Children & Television
Danielle D. Smith
Cal State Northridge
COMS 321, Rhetorical Discourse
Professor Fotsch
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Children today spend too much time watching television instead of reading. I know because I was one of those children who would rather watch “Wonder Women” than read a book about “Wonder Woman”. At that time watching television seemed more stimulating than reading. But today, I can see how watching television affects your development in many negative ways. Children who consistently watch television are more likely to be overweight, emulate the negative stereo-types and risky behaviors such as smoking or drinking depicted by their TV characters and show signs of aggressive behavior if they view violent programs.
Nothing served me more than to sit down in front of the TV and get lost in time watching The Smurfs, The Flintstones, or The Jetsons. I enjoyed snacking on French Fries, ice cream, pizza, soda pop, while viewing my favorite cartoon or sitcom. But lucky for me I did have parents who did not believe in sitting in front of a TV for long hours. We were encouraged to read or go outside and play. I of course always chose the latter and ran outside to play freeze tag! Playing outside, running and chasing my friends was all fun and I was getting good exercise. Today the only exercise some children get is at school. The more TV children consume consistently the more likely they will be overweight. According to Mary L. Gavin, Kidshealth.org, “health experts have long linked excessive TV-watching to obesity, a significant health problem today. While watching TV, kids are inactive and tend to snack. They’re also bombarded with ads that encourage them to eat unhealthy foods such as potato chips and empty-calorie soft drinks that often become preferred snack foods. Studies have shown that decreasing the amount of TV kids watched led to less weight gain and lower body mass index.” (BMI-a measurement derived from...