From Black and White to Hdtv, Tv’s Grip on Our Young

From Black and White, to HDTV, TV’s Grip on our Young

How many televisions do you have in your house? Do you watch those TV’s for more than an hour a day? How much is too much television? These questions are asked by people everyday, with each question comes a varied response depending on who is asked. Children are very impressionable. How does television affect the children that are between the ages of ten and sixteen? Could the affect be positive or is it negative.

People who watch violent television as children behave more aggressively even 15 years later, according to one of the few TV violence studies to follow children into adulthood (Grossman 43). The effect appears in both sexes regardless even of how aggressive a person was as a child, researchers found (Kline 138). “Experts say the results are no surprise, but added that the study is important because it used a wide range of measures, included many participants and showed the effect in females as well as males” (Noble 113). “Huesmann said televised violence suggests to young children that aggression is appropriate in some situations, especially when it's used by

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charismatic heroes. It also erodes a natural aversion to violence” (Comstock 14).

The American Psychological Association has said that viewing violence on TV promotes aggressive behavior, particularly in children. Other mental-health and medical groups have taken similar stands (Nobel 178). Children who play actively will have more of an opportunity to develop their senses than children who are passively viewing (Grossman 192).

The health aspects of watching TV can vary, almost entirely bad. While watching TV, the eyes are practically motionless and 'defocused' in order to take in the whole screen. Constant movement is required for healthy eye development (parenthoodweb Oct 24). Viewing affects not only eye mechanics, but also the ability to focus and pay attention.