儿童与电视(Children and Television)

televisionhasbeenchangingthewaypeopleliveforthirtyyears.itinfluencesnearlyeveryaspectofmodernlife.howpeopleuseleisuretime,hownewsisreported,howinformationislearned,andhowpeoplethinkandfeel.

childrenareparticularlysusceptibletotheeffectsoftelevisionbecausetheirmindsaregrowing,developing,andlearningmuchfasterthanthoseofadults.whereastelevisioncouldbeusedasaneducationaltoolforchildren,moreoftensimpleehtertainingcartoonswithlittleornoeducationalvalueareshown.

socialscientists,teachers,andparentsaretroubledbythekindsoftelevisionprogramschildrenchoosetowatch.thesegroupsofpeopleareconcernedaboutthemediasimpactonyoung.children.theyareworriedabouttheeffectsoftelevisedviolenceonsocietyaswellascommercialsforsug-

arcoatedfood.mostimportantly,however,theyfeeltelevisionisonefactorthatcausesdecliningmathandreadingscoresamongschoolchildren.becauseoftheexcessivetimespentinwatchingtv,childrenarespendinglesstimereading

andthinkingindependently.

expertsareconcernedabouttheviewoftheworldthatyoungstersarelearningfromtelevision.parents,schools,andchurcheshavetraditionallybeenthesocialmodelsandteachersforchildren.however,becausetelevisioninfluenceschildrensattitudesandbehavior,itsroleinsocietyisbecomingincreasinglymorepowerful--itismuchmorethanasimplerecreationalactivity.

exposuretoexcessiveviolenceisanotherinfluenceoftelevision.accordingtoseveralstudies,televisedviolencemaycausechildrentobecomemoreaggressive.also,becausesomuchviolenceisseenbychildrenontelevision,theybecomemoreusedtoitastheonlysolutiontodifficultsituations.

childrenwhowatchagreatdealofviolenceontelevisionmaybecomeapathetictowardactualaggression.onestudyhasshownthat,comparedtoacontrolgroup,fifth-graderswhowatchedanaggressivetelevisionbroadcastwereslowertoaskforadulthelpwhenafightbrokeoutamongyoungerchildren.