Bob's Media Report

Why parents should make sure their kids are listening to appropriate media!

Videos and TV

Watching too much violence in Cartoons make a child more likely to be aggressive, care less about seeing other people get hurt, and can make them think the world is a scarier place.
· 61%of TV shows are violent
· 40% of violent scenes on TV include humor
· 54% of the violence is lethal
· 51% of TV violence shows no pain

The number of hours the average child spends in front of the TV by the time they finish high school, if they watch only three hours a day, is 18,000 hours. Compare this to the 13,000 hours they spend in the classroom. Fourteen to sixteen year olds who watch one to three hours of television a day are 60% more likely to be involved in assaults and fights as adults then those who watch less TV.
Watching a lot of TV like our family, you see a lot of commercial s for junk food and stuff. You sit there shoving food down your throat, so you become a ’’couch- potato. ‘’ you could choose to play outside, using your imagination, playing with friends, or enjoying a bike ride around the neighborhood instead of sitting on your lazy butt on the couch and watching cartoon reruns.
TV shows make sex, smoking, drinking, and violence look glamorous. Kids prefer real life shows but they usually don’t understand the plot and the violence scares them (children8-12 are most frightened by realistic violence).This fear and its effects can last until they’re adults. TV in kid’s rooms is linked with difficulty with sleeping and nightmares. Children under the age of 2 should not watch TV at all or even have it playing in the background.

Gender Identity

Gender identity begins in toddler ages. A pre-teen becomes aware of what society’s standards are for the ‘’ideal body.’’ Children learn what people think they should be like. Girls are taught to be focused on makeup and boys, instead of being adventuresome. On TV they are shown in typical female or unpaid jobs. “How they look” is more important than “What they do.”
Body image
Out of girls 9 and 10 years old, 40% of these girls have tried to lose weight. The amount of time an adolescent watches soap operas, movies and music video is associated with their degree of body dissatisfaction and desire to be thin. At the age thirteen, 53% of American girls are ‘’unhappy with their bodies.’’ This grows to 78% by the time girls reach seventeen.

Video games

The thing about video games is the violence, often trying to get you to kill people and you get rewarded if you do, or breaking laws by speeding and driving recklessly. Video games are more realistic and scary then TV. Video games get you to practice hurting and killing people over and over again. Watching others play games leads to greater aggressive feelings and behaviors (maybe because you are frustrated because you can’t do anything).
Language
Kids imitate the tough and bad languages they hear on TV. They are not learning to use complicated thoughts and their imagination. Texting has all but destroyed spelling and grammar.
Music Videos

The lyrics use bad language and bad messages. Although kids don’t always listen to the lyrics to their favorite songs, the people singing the song and dancing have a greater impact because they’re impossible to ignore. They also dress really inappropriately. So if you like certain songs, you think that you should dress like that because you want to look like your favorite singer.
Your brain holds a special place for music (think how many songs you can memorize compared to speeches). It affects your behavior and mood in powerful ways.
Positive effects
While most kids imitate aggressive behavior learned from watching hours and hours of media, it is good to know that children are more likely to copy positive behavior - 87% of kids mimic positive behavior. So when parents limit TV time, and give kids appropriate media (Music, videos, books …etc.), they are doing this because they love their kids and want to help them.





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