Topic > Influence of Television Programs on Children

Many iconic television programs have been created over the years to make our childhood Saturday mornings special. Sitting with a bowl of your favorite cereal in front of the television and watching Kim Possibile say, "what's the problem?" or watch SpongeBob Squarepants throw Krabby Patties at the Krusty Krab. Many people can say that the shows they watched as children influenced their lives as they grew up. While it may be true that these programs have played a role in how people behave when they are older, they can actually influence children at a young age. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay These programs that children watch daily can influence their behavior, their views on racial and sexual stereotypes, causing them to lose interest in school activities and learning, and create low-quality health habits and attitudes. Looney Tunes, the famous animated series, was created in 1930. With its characters Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Yosemite Sam and many others, they have all played a role in what makes the television series so engaging. However it is seen as one of the most controversial cartoons due to its excessive violence shown in every episode. Gun battles, sticks of dynamite, and clubs are just a few of the many weapons characters use to inflict pain on each other. The definition of the name of the show "Looney Tunes" is described as meaning crazy or demented. Although Bugs Bunny has done some very violent actions, he has never been mean in any way. It was considered a fundamental quality in the creation of the character. “It was very important that he be provoked,” Chuck Jones said in a 1998 interview in the article, “What Gives Bugs Bunny His Lasting Power?” by Katie Nodjimbadem, “because otherwise he would be a bully and we didn't want that. We wanted him to be a good person. "So even though the show was intentionally meant to be violent, they wanted to make sure it was broadcast that it was just retaliation. While this can be seen as an excuse for their actions, shows similar to this one subliminally encourage children to do violence. In one study, children aged 5 to 9 watched three and a half minutes of a television show called “The Untouchables.” This show is about Al Capone, a legendary crime boss and the corruption of the police force who are trying to eliminate it. Kids exposed to the show were rated as more violent than kids who just watched regular shows (Zuckerman). characteristics This means that if the same experiment were conducted with “Looney Tunes” we would be faced with the same result as the children who watched “Untouchables”. The only difference is that in cartoons there are talking animals instead of people. It has also been seen that many children's television programs have a tendency to influence racial and sexual stereotypes of children. There are many more women and ethnic roles in more recent years of television. There is now a 1:3 ratio of women on television, compared to years past when the ratio was 1:6. Also there has been an increase in African Americans on television based on a study by Gilbert Mendelson and Morissa Young. Out of 1,500 characters, 5.6% are African American and 11.6% are Asian American. (. . . ) However, more than 60% of television programs did not feature racial minority characters. But with this one.