acceptable to not allow them to watch television if those

inaccurate representations of adult life are the kinds of show they will watch because it will only

pollute their minds on something that can be incorrect. Thus, the picture of adult life is

something that should cause producers, broadcasters, and actors some concern. It also should

cause parents and teachers to question whether they are doing enough to give the child some

counterbalancing insight into adult life.

Lastly, television viewing also affects childrens behavior. There are authors who believe

that watching TV can cause childrens passivity, but there are also authors who disagree to that

thought or idea.

According to Kohn (1991), critics like Winn have alleged that television makes children

passive, putting them in something like a hypnotic trance rather than making them hyperactive.

However, there is still no concrete proof of whether television really makes children passive.

Take it for instance the study of Himmelweit who examined the claim that TV causes the

passivity of children. He was unable to support it. Unfortunately, he found no evidence of

Televisions Impact on the Lives of Children 13

increased passivity on children due to TV viewing. Viewers appeared to have as much initiative,

imagination, and pleasure in active play as controls (cited in Kohn, 1991).

Meanwhile, Schramms study which was mentioned by Kohn (1991) reported that a

normal, happy child is not in danger of being made abnormally passive by television. The same

is true to Patricia Palmer who observed and interviewed eight- to twelve-year-olds in a lesser

known Australian study (cited in Kohn, 1991).

However, Kohn (1991) also said that some critics retort that even if heavy viewers are no

less physically active than their peers, TV has the effect of making them mentally passive. Still,

research over the last two decades has established that children, like adults, often do other things

while watching TV and that they typically look at and away from the set every few seconds.

Thus, a child is not actually attending to the TV every minute it is turned on (Kohn, 1991).

The second behavioral effect of TV to children has something to do with sleepiness.

Watching TV affects childrens bedtimes because some of the shows they want to watch are

aired late nights. This can lead to sleepiness in the day which can affect their school

performance.

Based on the article of the Kaiser Family Foundation (2008), although there are many

reasons for the lack of adequate sleep among children, media use is frequently cited as one

probable cause. A study focusing on sleep and behavior problems presented evidence that a large

part of the association can be explained by the effect of poor sleep upon behavior problems. One

of the striking findings of research in this area is how important even relatively small sleep

impairments can be. One recent study found that an ongoing sleep deficit of just one hour per

day over three days can result in significant degradation in neurobehavioral function. Another
Televisions Impact on the Lives of Children 14

found that a difference of just 25 minutes per night of sleep duration was associated with changes

in school performance among adolescents (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2008).

In addition, Kaiser Family Foundation (2008) stated that television viewing has a clear

endpoint when a show ends, but producers are energetic in their efforts to retain viewers for a

subsequent show. As such, it is argued, media use of all types is likely to bring about time

displacements, especially of sleep. This theoretical reasoning suggests not only that media use

like television viewing could affect the total amount of sleep, but also that it would adversely

affect sleep quality by fostering irregular bedtimes (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2008).

The next effect of television on the behavior of children is related to violence. There are

instances that children unintentionally watch violent shows. I think those will be marked in their

minds, and there is a possibility that they will use it for bad purposes in the future when they

reach adulthood.

According to Brown (1976), some people are watching television for considerable length

of time, and the youngest citizens, the children, are among the heaviest viewers. This has raised

serious concern about televisions potential impact on the attitudes, values, and behavior patterns

of this vast audience. A series of studies have done, and the result was there is considerable

violence portrayed on the television screen. Such violence is used not to mirror societal violence

though but to define and differentiate the roles of the actors like their power and status in the

show. Since children view a considerable amount of television, they are also prone to be exposed

to a considerable amount of televised violence. Therefore, their behavior can be affected, and

they are more likely to exhibit violent behaviors like aggression (Brown, 1976).
Televisions Impact on the Lives of Children 15

Moreover, children who confuse the fantasy world with reality tend to transfer violence

from television to real life. Berry and Asamen (1993) stated that perceptions of television reality

affect childrens level of processing, comprehension, attitudes, and behavior. Both factual and

fictional television contribute on the learning of children about social reality. When they have

opportunities for real-world experience, they can differentiate, at least partly, the roles shown on

TV from those in the real world. But this learning occurs as part of more general cognitive

developmental changes involving representation, distinguishing appearance from reality, and the

like. Their understanding of reality is primarily concerned with factuality. This only changes as

they grow older. Around age three or four they begin to know the distinction between real

objects and televised images. Between the ages six and eleven, childrens correct judgments

about factuality increase (cited in Berry & Asamen, 1993).

However, there are exceptions to those children who fully understand the distinction

between reality and fantasy. According to Lyle, Parker, and Schramm (1961), confusion between

the real and the fantasy world will always exist to some extent in young children. There will

always be the possibility of confusion between fantasy violence and real-world violence as long

as violence is so prominent in the fantasy world of television, movies, and comics. Not only

young children confuse the real with the fantasy world. Sometimes, there is also a case where an

older child learns a violent act from television (Lyle, Parker & Schramm, 1961).

Furthermore, excessive viewing of violence on television may also result to childrens

exhibiting aggressive behavior. Jusoff (2009) mentioned an experiment on aggressive behavior

among preschool children, and the results show that children who viewed aggressive programs

showed significantly greater increases in aggressive behavior than those who watch non-

aggressive programs. This reflects the social learning theory of Albert Bandura. This theory
Televisions Impact on the Lives of Children 16

states that most human behavior is learned observationally through modeling, which involve

observing others, forms an idea of how new behaviors are performed, and on later occasions, it

will serve as a guide for action. Hence, when young children continuously watch aggressive

actions from the television, there will always be a tendency for them to imitate the actions,

thinking such actions as part of their play, which could lead to actual aggressive behavior. This is

because repetition of violence in the mass media could result in a decreased emotional sensitivity

to media violence and increased probability for decreased emotional sensitivity to actual

aggressive behavior in real life situations (cited in Jusoff, 2009).

