Telechildren: Where Television and Children Intersect

Television in society has evolved from non-existent just over a century ago to an integral part of our society.  In fact, the average American child watches about four hours of television a day. Due to this high amount of time spent in front of the TV, there are thousands of studies examining the affects of television on children, with many different conclusions.

It is difficult to discern between preconceived notions, expert opinions, and scholarly research in this area. A cursory search of the web shows a wide variety of responses, with an immense amount of conflicting statistics, studies, opinions and advice. Studies try and explain how televisions affect children’s aggression, sleep patterns, health, relationships, performance in school, etc.

With so many sources already addressing this subject, how can this blog possibly further this massive discussion?  This blog is focused on examining the literature already produced on the subject, aimed at sifting through myths and misinformation.  The information behind the posts is derived from actual scholarly studies and experts in the field instead of parental opinions, mom-and-pap websites, and one-sided news articles.

Our posts on this blog discuss specific subjects on the broader topic of television. For example, one blog discusses how television in children’s bedrooms disturbs their sleep patterns. Another post discusses how kid’s TV programs focused on learning outcomes actually educate children. Another post discusses how television has become a scapegoat to blame for adolescence obesity, and that in fact studies have shown there is very little correlation between the two. As authors of these posts, we invite you to contribute to the conversation of how television affects children, positively and negatively.