Undoubtedly television affects young impressionable children just as it can disgust, entertain and inspire more mature adults. Television should not be seen as a great evil to be avoided at all costs but should be moderated by the parent or caregiver.

Shows can be educational and entertaining, my two year old daughter loves a show called Lazy Town where the main character encourages children to be healthy by moving around, playing sport and eating sports candy (fruit and vegetables.) My daughter has always eaten and been active but never more so than before we met Sportacus who in her eyes can do no wrong. Recently we had a spate of nightmares, since she was given a Sportacus toy bights have remained undisturbed. Of course not all programmers have such a positive response and children benefit from a wide range of activities.

Today alone, we have baked cakes, built a castle, created a fairy garden and been out for a long walk. We have played with many toy read at least three books and the television has been on for only twenty five minutes.

We do need to be mindful of what our children watch as we have seen in countless studies which monitor the behavior of children after watching particularly violent programmes but we must remember that the people around them, parents, sibling, peers, teachers and so on have a huge influence. Only by accepting responsibility for our children's behavior and taking a realistic view of what television has to offer will we get an idea of the real effect of television on children's behaviors.

Learn more about this author, Melanie Trevelyan.
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