Television
What Can One Do About Television And Children?
Parent activism has spurred the development of broadcasting regulations, which in turn may exert some influence on children's viewing. Direct parental involvement, however, may have the greatest potential to affect the nature of television's impact on children's development. When children are young, it is relatively simple for parents to provide guidance concerning the amount and kind of viewing children do. Such guidance can help establish viewing habits that will continue to exert an influence as children get older and exercise more independent choice. If pre-schoolers learn to be selective about program choices and understand that there are many ways to spend their time, they may be less apt to fall into uncritical heavy viewing later in childhood. As children get older, parents can assist them in viewing critically and can avoid creating an environment that assigns television undue importance (e.g., a television in the child's room). Together, federal regulations and parental vigilance may help television contribute positively to children's development.
See also: SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT; VIOLENCE
Bibliography
Anderson, Daniel R., and Patricia A. Collins. The Impact on Children's Education: Television's Influence on Cognitive Development. Washington, DC: Office of Educational Research and Improvement, 1988.
Bryant, Jennings, and J. Alison Bryant, eds. Television and the American Family, 2nd edition. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 2001.
Calvert, Sandra. Children's Journeys through the Information Age. Boston: McGraw-Hill College, 1999.
Huston, Aletha C., and John C. Wright. "Mass Media and Children's Development." In William Damon, Irving Sigel, and K. Ann Renninger eds., Handbook of Child Psychology, 5th edition, Vol. 4:Child Psychology in Practice, edited by Jane B. Smith. New York: Wiley, 1997.
Kaiser Family Foundation. Kids and Media at the New Millennium. Menlo Park, CA: Kaiser Family Foundation, 1999.
Murray, John P. "Studying Television Violence: A Research Agenda for the Twenty-First Century." In Joy K. Asamen and Gordon L. Berry eds., Research Paradigms, Television, and Social Behavior. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 1998.
Neuman, Susan B. Literacy in the Television Age. Norwood, NJ:Ablex, 1991.
Elizabeth Lorch
Clarese Lemberger
Additional topics
Social Issues ReferenceChild Development Reference - Vol 8Television - How Do Children Use Television?, How Are Children Affected by Television?