Television Program and Their Effect on children Television programs regularly entertain, educate, effect and even frighten the majority of our children. Most children are allowed to watch whatever program is on, with little thought on the effect that particular show will have on a child. Most programs can be classed as beneficial or harmful, according to what effect the program might have on a child. The beneficial television programs are mainly thouse that educate the young. There are often specials on animal life. A few regular children’s programs develop the child’s interest in school-type learning by stressing numbers and the alphablt, and that encourages him or her to be creative. The beneficial commercials, such as those on anti-smoking, anti-litter, and health, should be included in this category. On the opposite side are the shows, which are generally harmful to children. Many commercials, especially those sponsoring the children’s programs, are deliberately written to create a desire for an unnecessary product such as sugar coated cereals and candy. All adult programs that include violence or sex scenes can at best fill a child’s mind with confusing or misleading ideas, and could possib ly harden the child to violence. Thoughtful parents will definitely not allow their children to view the bad programs. A child’s viewing time should be limited to watching educationlly benefical programs.
