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The Issue of Media Influence on Our Children

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The Issue of Media Influence on Our Children

Ever since the first televisions made their way into American homes in the 1950s, people have been concerned about what their children watch and how it affects them. There is good reason for such concern, as the impact that television has on our children can be astounding - it is said that children are exposed to a violent act every three seconds when they watch cartoons. Although exposure to violent content is one problem media presents, it is not the only one. The messages, which children are being fed via television and social media outlets, are also a good cause for concern. While these problems are pervasive in today’s ubiquitous media avalanche, there are solutions at hand. Having an ongoing and healthy dialogue with children about media content, paying attention to and being selective about what media children are exposed to, encouraging more physical than sedentary activity and promoting self-esteem are very real weapons against the potential onslaught of media’s negative influence.

Research dictates the negative impact mass media has upon our children. For example, an article in Science Daily reads: “Fame is the No. 1 value emphasized by television shows popular with 9- to 11-year-olds, a dramatic change over the past 10 years, UCLA psychologists report in a new study. On a list of 16 values, fame jumped from the 15th spot, where it was in both 1987 and 1997, to the first spot in 2007. From 1997 to 2007, benevolence (being kind and helping others) fell from second to 13th, and tradition dropped from fourth to 15th.” (Uhls/Greenfield, 2007).

This is an incredibly depressing trend. To think that our youth is being programmed to prioritize fame and popularity over compassion and kindness is disturbing. One only need to take a moment and review the current programming geared towards the 6-12 year old

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