It is undeniable that the impact of television on children has been a topic of debate / controversial issue for many years. Whilst watching television is considered / assumed to bring about substantial benefits for them to the extent of obtaining valuable knowledge, it is also opined to be utterly / entirely detrimental in all manners. Both perspectives have their merits and deserve careful consideration.
On the one hand, those who view watching television as harmful tend to undermine the negative effects of excessive screen time on both children’s physical and mental health. Prolonged periods of sitting still in front of television’s screen is likely to constitute a sedentary lifestyle, contributing to numerous health-related issues such as obesity, eye-related diseases and heart-related ones. In addition, daily exposure to some inappropriate contents and substandard trends on television encompassing violence, unhealthy stereotypes or commercialized messages can partly shape children’s attitudes and behaviors in undesirable ways. Furthermore, squandering a great amount of time on television would limit the time allocated for other momentous activities such as reading, outdoor play, social interaction, severely hampering the overall development of children.
On the other hand, proponents of television as a beneficial tool argue that it can be an excellent source of educational content. A multitude of current TV programs, which are designed to convey academic knowledge on primary subjects like Maths, Literature, Foreign Languages, would assist children a lot in revision and attaining a deeper grasp of them besides the school lessons. So as to enhance the children’s life skills, there are several educational channels teaching children essential knowledge to survive and overcome when accidentally falling into harsh environments or agency situations, which are frequently not introduced at school. Moreover, via various films and reality shows, children get an opportunity to explore more about the intriguing tradition, custom and geography of different countries around the globe, broadening their horizons as well as perspectives. To illustrate, in Vietnam, the advent of a recent cartoon about national history broadcasted at 10 p.m every day has stimulated the children’s curiosity and nurtured their eagerness to learn history impetuously.
In conclusion, from my perspective, watching TV can be both advantageous and disadvantageous to children, depending largely on how it is utilized. Whilst it is true that excessive and unsupervised TV watching can be pernicious, it can also be a powerful educational tool when employed appropriately. As crucial monitors and instructors of children’s TV consumption, parents and educators should have a balanced approach that involves careful supervision and selection of content in order to maximize the upsides of TV and minimize its potential downsides.