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There are a whole host of reasons as to why television is essential to the life of a child. This is not to say that it should be watched in excess but without it, children will most likely be hindered in their educational, cultural and societal lifestyles.
I must state that I do believe an excessive amount of television can be detrimental to children. The fact that an average American child spends around 900 hours in school per year and 1023 hours watching television is very worrying and parents must start controlling this. Research has shown that children who spend more than 4 hours per day watching television are more likely to be overweight and those who watch violent events get scared by the world. Television can also re-inforce various racial and gender stereotypes that society has been trying to erase. However, all this said, banning television completely is like telling a rock star to become t-total.

Television in moderation is definitely a good thing. Children do not like doing homework but television provides a medium by which they can learn whilst not feeling like they are working. Just look at the success of shows like Sesame Street for young children which has a strong working ethic. It is for the parents to control how and when their children watch television.
Many have argued that underage pregnancies, increasing teenage smokers and high levels of violent youth are down to television. Young people are watching shows that initiate these responses. It is true, children are very responsive to television. However, nobody mentions the majority of children who will actually learn from these shows and go in the opposite direction. After speaking to some teenagers who had seen a no smoking advertisement on television featuring a man who needed a voice box to speak they said that they would never touch a cigarette. I think society just has to face up to the facts that some children will become smokers, be violent of have a baby at a young age. This is the society that we live in.
Peer group pressure is a far stronger drive than television. Even if kids are banned from television but they see all their friends smoking cigarettes, will they not smoke aswell? Parents can pull out all the stops to raise the 'perfect child' but children are vulnerable and seek acceptance from peers.
Perhaps above all else, television is a vital element of a child's social life. What do you think children talk about when they meet up with friends? The latest goings on in the Bush presidency maybe? Or how about whether we should send more troops over to the Middle East? Oh no, maybe they discuss the recent happenings from the stock market? Of course not, children talk about television. They watch television to be able to talk about it with friends, to be 'cool' if you will. Without it they would become excluded from their social group and be laughed at for not watching the programmes that are 'in.' Again, this is not to say that viewing cannot be monitored and controlled.
There are lots of measures that parents can use without going to the extreme of banning television. Keep TV's out of your childs bedroom, turn the TV off during meals, treat the TV as a priviledge and not as a form of escapism and most importantly limit your own viewing. Watch TV with your child and talk to them about it. If you say violence bring it up in conversation and make it known that what happened was wrong. Explain things to children instead of just letting them get on with it.
Raising children without television would be criminal.

Learn more about this author, Marc Steel.
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