Vanessa Williams did a really nice job on our final entry for chapter 4. Here's what she had to say:
The chapter I read was based on the media and how its various forms hurry children today. In one of the sections, David Elkind explains that radio is to adults what television is to children. I believe that he is correct. Children would rather watch a moving picture with sounds than create their own pictures from their imagination and creativity. When radios were the main form of entertainment, the child's imagination ran wild and all sorts of creativity was expressed and captured. Now the television takes all that and makes the picture for you, leaving the child’s imagination inactive in response to what is right in front of them. Adults today were those children of yesterday, listening and imagining the dramas, news and entertainment that the radio provided at that time.
A particular point that I really found interesting from reading this chapter was the idea that children are drawn to age-inappropriate programs, more than age-appropriate. This is very true; many of the little kids I work with talk about the shows they watch and I am appalled. They are always mentioning movies and TV programs that are too mature and have serious situations that they have no business knowing at their age. For example, I hear seven- or eight-year-olds talking about shows like "Family Guy" and "The Simpson's.” These shows have adult content and situations even I do not understand half the time. The little kids pick up the little phrases and gestures that the characters do and copy what they see. It is an invitation for disaster.
I myself remember watching "Beverly Hill 90210" when I was eight or nine. That show had a lot of sex, drugs, underage partying and inappropriate things a child my age should not be watching. This definitely hurries a child to grow up way too fast, thinking that since the actors on the TV are doing it, so should she. When I would play Barbies with my friends, we would reenact situations from programs I would watch. We had no idea what we were doing, just that we remembered seeing kissing and hugging, so we made Barbie and Ken do the same thing.
I also agree that as society’s “views” change, they are also reflected in television. In the 1950’s and 60’s, shows at that time were very Functionalist. It was traditional, in the case that the father worked and the mother stayed home, raised the children, cleaned that house, and cooked. Shows like "Leave It to Beaver", reflected those values and conditions at that time. As those traditional molds changed, so did the views of the television networks. However, the shifts really never change: Elkind described it as television programs changing from “fantasy to reality.”
The last thing that was very interesting was when Elkind mentioned that music hurries children. Many of the popular songs are what the children are going to be listening to, and a majority of the songs talk about sex. I personally like a lot of different kinds of music, but the popular and mainstream music is what is played, and all of it talks about sex, drugs and alcohol. I can name a couple of songs that are out now that prove my point. "Shots” by LMFAO and Lil Jon describes going to a club and drinking shots, and it lists a variety of shots in the song. Another one is "Birthday Sex” by Jeremiah: no explanation needed. If children can copy what they see on television, they are bound to repeat what their favorite singer is singing or what the radio is playing.
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Well said (again -- this blog is such a great collection of thoughts about the book. I've enjoyed reading every post)!
ReplyDeleteOne thing that strikes me is that even when a child does watch something appropriate on TV, there are commercials that seem inappropriate (pills that do this, situations to sell, the message to buy-buy-buy, and what not). One day, while watching the Cooking Channel, a commercial came on about how we need to shave our legs (and implied that we should really shave our entire bodies) and how we should have just the right equipment for it. My 4-year old son was entranced (before I realized it) and then had all sorts of questions about whether or not he needed to shave.
WOW! That wasn't a coversation I'd ever expected to have with him and certainly not at age four!
Chapter 4 – Blog Comment by Barbara Flores
ReplyDeleteTelevision has changed a lot since I was little. First of all, television use to turn off at ten and there wasn’t a risk of seeing anything inappropriate. Plus I remember spending more time playing outside than watching television. Second, most of our friends didn’t even own a television. Today there is reality shows, court shows, adult theme cartoons, violent cartoons, graphic shows. The worst show I remember watching at a young age was Dark Shadows, a soap opera about werewolves, vampires, and witches, and even then it was not as graphic as the new show equivalent; Vampire Diaries”. Also, soap operas were not as sexually explicit and suggestive as they are now.
During the seventies we were shocked by shows such as; All in the Family, Chico and the Man, and The Jeffersons. Now we’re screening our children from shows such as The Simpsons, Family Guy, and most of the shows on Cartoon Network, which they are not allowed to watch. However, it’s scary what’s on television now, and the commercials have gotten ridiculously graphic and inappropriate also. It use to be that there were certain shows not put on Sundays or until after 10pm, assuming children are in bed by 9pm.
