By: Whitney Tatomer

Television impact on kids Watching television is part of kids daily lives When kids wake up they watch TV… When kids get home from school they watch TV… When kids are done with homework they watch TV… When kids are done eating dinner they watch TV… Before kids go to bed they watch TV… Television has become such a huge part of society that it starts to affect our youth in negative manners

Effects on healthy child development While TV aggressively markets fast food it encourages kids and young adults to eat unhealthy food. When people watch TV they tend to eat food while they eat. It turns into something that is comfort. There is only four percent of commercials shown on TV that are directed towards eating healthy food. McDonalds,the largest food advertiser on TV spend 5 million on there “We love to see you smile” ad campaign.

Sexual Content Media, magazines, Television, advertisements, and music all give out sexual content that give young children the wrong impression about what should be acceptable to society. In 2001 three out of four prime time shows contained sexual references. Of the shows only one in ten talked about having safe sex. In shows that portrayed teens only, only 17 percent promoted safe sex.

Education Education comes first with our youth. But what happens when TV becomes before homework? Our children's education and studies fall behind and become less important. There can be educational programs on TV, but majority of kids want to watch cartoons, nickelodeon, MTV, Vh1, and comedy central. None of those channels are educational. Our youth is our future, so if children don’t do our studies, in there 20s and on will be negatively affected.

Violence There has been many studies that young children may be vulnerable to violent images and messages media and television give out. Children begin to get increased fear; Either they are traumatized by what was seen or feel like they may be a victim to society. Desensitization to real life violence; is when children can’t separate what’s fake form reality. Sometimes cartoons seem like real life to kids and they mimic what they see,leading them to harm themselves or others. Increased aggressive behavior; When children watch a majority of violent shows they then begin to act out with violence themselves.

Psychological effects When a person watches too much TV the basal ganglia section of the brain tends to become too active. Dopamine is produced by this part of the brain. When the dopamine is released, less neurotransmitters are able to help other parts of the body function. When toddlers who watch horror movies are more likely to have sleeping disorders, anxiety, or aggressive behavior.

Did You Know….??? A child learns way more efficiently wit hands on activities rather than visuals seen on the TV screen. TV viewing takes away the time your child needs to develop important motor skills, language, creativity, and social skills. Within the Childs two first years these parts of the brain are developed through playing, exploration, and conversation. TV viewing numbs your Childs mind as it prevents your child from practicing initiative, being intellectually challenged, thinking analytically, and using his or her imagination.

Conclusion In Conclusion Television negatively affects children and distracts them away from what are the higher priorities in life. When children start to act out in violence, negative behavior, start copying sexual content, have psychological effects, and put there watching TV before there homework TV time needs to be limited. Our youth is our future and priorities come before entertainment on Television.