Some people believe that parents have a profound impact on their children, while others argue that the media plays a more dominant role in shaping young minds. This essay shall scrutinize both views before reaching a conclusion.
On the one hand, the media can be instrumental in shaping children’s perspectives and understanding of the world. With the rapid expansion of digital platforms, children can be exposed to a wide variety of content, ranging from educational to entertaining materials. For example, a Youtube channel called 5-minute Crafts, which is increasingly popular among children aged 5-to-15, introduces creative life hacks and simple experiments based on physics and chemistry. This, in turn, not only enhances children’s comprehension of scientific concepts but also stimulates curiosity and practical problem-solving skills. Therefore, it stands to reason why the media can play a pivotal role in fostering children’s intellectual and cognitive development.
On the other hand, parents are probably the most consistent and emotionally invested figures in a child’s life, particularly when it comes to shaping children’s long-term behaviour and decision-making. Compared to media means, which merely propagate generalized content, parents can offer personalized guidance and emotional support for their offspring anchored on their needs and characteristics. A notable example of this is Do Nhat Nam, a distinguished Vietnamese young figure, whose success is partly determined by parents’ encouragement and mentoring. They assisted him in choosing the career path of studying abroad according to his inherent intelligence and self-reliance, laying the foundation for his later accomplishments. Hence, it is understandable why parental influence extends beyond surface knowledge publicized by media tools.
All things considered, while the media can enrich a child’s knowledge base and broaden their worldview, parental guidance is the driving force behind the child’s long-term and sustainable skills, holding the key to the offspring’s future resounding success. However, I think a coordinated action should be taken into consideration so that children can gain a comprehensive development.