Effects of Television as Mass Media on Children of 10 Years Essay Example for Free

set ups of Television as Mass Media on Children of 10 Years EssayIntroductionMass media is a collective term that refers to all the media technologies whose sole use is reaching a vast audience through kettle of fish communication. There are two study categories of visual sense media, which are, broadcast media and print media. Transmission of information by broadcast media is via electronic means tour transmission of information by print media is via physical means. Broadcast media found of radio, film, CDs, television system, and many more. Print media comprise of magazines, newspapers, newsletters, leaflets, books, pamphlets and brochures. Effect is a term that refers to something produced by a cause. It can also be referred to as a consequence. This look for paper seeks to investigate both verifying and negative effectuate of mass media on small fryren. accomplishable solutions to address or mitigate the negative effects of mass media will also be highlighted. diverseial gear Effects of Mass Media on ChildrenThe mass media, particularly, broadcast media, significantly affects childishness ontogeny in that, it provides information-seeking and poser opportunities out(a)side school and family. It has been estimated that the average American child watches more than 20, 000 television commercials annually. According to statistical entropy collected in the year 2000, children aged between the ages of two and five spent 40 hours reflection television on a weekly basis. Those between six to eleven years spent 50 to 60 hours weekly watching television. These findings clearly show that mass media reckons an essential life in pliant a childs beliefs, behaviors and attitudes (Bento, 2004).Among the key manifestation of the negative effects that media has on children is their declining lifestyle forest and changing mental set up. Instead of investing their time in studying, reading good books, zesty in social activities, and exercising, chil dren choose to spend their evenings watching movies or glued to the television sets. With increasing technical advancement, the Internet can easily be accessed, even by small children. This exposes such children to things that they do non necessarily need to know and whitethorn not understand. The reading culture is gradually fading and substituted by mass media. This poses a negative effect on school performance as well as learning problems. Children are increasingly reporting low academic grades and problems in learning due to excess in mass media (Matthew Jesse, 2008)Food advertisement in broadcast media such as televisions has been cereb set to ascending cases of childhood obesity. There is a strong relationship between an increase in non-nutritious food publicize and childhood obesity. It is extremely hard for children at a lower place the age of six to differentiate between advertising and programing. Those below the age of eight do not comprehend the fact that the m ain intention of advertising is to shake the audience to purchase a given product.Therefore, non-nutritious or junk food advertising directed to children may turn out to be exploitative. A single commercial exposure can go a long way in influencing product references among children. Additionally, the remarkable ability of children to remember the message from various advertisements increases their likelihood to indulge in unhealthy eat habits such as over-consumption of unhealthy fast foods, which results to heightened rates of childhood obesity (Munni Ram, 2010).Body image problems and eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa are also directly linked to mass media. This is particularly the case with teen girls. The mass media ads portray models with unrealistic images. More frequently than not, the models await to beget extremely thin waists and figures that are unattainable. In the attempt to look like the models seen in televisions, teenage girls may starve themselves and even develop unhealthy eating habits such as binging. This results to development of eating disorder. Mass media tends to dictate various aspects including the ideal image or the definition of truelove. Children blindly imitate the spellbind models portray in mass media without being careful enough to differentiate between wrong and right. some(prenominal) young girls have developed self-esteem issues due to failure to match up to the image and beauty standards dictated by the media (Page Evra, 2004).A negative effect of mass media that is worth noting is with respect to sexuality. Mass media may prompt children to engage in sexual activities at an early age. Research has indicated that children are exposed to just about 14, 000 sexual references annually in televisions. Out of these references, only 150 of them address issues of abstinence, sexual responsibility, or contraception (Preiss, 2007). This implies that sex is portrayed as a fun activity, which prompts children to have an urge to try it out. Overexposure to sexual case in videos, games and television programming is strongly linked to increasing rates of teen pregnancies. A like case applies to substance abuse, which is highly depicted in movies that children watch. Out of curiosity, such children begin trying out different illegal drugs and substances seen in media sources.Positive Social Effects of Mass MediaDespite the mentioned negative effects, in that respect are a number of validatory social effects of mass media on children. Mass media plays a major role in enhancing positive child development. For instance, various educational programs aired in televisions may serve to increase childrens knowledge and understanding of various life aspects. Positive role models portrayed in the mass media can also serve as a positive social developmental tool for children and young adults. Qualitative question studies have shown that one way in which televisions enhance development in children is portraying positive role models of collaboration and development as a responsible modality of acting (Preiss, 2007). It is