Business Communication

REPORT ON EFFECTS OF TELEVISON ON CHILDREN

Submitted to: Mr.Muhammad Awais Shakir muhammadawaisshakir@yahoo.com Submitted by: Moaaz Munir mnm000111@hotmail.com

I offer my sincerest and respectful gratitude to Mr. Awais Shakir for assigning me this final project to test my skills and abilities.

16TH June, 2012 Mr. Muhammad Awais Shakir, Business Communication Lecturer, IB&M UET Lahore.

Respected Sir, Enclosed is my report entitled effects of television on children. The title of the report was assigned to me on 15thJune, 2012 and the submission date of the report is 16th June, 2012 as per your notice. The report is now complete to its requirements. I appreciate the time you devoted to me during the class lectures in this semester. Yours sincerely, Moaaz Munir.

Television is a modern invention. It has many advantages and disadvantages. The answer to the question is watching television bad for children depends upon the thinking of each individual as some might consider it beneficial while other may think of it as a nuisance and a time killing machine.

Title page 01 Acknowledgements ..02 Letter of Transmittal and Authorization03 Introduction ..04 Context...05 Main Section .....06 Summary10 Conclusion/ Recommendations11 Appendix12 Bibliography..12 Index...12

History:
Tele means distance and vision means see. The word television is the combination of these two words. Sometimes it is referred to as just T.V. Television is one of the most important miracles of science. It has brought a revolution in the field of entertainment, education and communication. Mankind should be grateful to its inventor J.L. Barid who has brought the cinema and stage into houses of the masses in the twentieth century. Now it is found in almost every modern house. One can now watch moving, talking and living pictures on the huge screens while sitting at home. Sitting in our homes, we can watch all kinds of programs which are televised around the globe.

Television in Pakistan:
Television is very valuable for an underdeveloped country like Pakistan where a great majority of the people is illiterate and live in the villages. It acts as a way of conveying a message as well as a source of entertainment in the whole country. Especially during the cricket matches majority of the people become addicted to their television sets.

Types of programs and shows:

The list of programs looks never ending. They can be of education, entertainment, politics, sports, cartoons, dramas, songs and the list goes on. Many educational and informative programs are of great help to the masses and students. Students can gain information and knowledge from television which can be of great impotence to them in the near future. Talk shows, debates, speeches, wonders of the world, latest news in technology help increase the adrenalin and ecstasy in youth. Youth of today gains a lot from television at the present. Different cable providers are available in the countries which provide different shows to the public. Cartoon network, Disney, GEO, BBC, Discovery, National Geography and many more. Television shows can be divided into the following categories:

1. Entertainment 2. News 3. Sports 4. Education 5. Technology 6. History

A means of communication:
Television has become a mean for communication across the world. All the information can be transmitted to any part of the globe just by having a television. It has indeed made communication easy and as well as decreased distances in the spreading of information. The news of any country is easily available and different television channels are present which can be activated through the cable operators.

Advantages of television:
There are numerous advantages of television. It has become a source for getting knowledge as well as entertainment. Cartoon shows for example impart good moral values because the good guys always win or the bad guy becomes the good guy in the end like the animated cartoon Megamind. This illustrates how good triumphs over evil. Most of the television and cartoon shows are humorous. These are not only enjoyed by the youth but by adults too who find them very entertaining after a hard days work. Such shows help to cultivate the priceless gift of humor. They also help one to be more optimistic, relaxed and cheerful. Most of the researchers believe that television helps children in their basic reading skills. Television also helps to exercise the muscles of the brain and learn alphabets. Television plays a dual role in our lives as an entertainer and an educator. It helps too polish our creativity and our mind. Not all programs and shows are bad or violence producing.

During the time of election results of the successful candidates can also be announced through the television. The political figures keep direct contact with the people by addressing them on television. It acts as a medium between the government and the people. It also helps in removing the social and political evils from the society. Children these days also learn the verses of THE HOLY QURAN from Islamic channels as well as learn the proper way of praying and importance of praying.

