Children and Television
Television has been changing the way people live for thirty years. It influences nearly every aspect of modern life. how people use leisure time, how news is reported,how information is learned,
and how people think and feel.Children are particularly susceptible to the effects of television because their minds are growing, developing, and learning much faster than those of adults. Whereas television could be used as an educational tool for children, more often simple ehtertaining cartoons with little or no educational value are shown.
Social scientists, teachers, and parents are troubled by the kinds of television programs children choose to watch.These groups of people are concerned about the media's impact on young .children. They are worried about the effects of televised violence on society as well as commercials for sug-
arcoated food. Most importantly, however, they feel television is one factor that causes declining math and reading scores among schoolchildren. Because of the excessive time spent in watching TV, children are spending less time reading
and thinking independently.
Experts are concerned about the view of the world that youngsters are learning from television. Parents, schools, and churches have traditionally been the social models and teachers for children. However, because television influences children's attitudes and behavior, its role in society is becoming increasingly more powerful--it is much more than a simple recreational activity.
Exposure to excessive violence is another influence of television. According to several studies, televised violence may cause children to become more aggressive. Also, because so much violence is seen by children on television, they become more used to it as the only solution to difficult situations. Children who watch a great deal of violence on television may become apathetic toward actual aggression. One study has shown that, compared to a control group, fifth-graders who watched an aggressive television broadcast were slower to ask for adult help when a fight broke out among younger children.
近三十年来，电视在不断地改变着人们的生活方式。它几乎影响着现代生活的方方面面，如：人们如何度过闲暇时间，如何报导新闻，如何获取知识信息，以及人们如何思考，作何感受。由于孩子们的大脑正在成长和发育，学习的速度比成年人要快得多，因此，孩子们尤其容易受到电视的影响。虽然电视可以用作教育儿童的工具，但更多时候，电视上放映的却只是一些简单的娱乐性的卡通节目，极少有甚至根本没有教育价值。
社会科学家，老师和家长们一直为孩子们选择观看的电视节目的种类所困扰着。这些人关注的是媒体对年幼的孩子造成的影响。他们为电视暴力节目，也为糖衣食物的广告给孩子带来的影响表示担忧。然而，最重要的是，他们认为电视是造成孩子们数学和阅读成绩下降的一大因素。由于把过多的时间花在看电视上，孩子们花在阅读和独立思考上的时间就非常少了。
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