Mangling Self-Esteem of Children

There has always been a great debate whether or not the television and the media in general, is somehow harmful to young kids. So a few months ago, two researchers conducted an experiment and discovered that the more time kids spend watching television, the more damage their self-esteem suffers.   

The two researchers, Nicole Martins, from Indiana University, and Kristen Harrison, from the University of Michigan, conducted a survey involving 396 white and black boys and girls to determine the exact symptoms  resulting of too much television consumption.

The results proved to be more specific because it revealed that television negatively affects African Americans and young girls more than any other group. Interestingly enough, the research also showed that young white boys were the least affected by television, and instead, could even benefit from watching it.

The researchers believed in the results because they realized that in most shows, the white males play successful characters, have significant and difficult careers, and still somehow manage to win the prettiest girl. Every other character is then forced to live in the shadow of these rich characters, always one step behind, and such characters may sometimes be portrayed by women and African Americans, hurting their self-esteem more.

Although self-esteem will always ultimately be decided how each individual sees him or her self, one cannot deny that television plays a powerful role.

I thought this article was very important because it discusses the connection between too much television and the health of young children. It describes the negative effects television can have on children that are only focused on a cartoon show rather than being active outside. This article also intrigued me because for the first time, the research was very specific, as in an ethic group was given rather than a more general idea. This gave the article a greater impact because now young kids can connect with this discovery and become aware of how damaging television truly is.

As a high school student, this article affected me because after school, I sometimes indulge in a bit of television before starting my homework. Usually, I am always entertained by my program and so I do not stop and ponder the effects of watching too much of it. Upon reading this, I will be more careful with the amount of time I spend watching television.

As a future filmmaker, this impacts me because I will now be more careful on how to cast certain people for specific roles. I would want to create a movie in which diversity is a key point, yet I would also like for it to be as realistic as possible, and it can be very hard to manage both at the same time. By knowing this information, I would also be careful about the movies or shows I produce because I would be aware of the fact that television tends to be harmful to children, yet since I cannot prevent this, then I can at least make sure that my movie or show will somehow be educational to at least accomplish something. This way, the harm to the minds of young children won't be as great, but instead, lessons could be taught through television.   

As a consumer, this article affects me because now I am aware of this information and so I will be more observant of certain shows. Since the article discovered that white males always end up with the leading and successful roles, I will pay more close attention to see whether this is in fact true, or if it is a mere myth that started decades ago and now has revolutionized.

By reading this article, I focused on several questions such as are filmmakers or producers aware of this recent study? If they are, will they try to change the way in which their characters behave, or simply continue to carry on as before since they assume every child might know that films and television programs are merely fictional and so they do not demonstrate reality very accurately?

 

Television Hurts Self-Esteem http://www.thespec.com/opinion/editorial/article/758867--tv-images-damaging-girls-black-boys