Also, according to Escobar-Chaves and Anderson (2008), exposure to television violence

increases aggression and other violent behaviors. Experimental studies have shown that even a

single exposure to TV violence increases aggression in the immediate situation. Take it for

instance the study done by Kaj Bjorkqvist who randomly assigned one group of five- to six-year-

old Finnish children to watch violent movies, another to watch nonviolent ones. Researchers who

did not know which type of movie the children had seen then observed them playing together in

a room. Children who had just watched the violent movie were rated much higher on physical

assault and other types of aggression. Other experiments have shown that exposure to media

violence can increase aggressive thinking, aggressive emotions, and tolerance for aggression,

which are all known risk factors for later aggressive and violent behavior (cited in Escobar-

Chaves & Anderson, 2008).

On the other hand, there are also cases where children want to be like the successful

characters they see in fantasy and tend to imitate them, villainous or not. In the studies done by

Zajonc as cited by Lyle, Parke, and Schramm (1961) he found that when a fantasy sequence in

comic books showed a villain relatively successful, children will more likely to identify with him
Televisions Impact on the Lives of Children 17

and want to be like him than to identify with or want to be like a weak hero. Zajonc says that the

children would rather be like the characters who are successful, regardless of the specific ways

they used in solving interpersonal problems. The implication of Zajoncs study is that the child

would rather be like a strong villain than a weak hero, and consequently, an ethical ending will

not necessarily lessen the influence of a strong, dynamic, and attractive villain (cited in Lyle,

Parke & Schramm, 1961).

Finally, the most alarming effect of television on children for me is the point where

children will become addicts of TV. I think this is not impossible to happen because anything

can be an addiction especially today with the very advance technology the world has.

The term TV addiction is imprecise and laden with value judgments, but it captures

the essence of a very real phenomenon. Psychologists and psychiatrists formally define

substance dependence as a disorder characterized by criteria that include spending a great deal of

time using the substance; using it more often than one intends; thinking about reducing use or

making repeated unsuccessful efforts to reduce use; giving up important social, family or

occupational activities to use it; and reporting withdrawal symptoms when one stops using it. All

these criteria can be applied to people who watch a lot of television. That does not mean that

watching television, per se, is problematic. Television can teach and amuse; it can reach aesthetic

heights; it can provide much needed distraction and escape. The difficulty arises when people

strongly sense that they ought not to watch as much as they do and yet find themselves strangely

unable to reduce their viewing. Some knowledge of how the medium exerts its pull may help

heavy viewers gain better control over their lives (Kubey & Csikszentmihalyi, 2003, p. 50).
Televisions Impact on the Lives of Children 18

Similarly, Cox (2005) believes that like any drug, television has the potential to be used

responsibly or abused. It is the incredible stimulation TV provides, especially for young children,

that makes it so potentially damaging. All of the flashing bright colors, loud sounds, and frequent

fragmentation of reality that television contains are far too much stimulation for most young

minds to manage. At the same time, children are attracted to this type of enjoyment and can

become addicted to the neurological stimulation of television very quickly. Furthermore, just like

what happens when a person is exposed to any drug, repeated exposure to television has the

effect of dulling a person's senses. Kids who are addicted to television care increasingly less

about the content of what they are watching, and more about getting another "hit" of electronic

stimulation (Cox, 2005).

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The impact of television to children can be both good and bad. Although there may have

been harmful effects shown when children are watching TV, they may also have been benefits

for them as they continue to watch television. It only depends on the situation where the child

belongs and the adult assistance he has. Television has great influence, whether positive or

negative, on the appearance, feelings, thoughts, and actions of children. However, it is not

possible to point out which prevails more and say that it is due solely to television because there

are other factors that influences a childs action. One of these is adult intervention which is still

an important factor on whether television viewing would be advantageous or not in the lives of

children. Also, televisions effects cannot be said to be all good or all bad because it depends on

what children are watching and whom they are with while watching.
Televisions Impact on the Lives of Children 19

Proper guidance should be provided by the adults for the young ones because there is still

much information in TV that they cant understand. I recommend adults especially parents to

control the amount of time children watch television for them to experience other physical

activities that could be much worthy of their time. They also need to monitor the types of

programs children watch so that prematurely aging them can be prevented. Lastly, for me, it is

the best for parents to view programs with their children and discuss the content afterward

because it will serve as a bonding time for them. For that reason, children will more likely to

build a closer relationship with their parents or guardians and thus making a strong and tightly

bonded family.

On the other hand, I think further research must be done to fully understand and know the

specific effect of television on children in every aspect. I recommend future researchers to

conduct more experiments on the particular effects of television in each aspect of childrens lives

to be able to provide possible treatments for the harm TV can brought to children and to develop

the benefits they can also get from watching. With that, I hope starting from now children out

there only watch TV programs appropriate for their age and can get just the suitable information

from it. Lastly, I hope the readers would understand and be cautious enough to guide and observe

the watching and actions of children as a result of television viewing.

Televisions Impact on the Lives of Children 20

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Berry, G. & Asamen, J. K. (1993). Children and television: images in a changing sociocultural

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Bryant, J. & Anderson D. (1983). Childrens understanding of television: research on attention

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Brown, R. (1976). Children and television. USA: Sage Publications, Inc.

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Televisions Impact on the Lives of Children 21

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