Category: Cram Session
Here is a place that all students no matter if they are in high school, middle school, or even in college to get feedback from other students on their papers. Please be kind to others, and keep your coments clean. Thanks.
Here is my Junior paper that I wrote earlier this year. How can I make this paper better? I am open for suggestions. Thanks.
The Negative Outlook on Television
Chelsea Armstrong
February 14, 2005.
Mrs. Tate
Violent television programs may cause haunting nightmares and cruel behaviors in young children who view them. Despite how much parents supervise their young as they watch television, surf the web, or play video games, the media seeps in to the homes of thousands. The question is; how can TV be limited in every day life? Let us look.
Research shows that violent TV programs play a big role in the lack of sleep. They can be seen as fun and entertaining, yet as young children, or even teens watch these violent shows, they will become frightened and loose sleep over the program. As young children watch violent shows, they do not realize that they are all fake. They cannot distinguish what is real, and what is not. That is why parents are highly suggested to sit down with their children and talk about what is happening on television. On the other hand, teens watch so much violent TV that it is embedded deep in to their thoughts. When it is time to sleep, those thoughts are brought back up to the top of their brain, and they think about these TV programs through out the night in a form of a dream. In return, these dreams have many side affects that stay with the child through out their years in school. Some side affects are “skipping school, fear of being alone, and withdrawing from friends.”)Boyse paragraph 4, page 1.)
To avoid bad dreams, researchers suggest
“limiting TV watching time to two hours per day, and the average child can watch more than seven hours per day. They can spend around 20 hours per week just watching TV. That is 1,023 hours per year. “(Gavin paragraph 12 page 3.) The average person gets around 6 to 8 hours of sleep per night.” (Boyse paragraph 2 page 1) Each year, kids see around 10,000 rapes, assaults, and murders shown on TV. (This is not including the 1,000-2,000 TV ads for alcohol. Boyse paragraph 7, page 2.) This all affects every child’s sleeping pattern. They are more than likely to sleep better if the violent shows are cut out of their lives, or even limited to a small percentage.
Television sets a bad example for young viewers. Although TV does have its good side, it has its bad side. First off, let us look at the good side. TV is good for preschoolers as they learn their alphabet, and how to count. It is also good for older children/teens as they learn about world history, animals on the nature show, and the various educational programs that are clean and family friendly. Lastly, “parents can stay up-to-date with the evening news.” (Gavin paragraph 2 page 1.) Besides the educational programs, there is nothing good to watch these days. Just look at the violent shows! They put humor in to the violence so that the young viewers will enjoy it. Then, the TV programs say, “do not do this at home,” (Boyse paragraph 5 page 1.) Yet what do the children do? They attempt to do the dangerous acts that they see their heroes do. Then they are injured in a way that scares them. They might not ever want to go outside with their friends, or move away from the TV set ever again. They watch so much TV that it causes them to just lounge around and do nothing. “By age 70, the average person will watch 7-10 years of TV.” (Boyse paragraph 3 page 1.) Just imagine all of those years all wasted just watching TV. Instead, children could be finding something else to occupy them with. For example, instead of watching cartoons, you could sit down with a book and educate the mind.
Did you know that the average child has its own TV set? That is right. By age two, “kids end up with a television, computer, or another form of entertainment in their own bedroom.” (Jordan paragraph 2 page 1.) The media teaches children that it is OK to be in front of the TV for hours on end. Then they play commercials that make them hungry for fatty foods. The problem is that parents do not supervise their own children. That is right; they just use the TV as a form of entertainment/baby sitter. Then, they go out and spoil their young because they are craving the unwanted foods. As they eat their junk food, children once again watch TV for several hours longer. When they are asked to complete a household chore, they will not do it because they have been taught that it is OK to just watch the television all day long. There is a way to break them of this nasty habit. It may take a while to free them of it, yet it is worth it! First, it is best to sit down with the child and create a list of family friendly shows that you all would not mind watching. Then, find out the times that they will be playing, and stick to that list.
Another habit to break free of is channel surfing. The average family can be found surfing with no idea what they want to watch. What ever catches their eye, they will watch. That is something everyone does. But if we no what show we want to watch and what time it will be on, then it could be a bit safer to watch TV instead of seeing any inappropriate content. The key point is to really limit what shows may enter the home, and how much control a child should have over the remote. The best way to limit the surfing is to remove all TV sets from bedrooms, and from all hidden places. This way the TV can be in plain view.
