The mass media triggers children's minds and habits in numerous ways. Parents used to only have to worry about the effects of television on their children. Now they have to worry about the advances in television along with DVD players, Nintendo, Playstation, computer games, and the Internet (Dunnewind, A1). On average, the American child grows up at home with two televisions, two VCRs, three tape players, two CD players, one video game system, and one computer (Dunnewind, A1). Above all, television is probably t

Undoubtedly, the media can have a strong effect on the social development of children. When children are busy playing on the computer or watching television, it decreases the amount of time they have to play with friends, learn to speak properly, go out with peers and family, and develop other essential social skills (Children and the media). In general, children spend more time ingesting media than they do interacting with teachers and classmates at school (Dunnewind, A1). With new and advanced technology, children are finding no reason to go outside and play with friends when they have video games and other friendly machines (computers) right in their own homes (Healy, 193). The media deteriorates a child's attention span by "tuning out" their brains and making them only focus on the game they are playing or the show they are watching (Healy, 183). This can lead children to be unaware and careless about any other situations. A study that was performed in three different Canadian towns showed that in the town with no television, children participated in an average of sixteen sports activities, in the town with one television channel children participated in an average of eleven sports activities, and in the town with four television channels children participated in an average of six sports activities (Liebert and Sprafklin, 7). As stated, children's interactions with others is somewhat determined by their amount of exposure to the media

In order to lure children away from the overflow of media they are consuming, there are certain rules parents must apply to children and their use of media. To begin with, parents need to keep television sets, computers, and video games out of children's bedrooms (Dunnewind, A1). On average, one out of four preschoolers has a television in their bedroom, and that number increases to three out of five for teenagers (Dunnewind, A1). Parents need to keep televisions and computers in central locations so they can be easily visible when children are using them (Dunnewind, A1). Also, television and video game time should be limited to a maximum of two hours a day (Children and the media). What's more, children under two years of age should not be allowed any television time at all (George). Families should occasionally watch television together so they can discuss what is being shown to teach children the difference between fantasy, reality, what's right, and what's wrong (Children and the media). Finally, parents need to teach children other ways to relax besides sitting in front of the screen (Dunnewind, A1). Parents should encourage children to read books and play educational games (board games, strategy games) when they become bored. By creating these rules and circumstances, parents can help children become less addicted to the overflow of media they are ingested in.

The health effects of the media on children are more severe than most parents think. To begin with, children who sit in front of a screen all day have a greater chance of suffering from obesity. Only four percent of the commercials on television promote healthy foods (Children and the media). Also, children who sit in front of the screen all day are known to snack more regularly and be less physically fit (Children and the media). Television also contributes to eating disorders, mainly in girls, who believe they should look like

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Approximate Word count = 2278
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)