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Impact of TV on Academic Skills

Studies have shown that the impact of television on reading and other academic skills in children depends on the type of programs they watch, the amount of time they watch television, and the age of the child (Television's). American children between the ages of two and 17 years watch an average of almost 25 hours of television a week. Twenty percent of children between the ages of two and seven years have a television set in their bedrooms, as do 46 percent of 8 to 12 year olds, and 56 percent of 13 to 17 year olds. Children who watch carefully constructed educational programs aimed at their age level have better pre-reading skills at age five than children who watch infrequently or do not watch television at all. Children who watch cartoons and other purely entertainment shows in their pre-school years do more poorly on pre-reading skills at age five. Children between age three and age five are at a critical phase in brain development for areas controlling language and other cognitive skills, so the extent and type of television they view at these ages can be highly influential of the development of the neural networks. Television watching also distracts them from other interactive activities which would stimulate the cognitive areas of the brain during development.

Children in elementary school develop early reading skills much more easily if they have experience with books and other print media, and were read to as pre-schoolers (TelevisionÆs). Reading fluency comes with practice, and the more time spent watching television, the less is spent practicing reading. With older school children, those watching more than three hours of television a day show the greatest decline in reading skills, and having the television on in the background interferes with retention skills when doing homework.

Television watching patterns appear to be formed early, and young children accustomed to watching educational programs watc...

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Impact of TV on Academic Skills. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 07:07, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1701908.html