Blog Post #1: Opposing Views of Children's Television from The Guardian

Fabrizia Maiello

CCS 313

Blog Post #1      

            Understanding the social parameters that revolve around the activity of watching television have contrasting factors. Not only does our world currently (and presumably incessantly) support and promote visual aid communication, it has expanded its use to purposes of learning practices, pure entertainment benefactors, and necessity for understanding social currency (to name a few). The question that I would like to raise is if the advantages outweigh the costs in the case of consistent television watching for kids?

            Looking at the benefits of this televisual machinery, one of the biggest advantages that has evolved with social media is its interactive behavior in which respiratory responses are encouraged between transmitter and recipient. Specifically looking at the changing patterns of television programs, many entertainment based programs have been substituted or changed for the purpose of initiating reaction among their audiences. Let’s focus on one children’s television program specifically, Dora the Explorer. The series began in 2000 and has initiated a progression for interactive educational programs on television. One of the big things about this program is its use of language to instill vocal and memory stimuli in the brain. Children are asked to infer, interpret, relate, and finally memorize the prescribed phrases and terms that are spoken in Spanish on the show regularly. Dora the Explorer has changed the pattern of education received on children’s television programs by introducing a completely upper-level concept to the traditional pattern of “ABC” games and number puzzles.  

            On the other hand, arguments have been made to highlight the psychological dangers of persistent “boob-tube” watching. There have been several studies performed by researchers in the aid to decipher if sitting in front of a screen can affect the mental health of kids. Not only do we have to worry about how much TV a kid might spend his/her time watching, but also the prescribed programs that are given at full access to anyone with a remote. Adult programs are dominantly surfing the channels of our cable network, and some will never see a need to have any type of censory in their messages. Two other problems arise with this concept: some children television programs are among other adult programs in the channel network, and progressively, children’s television programs are gaining a mature edge by writing in adult jokes and putting reference to mature ideas among an animated setting.

            This by no means answers the question or provides valid discussion arguments for this topic, but it does bring to mind the different perspectives surrounding the illusion of what television watching means and what it entails.  

Citation Sources:
Rustin, Susanna. "In Praise of Kids' Television." The Guardian: Life & StyleFamily. The Guardian, 5 Apr. 2013. Web. 23 Sept. 2014. <http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/apr/06/in-praise-of-kids-television>.

Sample, Ian. "Children's Computer and Television Time Linked to Psychological Problems."The Guardian: NewsSciencePsychology. The Guardian, 10 Oct. 2010. Web. 23 Sept. 2014. <http://www.theguardian.com/science/2010/oct/11/children-computer-television-psychological-problems>.