DAMMAM: The media has an important role in the socialization of children. It is greater than the impact of parents, according to a study on external influences in shaping children’s characters.
The study was carried out by Eman Arafat, assistant professor of Communications and Media at Taibah University. It showed that children imitate the characters they see in movies and on TV shows, and that 17.5 percent of children learn violence from TV.
The research, conducted on 40 children from various regions of the Kingdom, said: “Most TV channels deal with disabled issues in a marginal way, and do not give them their natural right of attention; in addition; some of them try to exploit the image of disabled people in a way that does more harm than good.”
Some of the movies depict negative treatment of the disabled, the study found. However in a positive move, some satellite channels broadcast news for the hearing impaired.
The research said: “Children benefit from TV programs ranging between negative and positive. Learning tolerance and entertainment came in first place, while violence ranked second, in which 17.5 percent of the study sample said that they learned violence from TV.” Most children, it found, see the characters as good, even if they perform evil roles.
The study revealed that 80 percent of children believed that their favorite cartoon characters are always right. This is a serious matter and can have a negative influence on children’s behavior and thought.
Concerning preferred times for watching TV, 37.5 percent of children said they preferred watching their favorite programs all the time. The researcher noted that this had a serious impact on children’s health as well as their mental and social development.
When the researcher asked the children how many of them would like to imitate their favorite cartoon characters, 57 percent replied in the affirmative.
The study recommended that the mass media improve the content it offers for children, provide all that is useful, creative and attractive for them at the same time, keeping an eye on the fact that children not only like TV programs, but also imitate the characters with all their minuses and pluses.
The study was carried out by Eman Arafat, assistant professor of Communications and Media at Taibah University. It showed that children imitate the characters they see in movies and on TV shows, and that 17.5 percent of children learn violence from TV.
The research, conducted on 40 children from various regions of the Kingdom, said: “Most TV channels deal with disabled issues in a marginal way, and do not give them their natural right of attention; in addition; some of them try to exploit the image of disabled people in a way that does more harm than good.”
Some of the movies depict negative treatment of the disabled, the study found. However in a positive move, some satellite channels broadcast news for the hearing impaired.
The research said: “Children benefit from TV programs ranging between negative and positive. Learning tolerance and entertainment came in first place, while violence ranked second, in which 17.5 percent of the study sample said that they learned violence from TV.” Most children, it found, see the characters as good, even if they perform evil roles.
The study revealed that 80 percent of children believed that their favorite cartoon characters are always right. This is a serious matter and can have a negative influence on children’s behavior and thought.
Concerning preferred times for watching TV, 37.5 percent of children said they preferred watching their favorite programs all the time. The researcher noted that this had a serious impact on children’s health as well as their mental and social development.
When the researcher asked the children how many of them would like to imitate their favorite cartoon characters, 57 percent replied in the affirmative.
The study recommended that the mass media improve the content it offers for children, provide all that is useful, creative and attractive for them at the same time, keeping an eye on the fact that children not only like TV programs, but also imitate the characters with all their minuses and pluses.
