The powerful media is
considered a leading influence in our society both directly and indirectly.
Media is available and readily accessible today more easily than ever. Printed
materials, television, sound recordings, internet, and radio all fall under the
umbrella of the big bad – or seemingly bad word – media. Is media bad? How is it
controlled? And where does this all stem from…? Are some of the major concerns
parents are faced with in raising children in these times.
Although most of our media appears to be superficial and meaningless fluff,
violence and chit chat, it is also a source of education, humor and non-violent
entertainment. Both salesmen and individuals wishing to promote various things
have at some point made use of the different forms of the media. They have used
the media to promote what people should wear, what to eat, do and value. The
media informs us what is occurring around the world and how to react to the
events shown. The affects of media will vary with a child’s age and stage of
development.
It has been discovered that American children of today’s times spend nearly as
much time with TV, computers, and other media as they do in their classrooms.
Studies have shown that an average American child spends more than five hours
using the media per day, and children 8 and older use the media and hour and 15
minutes more daily. “This is a wake-up call. It says media use is a major force
in an American child’s development and socialization, and we don’t know enough
about it,” said Ellen A. Wartella, the dean of the college of Communication at
the University of Texas at Austin. Wartella disagrees with those who claim
parents are the greatest influences on their children. “I think we need to add
media to the list.”
A study was conducted on 3,155 children ages 2-18, in regard to the impact of
media on society. The survey was done by The Kaiser Family Foundation, and
independent national healthcare philanthropy, and the results appeared alarming.
Children ages 8 and above, 65% have a bedroom TV and 21% have a bedroom
computer. Of all kids, in all ages in our society 69% have a computer at home
and 45% with internet access. One of the many surprising results, of the
children ages 8 and above, 61% live in homes without any rules regarding TV and
internet usage.