Dysfunctional Effects of Television Viewing on Children: A Need for Mediation

Abstract

The coming of television to mass media scene transformed a lot of things in the society due to its audio-visual quality. It affected the way people talked, walked, dressed, etc. Television, in this respect is seen as a socialization agent. People, especially children, copy a lot of behaviours from television including violent and aggressive ones. Violence and aggression are never programmed as such, but are portrayed, though unintentionally by television in the discharge of its basic functions like information, education and entertainment. Children as cognitively immature set of people seeking social relevance and integration copy these as acceptable social behaviour. Television has enormous influence on children and to reduce this requires
mediation. This can take the form of restrictive, co-viewing and instructive methods. But on the contrary people due not mediate in their children’s viewing habit due to social pressure on them and thereby living the future of their children and that of the society at mercy television programmers. Mediation will make them understand the interpretation of complex realities surrounding certain behaviours on the screen.