Childrens exposure to TV violence

Childrens exposure to TV force outLong periods of TV exposure to violence jakes require aggressive behavior in pincerren. In many cases children of different ages are exposed to TV programs that arent able for their age groups. Many of these programs contain high slew of violence and children are exposed to them for an excessive amount of clock without parental supervision. This can be a factor in building a unfriendly behavior in a child.Not all TV programming is intend for all audiences. More children are watching programs that are not intended for their ages. There is an excess of violence, sex, and adult topics in TV programs. Children are more exposed to these topics with a click of a remote control device. It is very simple for a child to watch these types of programs beca usage they are easily available at different hours of the day. A parent may think that during the advance(prenominal) hours of the day tv set receiver programs may be directed toward children pr ovided this may not always be the case. Ratings have been implemented in order for parents to keep control of the television programs their children watch.Programs are identified by ratings issued by The National Association of Broadcasters, the National occupation Television Association, and the Motion Picture Association of America. These ratings are known as TV Parental Guidelines. These ratings can identify violent programming. They appear within the first 15 minutes of a TV program except for news, sports, and most cable channels. The Federal Communications Commission (2009) states The ratings are as followsTV-Y Directed for children within the ages of two to sixTV-Y7 Directed for children of seven years of age and aged(a)TV-Y7-FV Directed for the same age group as the previous rating but with the difference that it may contain fantasy violence.TV-G Sui tabularise for all ages but not necessarily a childrens show.TV-PG Parental guidance is suggested and may not be suita ble for young children.TV-14 Suggests that the show may not be suitable for children under the age of 14.TV-MA Directed specifically for adult viewing and children under the age of 17 are recommended not to view this program.Programs like Sesame channel are rated TV-Y and are directed to an audience from the ages of two to six years of age. This program in particular teaches learning skills to children while it entertains in an appropriate manner. When parents allow their children watch programs with this rating, they can feel secure that their children will not be exposed to any violent, sexual or adult topics.Children watch TV programs for a large period of time. The Keiser Family Foundation (2006) stated More than four in ten (43%) children under 2 years old watch TV any day and nearly one in five (18%) watch videos or DVDs every day. What this tells us is that most of these children dont incur in any outside activities and their briny first of entertainment comes from tele vision and video games. Children under the age of 2 watch television on a daily basis. This is a very early start for children to get accustomed to a television set.The following table represents the amount of hours children spend watching television, playing video games and using computers. (Amy B. Jordan, PhDa, James C. Hersey, PhDb, Judith A. McDivitt, PhDc Carrie D. Heitzler, MPHc , 2006). Children amongst the ages of nine and ten are at the highest level of television watching, while children between the ages of six to 7 years are at the lowest level. This table also shows that while children become older, they also include playing video games and using computers in addition to watching television. The amount of hours spent in forward of a screen increases with age. Video games and computers also contain violence.The American Academy of Pediatrics (2006) stated Pediatricians recommend to parents that they limit childrens total media time (with entertainment media) to no more than one to two hours of quality programming per day and to remove television sets from childrens bedrooms. With this amount of limited TV violence, children will be less wedded to being affected by the aggressiveness and hostility shown in these types of programs. Children who are continuously exposed to TV violence at an early age may create a hostile behavior that will progress into their adulthood. Aggressive behavior in the early childhood years has been repeatedly linked to violence in later youth and adolescence. (Dimitri A. Christakis, MD, MPH, Frederick J. Zimmerman, PhD, 2007)The way to address this issue is mainly with the interaction of the parents. A child looks up to the parents for guidance and they are the primary source of mentoring. Parents require to be involved in the lives of their children. It is distinguished that they provide love and affection, along with communication and guidance. They need to spend time with their children in activities that will pu sh good behavior while creating a bond. Alternative activities should be inciteed to substitute the use of television. Parents need to set the example in providing healthier activities to share with their children. The American Academy of Pediatrics (2009) stated Parents are powerful role models. If you want your child to read more, that is what you should do. If you would like him to go outdoors for some physical activity, tender him to do so as part of an enjoyable family exercise program.Parents should foment other activities like sports, music, and literature. It is a good idea to promote activities that can be beneficial physically and mentally. There are many types of programs that children can enjoy while interacting with other children of the same age. Parents on a limited budget can look for free activities sponsored by their community. They can sign their children in a reading class at the library or a childrens sports team at their local community center. The main focus on this is to limit the time children will spend watching violence on television versus participating in other activities that are more beneficial to them.Also, the hours a child spends watching television and the type of programs they watch should be controlled by the parents. In fact, devices like a V-chip have been created to monitor and block the programs children watch. This device allows parents to block programming they dont want their children to watch. This is measured by the rating issued by The National Association of Broadcasters, the National Cable Television Association, and the Motion Picture Association of America. Programs with ratings of MA will be blocked by this gadget. This is a very useful took because it permits parents to schedule ahead of time the programs their kids can watch and will provide them with a sense of relief that their children cant watch inappropriate programming. The website for the Federal Communications Commission (2009) has information reg arding this V-chip and explains how to use this device. The website for them is http//www.fcc.gov/.It is extremely important for a parent to explain to children that the violence they see on television is not acceptable behavior and should not be imitated. A parent can inform their children that the majority of the violence they see on television and the reaction to this violence is seen by society as negative behavior. Parents need to encourage a sociable behavior in their children at an early age. While violence is an issue that affects society, children should be taught that this is not acceptable behavior.Nevertheless, if a child has already developed an aggressive behavior other measures should be put into action. Parents may want to seek the services of a professional such as a school Counselor or a Psychologist, to help deal with the hostility. In addition, the involvement of all family members may be helpful in exhausting to control this type of behavior. It is a family iss ue when there is an aggressive child in the house because this behavior could eventually affect everyone in that house.Finally, it is very important to say that not all television programming is unacceptable, or that it will affect the behavior of a child. Some programs are educational and will foment acceptable behavior in children. Violent TV programming will foment aggressive behavior in children and should be avoided. Children need entertainment in their lives but parents need to substitute television with activities that can stimulate them physically and mentally. Exposure to television should be reduced to a minimum and parents need to be more involved in the lives of their children. After these measures are taken, parents should see improvements on their childrens behavior.