This document discusses the negative effects of media on child development. It notes that children now spend much more time engaged with screens like TVs, computers, and mobile devices rather than outdoor play. This sedentary screen time is linked to issues like learning disabilities, obesity, and social disconnects. The document also examines how violent and graphic media can increase aggressive behaviors in children. It argues that constant media exposure rewires developing brains to prefer quick information scanning over sustained attention and deep learning.

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Ashlee Pitigliano
English 101
Lori Pollard-Johnson
November 11th 2015
MEDIA INFLUENCES ON CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Throughout the early 20th century, radio was the main channel of media for the average
household. Children played together until the sun went down; they were rarely found inside
unless being forced to eat or clean by their parents. The introduction of the television to the home
during the mid 20th century brought with it a new era of children’s entertainment, where children
spent more time inside being sedentary and less time outside being active. Towards the end of
the century came the Internet, and from there the availability of information at the click of a
mouse captivated the public. Television, online gaming, mobile media devices, and eventually
social media consumed children’s day-to-day lives. With learning disabilities, childhood obesity,
violence in schools, and social disconnects on the rise, research shows that the negative effects
technology has on child development outweigh the positive.
Between 2003 and 2009, the number of family households owning entertainment centers
jumped thirty-two percent, most of which use these centers as a main area of entertainment
(Taylor 2009). As a result of this change, school-aged children’s outdoor playtime decreased by
twenty-five percent, while the decline in older children’s outdoor playtime is 45 percent (Taylor
2009). Cognitive development theories on materialistic values in children have shown that
influences like mass media shape a child’s values and attitude (Achenreiner 82-88). These
findings were not impacted by age.
Common Sense Media conducted a study on media use in the home and discovered that
three-quarters of children now have access to this technology at home and they spend an average

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of two hours a day in front of some type of media screen (Rideout). In the same study, Common
Sense Media examined the ages of children using mobile media and the frequency with which
they are using it. Their study states, “Seventy-two percent of children age 8 and under have used
a mobile device for some type of media … Nearly six out of 10 children (58%) watch TV at least
once a day” (Rideout). This study shows there is a definite shift in spare time use among children
that researchers are just now beginning to track and understand. Parents may not yet understand
the adverse effects of making media use so easy in the home.
In his article “IPhone: High-tech Child Abuse?” Dr. Jim Taylor states, “Patience, or the
ability to delay gratification, is one of the most significant predictors of positive behaviors in
adolescence … The immediate gratification of parents giving their iPhones to their children to
appease them may interfere with their learning to put off rewards until a later time” (Taylor
2010). This information shows that extended use of media takes a toll on children’s ability to
perform well in school, and is even being shown to change the way they are learning and
retaining information. Studies show that an excess of television alone has a toxic effect on
children’s academic performance (Ford-Jones, Neman). Psychologists have long known that
people have the ability to change the way their brain is wired. Self help programs, life coaches,
and counselors are all well versed on the positive effects of daily affirmations and how in
repeating a mantra, one can change the way their brain views the world. In this same respect,
children’s brains are being re-wired by the media they are exposed to. Because children’s brains
are still developing, they are malleable and much more prone to the influence of technology than
children in previous generations (Taylor 2012).
Television effectively eliminated the need for a child to use their imagination by offering
its own stimulating visual elements while also encouraging a short attention span to develop,

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thus the need for instant gratification. American comedian Ernie Kovacs was quoted saying,
“Television: A medium. So called because it is neither rare nor well done” ("Ernie Kovacs"
2015). While comical in nature, the depth of his statement cannot be ignored. As Kay S.
Hymowitz states in her book Ready or Not, “As parents and the home lose some of their hold on
the imagination, senses and emotions, children naturally turn elsewhere for spiritual and psychic
sustenance. They find it in the media” (Hymowitz 17-18). The technological advances that the
United States continues to make are, in essence, making children less creative.
When the Internet made became public, the already deteriorating imagination of a child
was thrust into a downward spiral (Taylor 2010). While the Internet is making it easier for
children to scan information quickly and easily, the context of the information being provided
determines the kind of attention span and learning abilities they develop (Taylor 2012). Dr. Jim
Taylor, Psychology professor at the University of San Francisco, weighed in on this matter.
Taylor says, “Video games and other screen media improve visual-spatial capabilities, increase
attentional ability, reaction times, and the capacity to identify details among clutter” (2012). He
continues on to say, “Then the Internet was invented and children were thrust into a vastly
different environment in which, because distraction is the norm, consistent attention is
impossible, imagination is unnecessary, and memory is inhibited” (2012).
The way that a child finds information and learns on the Internet versus in a book can be
compared to the difference between scuba diving and jet skiing. Use of the Internet encourages
the user to skim through headlines and topics quickly, bouncing from page to page looking for
useful information that is quickly forgotten shortly after discovery. This sort of skimming can be
useful, but is not conducive to deep memory learning. In reading a book, the user delves into a
vast sea of information, moving slowly and intricately to soak in all of the information. This

