The media is something that the youth cannot escape, is impossible for the youth to live without the media these days especially the Internet. Often time children and youth are exposed to images that could be interpreted in a good or bad way depending on the understanding of the child on the images. The media is everywhere the children go and thus will always have a direct effect on them, whether they like it or not.
According to research done by the Kaiser family foundation, it was discovered that ‘’American children from six months to six years of age spend most of their time with screened media on a daily basis, just as they do playing(about two hours)’’.
It is highly believed that children and youth consume more television than the way they did in the past, this happens because most children/youth lack the freedom to play outside. This could be blamed on the availability of technology or sheer laziness on the side of parents to watch their children play. It can also be that both parents work and scarcely spend time with their children in order to curtail their media consumption.
Therefore the children/youth tend to watch any program not minding if it is beneficial to them or not. Contrary to the olden days, children/youth were only exposed to media contents that only portrays ‘’a perfect life’’. In recent times children are exposed to media contents like gay relationship and this affect them negatively.
Moreover, if parents can control the television at home what about the Internet café outside? If the child is there, will he visit good or harmful sites?’ I think proper education and information on cultural and moral values is what the child needs, as this will help the child/youth to ascertain the type of media contents he wants to expose himself to.
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