Is Television Good For Children Essay Research

Paper

Television has become the baby-sitter of American children. It seems that these days parents just sit their kids in front of the T.V. for hours on end. Unfortunately, children seem to have a monkey-see-monkey-do mentality and tend to imitate what they see on television. The negativity portrayed by television is greatly impacting America s youth.

Unrealistic lifestyles have become the prime directive of the shows begin broadcasted. As was the case of the classic television show The Bradey Bunch. It appeared they had it all; the perfect jobs, the perfect house, the perfect parents, the perfect kids (whom always received good grades), and even the perfect maid. On the surface the Bradey s appeared to have the perfect family, but how realistic is that? Another show that represents how unrealistic television programs can be is Full House. This show depicts a family in which two grown men move in with their friend and help raise his three daughters. Throughout the longevity of the series the family never had a major problem and if there was a problem by the end of the show everybody was hugging and kissing and it was like the problem never even occurred. Shows like this inspire dreams in little kids that they might not be able to reach as adults.

Violence is another aspect of television programming used to lure in viewers. There is no better example of these than cartoons. Viewers of all ages are infatuated with the craziness of cartoons. The main viewers, however, are children. Often theses shows depict violence as the only ways to solve a problem. This is always the case with Poyeye. Whenever he is faced with a challenge, he simply eats his spinach and fights his way through. A more resent cartoon series that also shows how violence is used to solve problems is Batman. Every episode of this cartoon is action-packed with violence. During the course of the program various fight scense between the hero and his villains occur. The show always end with using his futuristic weaponry to incapacitate the bad-guys. Is this the type of message we want our children to receive?

As more and more television programs are aimed to attract the teenage audience, the programs become more sexually explicit. What the programmers are unaware of is that great amounts of young viewers are also tuning into these programs as well. One of the best examples of these sexually explicit shows is Dawsns s Creek. The show is about the social and sexual development of a group of teenagers. Each week they experience something new and exciting, as they grow and mature. These new and exciting actsare usually not suitable for young children, and even some young adults. Another example of a sexually explicit show that many children watch is WWF professionalwrestling. Some of the main characters on this programming are women, who aresexually exploited. This program gives nicknames to specific body parts, for example Debra McMichaels is known for puppies, which are her large breasts. Women also often wrestle in swimsuit fights, or in evening gown matches. In evening gown matches the woman who is undressed first is the loser. This is not the kind of television I would want my children subjected to.

Television today is not what it used to be. Television of yesteryear was good wholesome entertainment. On the other hand, today s television teaches children to reach for the unattainable, solve problems with violence, and widely promotes sex. Is this they kind of baby-sitter parents should employ?