Media plays a significant role in people’s daily lives due to its important and effective role in building society on cultural and scientific foundations. Additionally, it is strongly connected to the prevailing social systems in society, influencing the scale of knowledge and social development, whether through its continuity or discontinuity. Thus, it is not a temporary or transient phenomenon but a means of transmitting ideas and beliefs from one generation to another, fostering relationships and connections between them, and influencing human behavior and awareness at all stages of life, whether as a child, an adult, or an elderly person. In this article, we will discuss the impact of media on children, both positively and negatively.
Positive Effects of Media on Children
Media has a positive impact on children in several ways:
Engaging Children’s Senses: Media, especially through visual and auditory channels, captures a child’s attention and imparts knowledge to them.
Fostering Imagination: It stimulates a child’s imagination and encourages them to interact with the knowledge they receive from television or computers, thus nurturing their abilities.
Combining Cultural, Educational, and Entertainment Roles: Media serves cultural, educational, and entertainment purposes simultaneously, ensuring that children receive knowledge, proper education, exposure to good behavior, and entertainment through beneficial content.
Meeting Children’s Human Needs: It satisfies children’s human needs, especially those related to their mental growth, such as curiosity, exploration, and discovery.
Negative Effects of Media on Children
After discussing the positive benefits of media for children, it is essential to acknowledge its negative effects, as follows:
Presenting Contradictory Religious and Intellectual Concepts: Media sometimes introduces religious and intellectual concepts that contradict a child’s natural inclinations. It may include phrases that challenge religious beliefs and promote practices like magic and sorcery.
Fostering Aggression, Violence, and Criminal Behavior: Exposure to violent content can lead to increased aggression, a fascination with criminal activities, and a disregard for the rights of others in pursuit of personal goals.
Hindering Critical Thinking: Excessive media consumption can hinder a child’s reflective and creative thinking, which is essential for innovation and creativity.
Disrupting Daily Routine: A child’s daily routine, including sleep and meal times, can be disrupted by excessive media use, leading to a disregard for time management.
Health and Physical Issues: Prolonged sitting in front of screens can lead to laziness, vision problems, nerve issues, and obesity due to excessive snacking during sedentary activities.
Negative Impact on Academic Performance: Excessive media use can negatively impact a child’s academic performance, resulting in academic decline.
Psychological Issues: It may cause psychological problems such as anxiety and fear, leading to nighttime bedwetting due to fear of going to the bathroom and persistent thoughts about the malevolent characters they have seen.