I understand there is tons of inappropriate media information out there, but at some point I also believe the parents are responsible for screening what their children see in their home. We can’t always control what goes outside, but we can certainly control what is inside in the hopes they teach themselves boundaries of what is appropriate and inappropriate and make their choices accordingly.
Vanessa, while reading your post, I was struck by one of your first comments- that children seem to be more inclined to sit in front of a TV screen than to put their imaginations to work. What an incredible tragedy, I think, to choose idle passivity over creative action. [Perhaps this is a side-step, a small digression, from the main topic of hurrying, but this is something I feel so strongly about, I just have to share.] When I was a kid, particularly during the "school years," the TV was very rarely on, especially at my grandparent's home, which is where my sister and I spent a lot of our time growing up. We spent more time playing outside, running around with the animals, inspecting insects, exploring, and engaging in pretend play and imaginary scenarios. We read a lot, and even wrote in daily journals (both were suggestions from my grandma, an elementary school teacher). We played games, painted pictures, created dollhouses out of cardboard boxes, cooked, and did science experiments. When we weren't doing any of that, we were talking and enjoying one another's company. Never, not once, did I feel like I was missing out on anything the TV had to offer. You are absolutely right: TV has, in some significant way, stolen opportunities for active learning and creativity. Kids have grown so accustomed to being entertained, that they have unknowingly sacrificed exploration and play. It's a shame.] Now back to this concept of hurrying, and a point that you made so well: simply put, children are exposed to too much, too soon. This hurries them. They are being bombarded by content (via TV, magazines, movies, or music) that is neither age-appropriate nor conducive to their development. They are exposed to issues that they are not even capable of understanding. The danger? Well, early on in the chapter, Elkind gave us a powerful example in Susan Smith, the mother who drowned her young children by driving her car into a pond. Upon seeing the news footage, very young children were actually asking their mothers if they too, were going to be drowned at the hands of their mothers. With exposure to such disturbing and traumatic images and events, these children LEARNED fear. They learned anxiety and other emotions that were not yet real for them. This can be seen as a product of "too much media-exposure too soon." Children should never have to confront such intense emotions before they are ready. Another danger of the media's ever-present and pervasive power that you touched on is children's tendency toward imitation. Children are comparable to little sponges. They take in every word they hear and every action they see, and sometimes, in an effort to make sense of it, they act it out. But because it lies beyond their understanding, they often do so without any real sense of what they're doing or saying, let alone the fact that it is probably inappropriate. You presented some excellent examples of media and imitation: for example, in your work setting, overhearing children repeating phrases they probably ought not to, as well as you and your friends seeing social interactions on TV and making Barbie and Ken act accordingly. I'm sure these are not exceptional findings. The sad fact of the matter is, that in a world that seems to celebrate immediate, largely uncensored access to all kinds of media-presented-material, if we cannot control the content, we need to control what and how much (if any) of it our children are exposed to. When it comes to matters of the media, we cannot assume that children are miniature adults: that they can "handle" the traumatic images on TV; that they can make sense of the confusing lyrics on the radio; that they can recognize reality versus fantasy on the big screen; or worse yet, that they are capable of monitoring themselves. As adults, oversight is our responsibility.
ReplyDeleteVanessa,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog about media influences affecting today's youth. I agree that media is influencing children to grow up much faster considering the visuals they are receiving from their favorite TV shows and media programs. Although children are watching these programs, I cannot help but think: where are the parents? Where is the essential parental guidance that is needed in regards to mature television programs?
My 5 year old cousin watches programs such as the Simpsons, Family Guy and King of the hill. These programs should not be watched by a child of his age. He will repeat monologue he hears from these programs that should never be repeated, and he has been pulled aside in his Kindergarten class because of his language.
Programs like these are influencing our children to use language that is far too mature for their age. The programs also influence our children to engage in certain activities that are not appropriate. I completely agreed with you Vanessa when you stated that the radio influenced children in the correct ways to utilize their imaginations and create images in their heads. Now, children are engulfed in television shows and movies that are far from appropriate for their ages. One specific example I remember that completely ticks me off, is going to see the movie SAW IV at the movie theaters. I walked in and took my seat alongside my best friend and I was astounded when I saw parents bring in their children to the movie. There were three children under the age of 5 and an infant in the stroller! I was completely shocked! This movie in particular was full of violence, gore, and disturbance. The fact that these children were there was so disturbing itself. The children were crying the entire movie and yelling when the movie got loud. After the movie was over, I was happy to leave. But my friend decided to go to the showing of Texas Chainsaw Massacre too. We stepped into the theater to find the same families follow with their children! This is irresponsible parenting at its best!
