Media Messages Harm Child, Teen Health

In a recent study on violent television and kids’ social lives, Dr. David Bickham
, Staff Scientist at CMCH, came to two conclusions:

• The more time kids spend watching violent TV programs, the less time they spend with their friends. This isn’t true for nonviolent programs.
• The more time kids spend watching TV with friends, the more time they spend doing other things with their friends.

“What does it mean? Bickham thinks that TV viewing is something kids do with their friends. Violent TV programs are known to make kids more aggressive. When kids watch violent TV by themselves, their aggressive behavior
makes it harder for them to have friends. So what do they do? They watch more TV — becoming even more socially isolated, and even angrier.”


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