Effects of Television on the Kids

Effects of Television on the Kids
Ram Prasad Poudel
Effects of Television on the Kids
My eight year old daughter is a die-hard fan of Hannah Montana. She has her tops with pictures of Hannah, her back pack to take to school with it and even her shoes have her favorite TV star images on them. Her accessories need to be the ones with Hannah Montana ads on them.
This is not just my daughter and not specifically Hannah Montana, however, we can see in most of the households these days with kids where the kids are fans of one or the other child or teen TV icon. Whether it be Hannah Montana as in case of my daughter and many other girls, or Jack and Cody of ‘Suite life of Jack and Cody’, or even icarly’s Carly, and not to mention the Sponge Bob of Sponge Bob Square Pants, kids today are spending a major portion of their time watching these cartoons as well as the TV serials, almost adoring their favorite TV characters. However, we, parents, tend not to pay much attention to all these happenings and on the possible effects and impacts of these programs on the young mind of our kids.
Children are like the uncooked clay which can be molded to any shape. What they are exposed to affects a lot on how they develop as an adult and how they think. There is of course the positive side of children watching TV. It can be a positive aspect of their lives at a young age if they watch the right educational programs. Choosing the right programs is therefore crucial for their development. There are various kids targeted programs such as nature shows to teach them about wildlife and the environment, and the fun cartoons that are entertaining, and at the same time, teach them valuable life lessons and morals. However if not be careful and just leave the kids watch whatever they like to, there is likelihood that they watch too much programs that may not suit their age group.
TV can affect kids' health, behavior and family life in negative ways as well. Kids who spend more...