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change conditions their brain to process information quickly and on a very surface level, thus
leaving the child with little to no long-term retention (Taylor 2012). Search engines only make
things worse, with companies like Google and Bing continuously updating and perfecting their
search algorithms to infer what a user is looking for. This sort of search engine optimization, or
SEO as it is called in the marketing world, is ultimately cutting out all of the work and making
children more apt to know where to find things versus remembering things (Taylor 2012;
Edwards).
Aside from attention and learning roadblocks, media has been proven to have negative
effects on the behavior of children. Research by cognitive neuroscience professor Daphne
Bavelier suggests that action based video games can enhance top-down, or goal oriented,
attentional control in children (2007); however, further studies show a relationship between
engaging in violent media and an increase in violent behavior (Johnson 2468-2471).
In 2010, Activision issued a press release stating that their game Call of Duty - Black Ops
had been played for more than 600 million hours, the equivalent of 68,000 years (Activision).
This action packed, volatile game involves the use of guns to kill opponents in a graphic and
violent way. This gaming style leads to violent behaviors of its players, twenty percent of whom
are under thirteen (Mason). For every violent action depicted in an hour of adult prime-time
television, there are an average of five shown in an hour of children’s television (Johnson 2468-
2471). An article in the journal of Pediatrics and Child Health states “The average child sees
12,000 violent acts on television annually, including many depictions of murder and rape. More
than 1000 studies confirm that exposure to heavy doses of television violence increases
aggressive behaviour, particularly in boys” (Ford-Jones, Neman).

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Long-term studies have also shown a correlation between the amount of violence children
are exposed to and the subsequent violent behaviors observed as children entered adulthood
(Johnson 2468-2471). In a study done over the course of seventeen years with over seven
hundred subjects, assumptions were confirmed that exposure to violence on television led to
violent behavior (Johnson 2468-2471). In using this information, psychologists and researchers
are able to predict that children will develop violent behaviors and childhood aggression when
exposed to violent media (Johnson 2468-2471).
Children are exposed to violent media every day. The absence of messages encouraging
constructive behavior leads to anti-social attitudes and a lack of meaningful relationships (Taylor
2013). Researchers conclude that all content matters, and all media forms are educational, good
or bad. A statement made by Newton N. Minow supports this idea. He writes, “Children will
watch anything, and when a broadcaster uses crime and violence and other shoddy devices to
monopolize a child’s attention, it’s worse than taking candy from a baby. It is taking precious
time from the process of growing up” (Paterson 33-34). Offering some guidance on avoiding
this, author and parenting expert Jean Ilsley Clarke states, “By the age of 18, the average child
has witnessed 200,000 acts of violence … providing [structure] often helps keep children safe
and helps them grow to be responsible adults” (Dosani, Cross, and Huggins-Cooper 41-42).
Simultaneously, media also has been proven to have physical effects on children. Despite
metabolisms that are accelerated and energy levels that, to many parents, never seem to end,
children who spend significant time in front of a screen have a higher chance of childhood
obesity, high cholesterol, diabetes, and poor eating habits (Spear et al., "Recommendations for
Treatment of Child and Adolescent Overweight and Obesity"). While some of the research
points directly to media being the cause, other research shows that media leads to depression,