Another example of children growing up too fast is in the case of the classroom I volunteered. This class was filled with children ages 6-7 (first grade) and they were talking of things that were far too mature for their age. These little girls were sitting at the table during a coloring task singing the Lady Gaga song, "Lovegame." This song is sexually explicit and I was completely shocked that they were singing this song. Not only is the song completely sexually explicit, but the video is twice as bad. These girls were talking about what Lady Gaga was wearing and how she was dancing in the video. I was completely shocked in the conversation of these small little girls.
Media creates so many hardships for young children. Not only do children get exposed to certain songs, shows, and movies but they are also being exposed through magazines. Half naked men and women in the magazines, and images that children are getting from these magazines are influencing our youth. Media influences these children to have a specific body type and can lead to certain eating disorders.
Ultimately, our goals as parents are to guide our children in directions that are best for them. I agree with Barbara's comment that we cannot always control what goes on outside the home, but we can control what goes on inside the home. Boundaries do need to be set for children inside the home, and hopefully these boundaries will be used outside the home as well. Teaching children to use appropriate language, and watch appropriate programs may help children in social groups and surroundings.
Vanessa, I really enjoyed reading your post and learning from your personal examples. Oftentimes, it seems easy to single out the media's negative affects on children, but that fact that there are so many makes it truly easy! As children explore and interact with the new concepts they see on television and hear on the radio, their active approach at understanding complex ideas is somewhat flawed. Just as my parents encouraged my sisters and I to ask them questions about many things in life, so should parents encourage questions regarding new and strange concepts from their children. My opinion is that parents should be teaching their children more than the media as Elkind astutely observes is unfortunately the case. As you observed Vanessa, children often act out what they see in their play, something I find great importance in. While some children choose to act out strange and unfamiliar concepts regarding sexuality, others may choose to reiterate ‘cool’ words they hear on tv for their inappropriateness. I believe this is a natural, yet harmful process. As a nanny last year, the boys I watched were allowed to watch small amounts of tv, and usually only Sesame Street (which is on at 11 a.m., by the way). During one segment of the show, I noticed that the muppet newscast was phrased and stylized to copy the show Law and Order. For instance, when the segment started, the familiar ‘dun-dun’ sound from Law and Order was heard. As I noticed these similarities, I thought they were ‘cute’ simply because they were in a children’s television show. However, after reading Elkind’s observations, I wonder now if hearing that sound I heavily associated with such an intense and dark show made for adults was appropriate for two-year old boys. Even as I watch Law and Order, which reenacts real-world adult situations of criminals and sex offenders, I am freaked out (for lack of a better term) by the evil and depravity of the human race. Therefore, I think that when my mom would have my sisters and I take ‘book rests’ or pick from the list of activities she would make for us every summer (her excuse that we could not complain about being bored) were right on track and helpful things to do. Although my parents gave us limited access to the radio and choose not to have cable television, my sisters and I had a blast ‘painting’ our bicycles with water, playing house, and oddly enough, playing in our new refrigerator boxes one summer. Therefore, as Elkind pointed out, my parents’ choices in the exposure I had to the media directly influenced my exposure to inappropriate material. Therefore, I believe that parents in today’s society need to be aware of this and take their own measures to combat the aggressive advertising of inappropriate material that is aimed towards their children.
ReplyDeleteVanessa, I enjoyed reading your post and it was really insightful. I agree with your views that media has drawn children’s attentions away from their own creativity. I remember as a kid that I loved doing arts and crafts more than sitting around watching TV. I was always doing something with my hands. My 10 year old sister, on the other hand, loves to watch TV. She will go outside to play and loves to play games, but she will always manage to find herself in front of the TV at some point in the day, even if for just a few minutes. I’ve tried to get her to do other things like arts or crafts, but she claims she’s not good enough or can’t do it. I wonder where she gets these messages, but of course, media is the culprit in telling you what is and isn’t “good enough.”
ReplyDeleteIt’s also shocking to see the kinds of material that shows up on television. It’s even more shocking that children are getting away with watching it. At work, I saw parents getting birthday invitations for an iCarly themed party. The daughter was turning 6! This show is geared toward preteens, not 6 year olds. I think part of the reason this was the case is that much of what is on Nickelodeon or Disney Channel these days is geared toward older children. Thus younger viewers vie to be like those characters they watch. Since television viewing isn’t going away, I think the media needs to be aware of who’s watching and bring back some of the age appropriate shows they used to have when I was a kid.