There is an ongoing debate about whether the content or the duration of children’s TV watching habits is more influential on their behavior. While I believe that the content would be more evident in their behavior, this essay will outline both views.
The exposure material is highly influential on behavior whether it’s a child or an adult. Even though the duration of watching TV is limited, a few seconds would be enough for a child to internalize the content. As a psychology student, depending on my studies about behavior, I can easily say that the ‘unconscious mind’ highly determines our behavior. Therefore, once something enters to the unconscious mind, there is no possible way to prevent its effects on people’s thinking and behavior patterns.
However, while what children watch significantly influences their actions, also the amount of time they spend looking at the screen is undoubtedly important. The studies have showed that as the exposure time increases, the individuals need less time to internalize the content. In other words, the amount of time we spend on doing something determines our identification levels with that action. In this case, if the children are spending many hours watching TV, their behavior could be highly influenced by their screen time.
To conclude, while I believe that the content of what children watch is more influential on their behavior, I cannot argue with the effects of the duration as well. Therefore, the parents should be very cautious and sensitive about both the content and the duration of watching TV habits of their children.