Toni Derrick

CMST 102
Podcast outline
Topic: The effects Mass Media has on Children
Specific Purpose: talk about a few types of media that children are subjected to, and persuade
them of some of the negative effects mass media has on childrens mental and physical
wellbeing.
Introduction:
1. Attention getter: Whether its from an iPhone, iPad, gaming consoles, T.v, Media surrounds
us all. In todays digital age our children are bombarded with enormous amounts of media. You
would be hard pressed to go anywhere anymore and not see a child glued to some sort of outlet
that is spewing out media. Sadly, much of it is negative, violent and mean-spirited.
3. Audience Relevance: Children are our future, and so shouldnt we as a society set these kids
up for the best future possible?
4. Speaker Credibility: I know that as a parent its so easy when I am on my last leg to just let
my daughters veg out in front of the t.v. or on their phones. But when I do let them plug in, I
cant help but wonder if I am doing them a disservice or not. Do I want peace and quiet at the
expense of their mental and physical wellbeing, of course not! I want to raise well rounded,
healthy children!
5. Preview of main ideas: To better understand the effects that media has on children today I
will talk about:
I. negative effects from T.V.
II. Negative effects from video games
III. Also, negative effects that internet has.
Maybe together we can decide if in the end this media rich world we live in is helping or hurting
our children
To begin,
Body:
I.

First I want to talk about children and T.V.

I know in my household the t.v. is one main source of entertainment. T.v. is fun, easy, and
informational. It is an entertaining and educational tool that can open up new worlds for kids, it
can give them a chance to travel, explore, and even learn a new language. But, like most things,
too much a good thing can be very bad. Children can learn things from t.v. before the appropriate

age frame, it can have adverse effects on their health and behavior. It can even discourage things
like reading and playing outside.
1. American children are being subjected to enormous amounts of t.v time. According to
research done by University of Michigan they claim that on average, children ages 2-5
spend 32 hours a week, and kids ages 6-11 spend about 28 hours a week in front of the
TV(Boyse). I personally cant imagine my kids watching that much t.v!
2. What can possibly be good about that much t.v? It turns out not a whole lot, as I
mentioned above, its been shown to have adverse effects on their cognitive health and
behavior as well. In the same study done by University of Michigan they mention that
early TV viewing may lead to later attention problems, such as ADHD.
3. Also another thing happening is when children zone out on front t.v there is lack of
physical activity. Kids these days would rather watch t.v. then go outside and run and
play with friends. Its easier and requires less effort. Mind you, this is not the case for
every child, just a broad example. Even my kids will sometime fight with me when I say
no to t.v time and instead suggest going outside, and we limit t.v to a bare minimum.
4. The American Academy of Pediatrics urges parents to take a "better-safe-than-sorry"
approach on TV viewing for young children, saying that although it may be tempting to
put your child in front of the television, Don't do it! These early years are crucial in a
child's development.
Moving on,
II.

Next I want to talk about some of the effects that come directly as a result of playing
video games.

This is something as a parent I dont have a lot of direct knowledge about. We have one
video game and its Disney infinity, and to be honest the kids are not really into playing it. Just
like t.v not everything about video games is terrible and awful. I know that educational and
productive games exist to better childrens brains and help build certain skills. The main issue I
feel that exist with video games is the violence that is often depicted. Most, maybe just the ones I
have seen kids playing, are full of fighting, killing, and obscene language. Children are like
sponges, they soak up and retain nearly everything they see and hear. If these games they play on
daily basis are full of violence and obscenities, what are they learning?
1. In my personal opinion, nothing good! You will hear people defending these types of
games saying, My kids knows better! well unfortunately until children reach a
certain age, they dont know better. Their brains havent fully formed so mentally
speaking they have a hard time distinguishing real life from fantasy, and right from
wrong. So when they are subjected to violent video games over and over every day,
they are learning that this is acceptable behavior.
2. A study was done in June 2013 that set out to see just how violent video games affect
children. The corresponding article written by Mirjana Bajovic regarding the study
states that children who played 1-3+ hrs. a day were scoring lower on tests, had more
violent out bursts and had lower levels of socio-moral maturity.

3. More than a half of all adolescents in the study declared playing video games every
day from 3 or more hours a day, the, most alarming part is the children clearly stated
that they most preferred video games that involved human violence.
4. The research concluded that playing violent video games may hinder moral
development in some adolescents. Its worth mentioning though that not all children
who played violent video games demonstrated lower levels of socio-moral maturity.
Only those who declared playing violent video games for prolonged hours
demonstrated a tendency to score at the lower level of socio-moral maturity.
Last,
III.

I want to talk about the internet.

We all use it! Its full of loads of information and knowledge, and helps us with day to day
life. I know I use it every day! But just as all the stuff mentioned above along with the good,
there is bad. Yes, the internet is handy for kids to do research, connect with friends via social
media, and even play games, but all it takes is one harmless click to unleash a cyber world that is
full of bullies, predators, hackers and porn.
1. For example, according to information from internetsafety101.org 65% of online sex
offenders used the victim's social networking site to gain home and school information
about the victim. Meaning that some man or woman can snoop around on your kids
Facebook or twitter and find out just enough vital information to hunt down and find your
child in person.
2. Furthermore in these types of situations (56% to be exact) kids that were sexually
solicited online were asked to send a picture, 27% of these pictures being sexuallyoriented in nature.
To tie this up, the key take away point I want to make clear here, is that while we all know
that good and bad exists in everything we do, if we monitor and teach our children limits and
restrictions along with their fun associated with mass media we can keep them happy, safe
and healthy. Thank for listening!

Works Cited
American Academy of Pediatrics, Committee on Public Education. Media education.
Pediatrics. 1999 Aug; 104(2 Pt 1):341-3.
Bajovic, Mirjana. "Violent Video Gaming And Moral Reasoning In Adolescents: Is There An
Association?" Educational Media International 50.3 (2013): 177-191.Academic Search
Premier. Web. 29 Feb. 2016.
Boyse, Kyla. "University of Michigan Health System." Television (TV) and Children: Your
Child:. Aug. 2010. Web. 25 Feb. 2016.
"InternetSafety101.org: Statistics." InternetSafety101.org: Statistics. Web. 27 Feb. 2016.