Violence on TV and our children
Even before I had a daughter of my own, I have always been strong on my belief that children shouldn't be watching TV unless those that are designed for them. And even so, TV watching should be properly monitored, after all, toddlers are more attentive to commercials primarily because of their catchy jingles. And hey, don't tell me I am the only one who hates commercials.
Before the age of two, the child's hemisphere is a single bin of sensory experience, unlike the grownups, we have two distinct hemispheres. Watching TV is a passive activity, thus suspending active cognition. This passive activity allows the left hemisphere to develop dominantly than the right. This development is characterized by the child's behavior as passive, transfixed and nonverbal. After all, they weren't able to develop their abilities required to express and reason.
The effects of TV in children has a massive research support. Scientists have been studying the cognitive and chemical processes in children and how TV watching affects their development. By the time children learn to acquire what the tube has been bombarding them with, they have long learned about violence and sex without the consequences attached to them. Children have now failed to recognize the emotional attachment and responsibilities attached to these acts. They will instead learn to act impulsively and without regard on elders' advice.
Jena Isle has started a Campaign for Eradicating Violence in TV Programs Meant for General Patronage. The campaign targets the two network giants in the Philippines: GMA and ABS-CBN. If you believe on what we believe, if you want a safer world for your children and your grandchildren, hope on over to her blog and join us by adding your name on the list.
I read somewhere that if the government focuses on the first three years of life, they'd be saving billions from building penitentiary prisons in the future. I couldn't agree more.
And no, I am not writing this for the EC credits. I just feel so strongly about the issue.
image from www.topics-mag.com
2 comments:
Hi, it's so good that you've written about the topic. Can I post the first paragraph and then link the rest to your blog?
Thanks again for the support and the write-up.
I'll PM you about the EC credits.
Happy blogging
I agree. I think kids should not be allowed to watch tv when they're at critical ages, and parents should watch what they allow their kids to watch.
Not sure if I told you but for the longest time (when I was too young to know how to fiddle with stuff at home) my siblings and I were not allowed to turn on the tv. The only time we would be able to watch was during the appointed times dictated by my dad. He turns it on and turns it off. I think it did us good.
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