therefore evident that televisions can serve as a means learning of positive reinforcement in children.Mass media has also played a major role in enhancing socialising among children. With advance(a) technology, children can easily access the internet, which is a major socialization tool. The internet serves as an efficacious means of communication among individuals regardless of their geographical locations. The internet can also serve as a good source of knowledge on various aspects. By using search engines such as Google, children can increase their knowledge and understanding of various subjects learnt in school. The internet provides a vast pluck of information on various topics and fields of study. Therefore, it is an excellent research tool that can be utilize positively by students (Munni, 2010).Mass media programs can serve as a means of minim izing the effects of stereotyping among children. These programs often portray cast members from different ethnic and racial backgrounds. Hence, children learn to appreciate cultural diversity from a tender age. Mass media therefore serves a means of increasing the preparedness of children for adolescence. Constructive utilization of mass media can play a significant role in helping children and young adults to learn socially appropriate means if solving conflicts, knowing their rights and protection from harm. Mass media can also serve as a tool for promoting health lifestyles and eating habits in children (Page, 2004).Possible SolutionsParental control is one of the contingent solutions to preventing the negative influence of mass media on children. Parents should take charge of the means that is accessible to their babys. They should prevent their kid from watching programs aimed at promoting violence, substance abuse as well as those obtaining sexually explicit content. one workable way is switching off the television or changing channels during certain programming and adverts that are meant to exploit children. Parents should help their children understand the difference that exists between actual reality and fantasy world. This is especially with respect to images and beauty expectations dictated by the mass media. Parents should let their children know the essence of loving oneself and appreciating oneself. This is a good step toward helping such kids to build on their self-esteem and confidence (Debra, 2003).Practitioners should conduct research and provide relevant empirical evidence showing the impact that mass media has on increasing the rate of childhood obesity. Laying emphasis on this subject will shed light on different kinds of advertising and try to limit those that encourage consumption of unhealthy foods. In addition to practitioners, researchers also have an important role to play. There is the need for conducting further research on t he negative consequences of mass media and how to trash them. Research should also focus on ways of promoting the positive contribution of mass media to a childs social development (Bento, 2004).Rather than letting children invest most of their time watching television and other media platforms, schools should encourage children to do assignments or further study during their free time. They should also be advance to take part in co-curricular activities such as games. The entertainment industry should be careful of the content that it portrays to the audience. With the help of the presidency, it would be possible to censure some of the programming and advertisements that pose negative effects on children. Rather than just focusing on persuasion and the profits that would be generated from products, the advertising industry should play the role of promoting adverts that lead to constructive developments. The adverts promoted should result to healthy lifestyles in children (Berula va, 2010).It is therefore evident that different stakeholders including parents, school, the government and even the entertainment industry, have a fundamental role to play in preventing the negative effects that media poses on children. The government and policy makers should work toward implementation of policies that put restrictions and control to the time specific content should be aired in broadcast media sources such as televisions. A good suggestion is for programs that contain violence or sexual content to be aired late at night when children are already asleep (Kirsh, 2006).ConclusionChildhood development is significantly affected by mass media. With advanced technology, children are continually exposed to thousands of television commercials and even sexual references. Some of the negative effects of mass media include poor performance, early onset of sex, substance abuse, and violence. Mass media may also have positive effects such as increasing knowledge and enhancing po sitive social development in children. Parents, government, advertising industry, practitioners, researchers, and the entertainment industry have a major role to play in prevention and steering of the effects of mass media on children.ReferencesBento, J. (2004) Meditating the negative effects of mass media on children. Seattle Antioch University PublishersBerulava, M. N. (2010) The Nation is in Danger. Russian Education and Society, 52(3), 30-36Debra, M. (2003) Questioning the media and reclaiming our sacred space. Paths of Learning, 15, 24Fink, G. (2010) Stress of War, Conflict and Disaster. California Elsevier Publications Kirsh, S. (2006) Children, adolescents, and media violence. Thousand Oaks, California judicious Publications, IncMatthew, G., Jesse, S. (2008) Preschool television viewing and adolescent test scores historical evidence from the Coleman study. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 123(1), 279-323 Munni, R., Ram, K. (2010) Effect of electronic media on children. Ind ian Pediatrics, 47(7), 561-568Page, J., Evra, V. (2004) Television and child development. New Jersey Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.Preiss, R. (2007) Mass media effects research advances through meta-analysis. New Jersey Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.