The bad influence of electronic media on children's learning abilities

Radio, television (TV), video games, and other gadgets that can access the internet now play an important role in children's lives. The various media above have been proven to have positive and negative effects on children, both in the aspects of intelligence, emotions, and behavior. Children spend nearly 7 hours a day using media. Research conducted by Strasburger et al in 2005 shows that 2/3 of the world's children have access to TV, as many as 1/2 of the children are familiar with DVD players or game consoles, and 1/3 of the children already have computers, tablets, or Internet access.

Nowadays, it is very easy for children to have access to information and entertainment media. About 93% of children aged 12-17 have understood the internet and 71% of them already have a smartphone. The bad influence of media on children's lives is not only limited to disrupting learning activities or sleeping time, but also affecting children's attitudes and behavior.

According to sociological theory, children often learn and imitate what they see on the screen, especially if the actions they see are considered realistic and can be done. Parents can restrict access to media by children, but sometimes it can happen " third-person effect ”, Where teenagers or parents think that the bad effects of media can affect everyone except themselves or their children.

What are the bad effects that might occur if the child is allowed to be exposed to the mass media without supervision?

1. Aggressiveness and violence

By the age of 18, most teenagers have watched about 200,000 scenes on TV. Other studies have shown that 90% of games aimed at children actually contain violence, this can result in children imitating violent scenes that they witness. The relationship between media violence and children's aggressiveness is almost as strong as the relationship between smoking and lung cancer.

2. Sex

The effect of exposure to sexual content in the media can cause children to be curious and eventually fall into poronography. Nearly half of children aged 10-17 have watched pornographic content, whether intentionally or unintentionally. This has resulted in an increase in sexual harassment by young men, and the permissive nature of young women regarding sexual matters.

3. Use of prohibited substances

About 70% of films made in America contain scenes of smoking, drinking alcohol, or using drugs. The above scenes are also rarely related to the health effects that can arise, so that the child or teenager thinks it does not endanger their health, as a result some children and adolescents may imitate these actions.

4. Learning achievement

Children who regularly watch TV from the age of 1-2 years can increase their risk of developing ADD (attention deficit disorder). The existence of TV in children's rooms has also been shown to significantly reduce children's learning achievement.

5. Obesity and eating disorders

Various studies have shown that the media plays a role in increasing the number of obese children, due to advertisements junk food which can change a child's diet, and eating while watching habits that can increase the number of snacks a child eats. The media also plays a role in dictating what the ideal body shape is, especially for women, so that eating disorders can arise such as bulimia and anorexia.

Positive effects of media on children

Media is not completely negative for children and adolescents, the use of appropriate media can have a big positive effect. Various social and health messages have proven to be more effective when delivered at the time of the event prime time TV, such as when Rachel in the TV series Friends told Ross that she was pregnant even though they had sex using a condom, this episode raised the awareness of the US public that condoms do not prevent pregnancy 100% and increased the number of consultations regarding contraceptive use in the US. The same effect occurs when an episode of Grey's Anatomy talks about HIV and pregnancy, among other examples.

What can parents do?

AAP (The American Academy of Pediatrics) provides some recommendations on how to use media that is safe for children:

• Limit TV or computer use to children over 2 years of age to 1-2 hours / day.
• Children under 2 years old should not be allowed to use TV, computer, or play mobile games.
• Avoid installing a TV, video game, or personal computer in a child's room.
• Accompany children while watching TV, and discuss with children about the content of the programs they are watching.
• Pay attention to the rating of shows watched, make sure your child watches programs that are age-appropriate.
• Turn off the TV when no one is watching or at mealtime.