“TV portrays itself as pure fun and games, even the bad unwanted shows pull young viewers near and say that it is all OK to watch.” (Bois paragraph 273 page 8.) Even when we do not realize it, we are being sucked in to a world of violence, and hate. How can this happen? Well, the violence is all covered up by comity, and drama. All it takes is for a kid to watch the “tube” for an hour or more to be trapped in the lure of entertainment. They begin to think that is OK to be violent, or to say hateful words to their neighbor. It is sad to see teens/children like that. That is why we must prevent this from happening. It is nearly impossible to get rid of violence totally, yet we can prevent our generation from watching the useless garbage. We also have to expose them to the real world, by explaining that such words are unnecessary. Also, “parents can buy a “V-Chip” that will block all unwanted language out of the shows.” (Bois paragraph 286 page 9.) This so-called chip will block most shows, yet it cannot block what is seen on the news. That is why parents should hang out with their children if they want them to watch shows that they have not seen before. This chip can come in handy when watching a show as a family, or when a child is limited to a show that is age appropriate for them.
Another thing that is highly seen on television is sex. No matter how hard they try not to be involved in shows that deal with sexual content, young children and teens end up seeing many shows and commercials advertising it.
“It promotes risky behavior, such as trying dangerous stunts, substance use and abuse, and irresponsible sexual behavior.” (Bois paragraph 148 page 5.) It is a sad day when children/teens are hooked with it. Their families then have to find a way to block the inappropriate programs. The best thing to do is to sit down with teens/children and discuss the content of the programs. Next, create a list of shows that would be good for them to watch, and then block the shows that are not allowed to see. That way they will not be able to watch the unwanted programs.
There are so many things to avoid when watching TV. So many do’s, and do nots, but what are some ways to entertain a child/teen besides watching TV? Well, there are many things to do! They could play an outdoor game with their friends; go for a hike, go fishing, swimming, camping, and hunting. Some other options are: listen to music, sing, dance, play an instrument, play a game with your sibilants, get a job helping the next-door neighbor mow their lawn, or clean the house. When the whole family is together, instead of watching the “tube/movie,” suggest playing a family friendly game, such as the game Sorry, or Phase Ten. This is only a few options. There are many opportunities around the corner. It is also suggested by many researchers to “turn off the TV, and turn on a healthier lifestyle.” (Bois paragraph 148 page 6.) Just by turning off the TV will make a big difference in everyone’s life. They might not see it at first, but in time, it will work out for the best. There is more to life than just watching television. There is a since of freedom once the TV has been unplugged and hidden from out of sight. After a while, the mind will not think of the TV, and then fun activities will flood the brain. It is known that once the mind has stopped seeing nasty images, it will be at ease, and at night, there will be no need to be afraid. For the haunted nightmares will vanish, and wonderful dreams will take its place. So, unplug the television, and get rid of the awful thoughts! It will feel better to be freed from the continuous drag of nasty thoughts.
Everyone should enjoy his or her life. Why not start it now? It is like entering another world when watching television. Once wrapped up in it, it is hard to come back out. So many worries and fears are displayed on just about every TV show, that it depresses the mind. We have enough in the world let alone to worry about, so it is best to move on in life and forget about the useless entertainment that sucks our motivation and attention up.
The main idea is not to afraid of what is being shown on TV, but to be aware of what is being taught on children’s programs. It is always good to “sit down with young children/teens and go over the content.” (Bois paragraph 20 page 3, Gavin paragraph 30 page 4, and Jordan paragraph 21 page 3.)
Work Sited Page
Kyla Boyse, R.N., and Maia McCuiston. “Television.” Your Child | Television. July 2004. 13 January 2005.
http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/yourchild/tv.htm 48k - Jan 6, 2005.
Mary L. Gavin, MD. “How TV Affects Your Child.” November 2002. Nemours Foundation. January 31, 2005.
www.kidshealth.org/parent/positive/ family/tv_affects_child.htmll
Dr. Amy B. Jordan. “Children in the Digital Age. Evaluating Information and Communications Technology: Perspectives for a Balanced Approach.” March 5, 2001. Jan 22, 2005.
http://www.si.umich.edu/pne/kellogg/087.htmlllll
thanks for that. i have to look at it more closely
and i now find it good.
i like it
Yea!!! Finally something that someone likes. Grin... I hope this will be of use to those who are in school or college.
you're always welcome. i will always take a look at what you post here
You are too sweet!
lol. you can never be to sweet
LOL.
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