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ADHD, anxiety, and sleep disorders (Spear et al.). These disorders are a stepping stone to the
physical factors previously stated.
It has been proven that there is a connection between excessive television watching and
childhood obesity. Popular television shows often promote unhealthy eating habits, as well as the
commercials that follow them. A link between higher cholesterol levels and the amount of
television a child watches has also been found. These poor eating habits are usually introduced
while children watch television because they tend to eat unhealthy food while they are watching
their show (Ford-Jones, Neman). Author Rajmohan Joshi states, “Because television takes time
away from play and exercise activities, children who watch a lot of television are less physically
fit and more likely to eat high fat and high energy snack foods” (Ford-Jones, Neman).
Consequently, there has been a surge in childhood obesity.
In the last ten years, childhood obesity has risen 20 percent. Nearly a quarter of children
in the United States are overweight. Almost half of children aged seven and under are
overweight, and researchers have found that this often carries on into adulthood because of the
eating and lifestyle habits established early on (LeBlanc). Researchers have found that excessive
amounts of media leads to childhood obesity in three ways: Reduced metabolic rates, poor eating
habits in the form of excessive calorie consumption, and reduced physical activities (Robinson).
An article by pediatric occupational therapist Cris Rowan supports this. She writes:
The impact of rapidly advancing technology on the developing child has seen an increase
of physical, psychological and behavior disorders that the health and education systems
are just beginning to detect, much less understand. Child obesity and diabetes are now
national epidemics in both Canada and the U.S., causally related to technology overuse.
Diagnoses of ADHD, autism, coordination disorder, developmental delays, unintelligible

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speech, learning difficulties, sensory processing disorder, anxiety, depression, and sleep
disorders are associated with technology overuse, and are increasing at an alarming rate
(2013).
In short, children are simply not wired to keep up with the technological advances and as a
result, their bodies are changing in negative ways to adapt.
In order to avoid these deadly consequences, pediatricians have made several suggestions
to parents. The first is introducing healthy snacking alternatives such as fruits and vegetables to
take place of chips, crackers, and cookies that are usually eaten while watching television. It is
also recommended to encourage children to spend at least thirty minutes engaging in physical
activity a day. The American Association of Pediatrics found that television is the most common
cause of childhood obesity, and limiting time in front of a media device will drastically reduce
the statistics. As cutting out media altogether is not realistic, the association suggests staying
active while watching television by stretching, performing in-home exercises, and using exercise
equipment (Spear et al.).
The increase in a sedentary lifestyle not only leads to obesity, but also has drastic effects
on the types and depth of relationships children are able to form. Social media platforms like
Facebook and Twitter enable children to talk to and befriend people from all around the world
with whom they will never meet. This sort of relationship building blurs the lines between actual
friends, acquaintances, and simple connections (Taylor 2013). Children have become so focused
on building relationships through the Internet that their ability to form relationships in real life
has plummeted. Over 20 percent of children have access to a computer in their room, suggesting
that they use it alone. This promotes a solitary lifestyle and hinders their ability to engage in
social activities, build friendships, and maintain relationships (Subrahmanyam et al. 123).

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Parent-child relationships are affected as well, with children becoming more technology-savvy
than their parents. Often times, children and parents experience role-reversal where the child is
now teaching the parent how to use media devices (Subrahmanyam et al. 123).
Later in life, these children who have failed to learn acceptable ways of developing
relationships start to experience difficulty determining appropriate ways of expressing their
sexuality. Television, gaming, and pop culture encourage children and adolescents to engage in
irresponsible sexual behavior (Ford-Jones, Neman). Authors Roghayyeh Taasobi and Ebrahim
Alinia-Ahandani concluded that television shapes the way children view sex. They write,
“Television exposes children to adult sexual behaviors in ways that portray these actions as
normal and risk-free, sending the message that because these behaviors are frequent, ‘everybody
does it’. Sex between unmarried partners is shown 24 times more often than sex between
spouses, while sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancy are rarely mentioned”
(48-53).
It is clear that a child’s ability to develop and maintain healthy relationships is greatly
impacted by the consistent use of media. Children who spend time alone in their rooms gaming
and using social media are unable to build real-life relationships or maintain ones they already
have. Children who are exposed to sexual content have been proven to be more sexually active
as teenagers (Camara).
A predisposition to poor learning attitudes, learning disabilities, violent behavior,
childhood obesity, and poor relationship building skills has become one of the largest challenges
children will face in the 21st century. While some of these aspects are not in their control,
parents, teachers, and communities must become aware of the way that media is influencing the
children in their lives. By limiting media time and encouraging healthy eating habits and

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physical playtime, children have a much greater chance of growing up to become healthy, active,
social, and educated assets in their communities.
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