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Children in the United States watch an average 16 to 17 hours of television weekly, beginning as early as age three. Parents and teachers have become concerned about what children could be learning. A recent study examined 10,000 hours of television programming throughout a three hour period and found that 61% contains violence, with children’s programming being the most violent. While these statistics show some obvious negative influences, other statistics have shown positive influences as well. Research has shown that television affects how a child learns,” television acts as a narcotic on children…stunting their ability to think” (Drexler 427).Excessive television watching has been associated with poor academic performance, as Drexler stated,”…heavy television watching lowers IQ scores and hinders school performance”(427). Language and social skills in some children have been severely delayed because of the excessive television watching, as Anderson says,” I feel television is almost surely having a major social impact on the kids, as opposed to a cognitive impact”(qtd.
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