Mental Health, Media, and Children: Media the Silent Killer of Children

Eris Harris

November 8, 2016

TVMN 605-900

Literature Review

Mental Health, Media, and Children: Media the Silent Killer of Children

        As the world of media and technology grows so does the concerns with children television. Children are very impressionable, they are like little sponges soaking up everything that they can. It is vital to understand how television can impact their behavior and their being as a whole.

        According to Lazar (1998), The current issue with television and children is pervasive violence and the affects it has on the minds of the future world leaders. Exposure to pervasive violence increases the likelihood that a child will become aggressive or have symptoms of anti-social behavior. Although there is significant data there has not been a change in social policy. The broadcasting industry has stated that there is little to no influential harm on children yet they spend billions of dollars to influence them (Lazar).

        With the number of hours of television being viewed by children steadily increasing so is the number of children with attention and behavioral problems, overweight and obese, and impaired academics. Most of the interventions to reduce time spent watching TV have been school-based with little t to none in the home (Roberts, Maddison, Meagher-Lundberg, Dixon, & Ni Mhurchu, 2010).

        Nikkelen, S. W., Vossen, H. G., & Valkenburg, P. M. (2015), addressed the relationship between the amount of television watched by a child and the symptoms of ADHD.  They focused on specific programming such as violent, scary, and educational and attention and arousal responses when viewing television. Parents of 865 children ages 3-7 completed a survey about ADHD and were asked to keep a television journal log for four days. It was suggested that ADHD-related behaviors were not associated with overall viewing nor with violent/scary content viewing.

        Hasegawa, M., Horiuchi, Y., Suzuki, K., Sado, M., & Sakamoto, A. (2012),  conducted a casual analysis in the form of a survey. The survey was completed by 487 kids in grades 4th and 5th in order to see if television influences attentive awareness and actual prosocial behavior. The results stated that large amounts of television did not influence behaviors. “However, prosocial depictions influence the behavior of children with attentive awareness of rewards after behavior and those who attribute reasons for behavior in accordance with their own developmental levels, suggesting that such contextual information does not uniformly influence viewers, but is adjusted through empathy.”

        Lemal, M., & Van den Bulck, J. (2008), examined the relationship between children’s moral reasoning between television exposure. There were 377 elementary school children that completed the survey which included measures on moral reasoning and violent and non-violent television viewing. Regression analyses indicated that exposure to violent television content was positively related to a preference for authority based reasoning about interpersonal violence. Violent television exposure was also a significant predictor of preference for approval oriented reasoning about prosocial dilemmas.

        Not only is their an issue with the relationship between consumption of television and moral reasoning, hyperactivity, and empathy among children there is also one with the consumption of food. It has been known that children who watch more television are more likely to be heavier than those who watch less television. It has also been said that children who watch more television are more likely to consume more junk food.

        It is suggested that food commercials' persuasive that focus on urban minority children are more likely to eat less nutritional food. According to data, the food industry spends approximately ten billion dollars on marketing to children each year of all food advertising of which 75% is spent on television commercials, with the remaining spent on other media such as Internet advertising, radio, and magazines (Batada & Borzekowski, 2008). Heavier television users are more likely yo eat more junk food. Ads for food on children programing has the power to negatively or positively impact a child. More ads that promote nutritious foods the more promotion of positive attitudes among children and vice versa (Reading, 2008).

        Dietary habits and relationship between television among school children is an area that deserves attention. Ochsenhirt & Sei-Hill (2008), suggest that parents play a large role in what their children consume rather it is television and or food. Attention to commercials is vital because it plays a role and what children set their heart on eating.  Ochsenhirt & Sei-Hill attempt to examine how parental controls, family rules and attention to commercials influence poor eating and misconceptions about healthy foods among children. “After surveying 247 children from ages 10 to 14, the researchers found that amount of TV viewing was associated with unhealthy food choices (Ochsenhirt & Sei-Hill).”

        Overeating in children has been linked to advertisement during children programming. Warren, Wicks, Wicks, Fosu, & Chung, D. (2008), completed a content analysis of food advertising. The results showed that nutrition appeals are among the most frequently used but unhealthy food is more likely to be advertised. Harris and Schwartz (2013), suggest that the marketing of energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods is a likely contributor to the childhood obesity crisis. Cereal is the most frequently advertised food on children television. “Children viewed 1.7 ads per day for ready-to-eat cereals, and 87% of those ads promoted high-sugar products. Given children's vulnerability to the influence of advertising, the emotional and mixed messages used to promote high-sugar cereals are confusing and potentially misleading (Harris and Schwartz, 2013).”

        There is much research that suggest in order to change behavioral one must change the environment. That could simply mean viewing content with your children, not allowing them to watch by themselves. Another suggestion was to limit the amount of viewing time. It is better to be proactive than it is to be late.

        One way to prevent media from having a negative reaction on children is by co-viewing. Paavonen, Roine, Pennonen, & Lahikainen, 2009, examined 331 children between the ages of 5 and 6 in order to evaluate the relationship between tv related behavior and co-viewing. The relationship between the two remained significant. “Co-viewing and TV-related discussions increased the risk for TV-related fears nearly fourfold (adjusted odds ratio 3.92, 95% confidence interval 1.37--11.17 and adjusted odds ratio 3.31, 95% confidence interval 1.33--8.20, respectively) (Paavonen, Roine, Pennonen, & Lahikainen, 2009).”