“Effects of TV on Children.” Femail. 25 Sept. 2009. http://www.femail.com.au/effectoftvonchildren.htm.
SUMMARY
This article talks of the vital time period for childhood development and the positive effect Disney has had on all children. A study called “Our Children’s Media Diet” was implemented on a group of three to six year olds. Through the study Dr. Helen Skouteris, a specialist in Developmental Psychology was able to prove that Disney videos promote “active viewers” and “pretend play”, two important parts in rearing children. “Pretend play” helps children form language skills, imagination, and recognize other perspectives. Dr. Skouteris said the many Disney films “provide them with a fun and magical experience.” Toddlers learn the difference between good and evil as they develop characteristics like bravery and a sense of humor. Disney movies are often influential in active learning, as they repeat the movies children become more familiar with the plot and participate in singing along. This is an active experience. The article also mentions that co-viewing movies with your child offers a greater level of understanding and makes it a family experience where parents can direct a conversation regarding values.
RESPONSE
At a young age, three to six year old children develop social skills and gain values. It is inevitable that television and the media in general take part in this “raising” of America’s children. You are shown a variety of Disney movies from the time you can crawl; you even dream of going to Disneyland from a young age. Disney has greatly influenced our society! I feel that Disney movies do promote honesty and courage throughout each story. Mulan had the courage to fight for her country even though she wasn’t technically allowed these privileges in her society, being a woman. This shows little children the courage and triumph that one individual can bring to a whole society. I believe I am also an example of what this article calls “active learning.” When I was little I definitely sang along with the Disney songs and enjoyed pretending I was each of the characters. For a period of time I even forced my household to refer to me as Megara from Hercules. I’m not saying that Megara or any other Disney character had a lasting impression on me, but they did enhance my childhood and encourage me to dream big and imagine the unimaginable. I enjoy Disney movies even still; they may not be a brilliant work of art in some minds’ eye, but they bettered my youth.
Disney's movies always show good overcoming evil, which does have a positive influence on children. The live action films have fewer stereotypes because they are not based on fairy tales. Too bad they are not as popular as the animated films. Disney does have great music that has become some of the classics! I grew up on Disney as well and I wanted to be Sleeping Beauty. I also got to watch the Mickey Mouse Club which showed some great live action stories like Daniel Boone and Davey Crockett.
ReplyDeleteI have never watched the Disney channels because my children are grown. Does it have good shows?
Yes, I agree that the action Disney films have less stereotypes. I do believe that many of them are becoming more popular though for younger children. The recent Disney movies have definitely taken a different turn, and I'm not sure how many children still grow up on Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty.
ReplyDeleteI have a little brother; he is a caboose child, so I know that he didn't experience the same Princess tales as I did. He does expose me to the Disney channel though, and I love it! Like Mallory said in class, there is sarcasm in the shows, but I think that most are very funny. They depict real-life situations that teenagers or others face, so it is very relatable.
Like most shows though, the Disney channel does make teen life look carefree, which isn't accurate. They seemingly just have to dodge the next problem they caused, but they are comical and entertaining. For example, the other night I was finishing homework, and I found my dad watching "Wizards of Waverly Place," a show on the Disney channel. Everyone can enjoy their shows. :)
I definitely agree with the assertion that Disney movies teach children at a young age. I remember as a child singing Disney songs with other kids, watching Disney movies, and playing like we were characters from the movies. This brought me closer to my juvenile friends and gave me something in common with almost every other child in America. I also learned the hero archetype from Disney, and when teachers explained it to me in school, it made much better sense to have multiple examples from my childhood to better grasp the concept. Another distinct lesson I remember learning from Disney was that reading was cool. In the beginning of "Beauty and the Beast" when Belle is reading and everyone is talking about how peculiar it is for her to be reading all the time, I decided I wanted to read a lot. Maybe that's a strange thing to glean from that scene, but I did.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that Disney movies teach children good values. There are some underlying stereotypes, but little children never notice those. For example, Mickey Mouse Monopoly talks about how The Lion King gives kids a bad idea about African Americans, but I didn't even notice that any of the characters were the voices of black people until I was well into my teens. Maybe I'm just dense, but I think most kids don't notice these little things.
ReplyDelete