Disadvantages of television:
The numbers of disadvantages by television are also vey huge. Following are the disadvantages: Health problems: Television affects the health of an individual to a great extent. Watching television for more than one hour causes eye problems and sitting in one position without moving can result in muscle problems. Children usually watch television in the dark, which causes a great impact on the brain and on the eyes. If the posture while watching television is not correct pain in the body arises. Mostly obesity is caused by television meaning they become overweight. They start eating junk food and there is not stop to it. The youth especially becomes lazy, restless and aggressive. All the time they just carve to watch their watch their favorite shows on television. Taking the volume of television too extreme level results in ear damage. Time wastage: A lot of time is wasted on television as children spend hours on television. After the end of one show, they start watching the next without any break. The youth becomes addicted to these shows and programs as they mostly are unreal or fictional. Shows such as Tom and Jerry, superman, transformers, teenage mutant ninja turtles and many others although are quite humorous but practice violence.

 Impact on education: In the current age, education is of utmost importance. Wastage of time on television results in poor grades. Studying with the television turned on at the back causes distraction. Children watch too much television and do not focus upon their homework. They lose sleep at night and during the day they become less active in classes. Watching a lot of television causes inability to listen in the class attentively. They perform poorly academically as they waste time watching television instead of studying. Negative influences: Children get exposed to negative aspects of life and they start promoting them at a young age. Television programs usually promote violence, usage of drug and intolerable activities. As the mind of the youth is not quite developed in their early age so they start to indulge in these types of activities. They become addicted to smoking, drug dealing and want to solve every problem with violence. One should always remember that violence is never the answer to any problem. Commercials and advertisement: Cable channels are full of useless commercials of their products or services which are not necessary for a living. But as mind of child is still in development, they want to buy these products even though they will be graded useless in a few days time. For example a youth watches an advertisement of a cell phone or an action figure. He immediately wants to acquire it even though its very expensive. The money spent on these types of products has no advantage. It should be spent on books which would give him knowledge and prepare him for the future endeavors. Wastage of money: The use of television when no one is watching anything increases the electricity bill. People of today waste huge amounts of money to buy the latest television sets such as LCD and LED. Then there comes a matter of branding. The bigger the brand name the more expensive the television set is for example SONY, SAMSUNG, LG and PANASONIC have very high prices.

Television is one of the most enormous and magnificent invention of its time. Today majority of the people have their very own television sets in their home. It is like a mini theatre and cinema for them. It provides them with information, knowledge and entertainment. But some people misuse this invention. Media and politicians are one the prime examples. Televisions have both advantages and disadvantages. And both are almost equal to one another. It usually depends upon the persons thinking whether he considers television a good thing or a bad thing. People have made television a part of their daily routine. They watch their favorite soap operas and shows. Even in Pakistan the television is steadily progressing. In the near future it will be among the top competitors. Television itself doesnt harm people nor does it have many disadvantages. We should gain as much knowledge as we can but that doesnt mean sitting all day long in front of the television. Television is becoming even more compact than it was before thanks to the advancement and development in technology. It brings joy to us int times of need. It can cause health problems but can also give us relief and humor at the time of stress or grief. Because of television we are able to see the one of the beautiful parts of the world just by sitting at one place i.e. our home.

In spite of many disadvantages, the advantages of television in the filed of education and entertainment cannot be denied. It has become a part of our daily lives through which we gather knowledge. Television itself is not much a big problem as its shows and programs.

Parents should set a schedule for their children for watching television. Children should be encouraged to play outside instead of watching television all day long. Channels which produce violence and are not suitable for the youth should be banned. During study time there should be no television. Only one television should be available in the whole house, it saves money and electricity. Late night television should be avoided. While watching television a safe distance should be kept from the television set so that no harm comes to the eyes. The volume of the television should be kept medium, not too high and not too low. Vulgar programs, movies and shows should be avoided or banned.

 Menon,2005,Self study compositions, The star books Pte Ltd, 103

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