Television is an Integral Part of Our Lives

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Television, which was nonexistent just a few decades ago, has become an integral part of our daily lives. There are thousands of shows to choose from, varying from soap operas to cooking shows to science fiction. These can all be easily accessed with just the click of a button. If what you want to watch is not on, you can access just about every show there has been through the Internet. This is convenient in our growing need for constant entertainment. However, this ease of access presents problems. The ability to watch any show at any time applies to children as well. Because of this it has become increasingly difficult to monitor what children watch. The result is the increased exposure of youth to violence. This is not limited to cartoon characters blowing each other up; there are many shows that depict explicit, realistic violence. Statistics show that the average American child, by the time they are 18, will have witnessed 40,000 murders on TV. The question arises as to whether watching shows that show violence can have a negative effect on children. Violent shows desensitize children, encouraging the use of force to solve problems, and can even lead to children exhibiting violence.
From the time a child is born, they learn everything through imitating. Eating, talking, and walking are all behaviors that they observe before they learn how to execute them. Without first observing someone else exhibit a behavior, it is unlikely they would have learned it. As they get older, they learn how to count and how to recite the alphabet, once again by imitating those around them. Many kid’s shows encourage this by having characters list numbers and letters. These shows have helped many children to learn basic concepts. The success of ...

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...uture generations.

Works Cited

Cook, Donald E., et al. "Joint Statement on the Impact of Entertainment Violence on
Children Congressional Public Health Summit July 26, 2000." American Academy of
Pediatrics. Web. 6 October 2009. http://www.aaporg/advocacy/releases/
Jstmtevc.htm>
"How TV Affects Your Child." KidsHealth. Nemours, 2008. Web. 7 October 2009.
Media Violence Opposing Viewpoints. California: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Print.
Moeller, Thomas. Youth Aggression and Violence. Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum
Associates, Publishers, 2001. Print.
Van Erva, Judith. Television and Child Development. 2nd ed. New Jersey: Lawrence
Erlbaum Associates, Inc., 1998. Print.
Dickenson, Amy. "Violent Cartoons." Time. n.p. 12 June 2000. Web. 8 October 2009.
"Indirect Aggression." Atlantic Monthly (10727825) 292.3 (2003): 49. Literary Reference
Center. EBSCO. Web. 7 Oct. 2009.

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