Modern Society Period
Modern society period refers to the period between the latter half of the twentieth century to the present. Many scientific inventions have been made at this period for example cars, televisions, and computers. The science has highly improved.
The Influence of Culture
Culture refers to a set of agreed principles that are shared among a team of people and is passed from generation to generation. The society these days is a slave of its own culture especially the media. The transition from regular culture to the modern culture has affected human beings both in a negative and a positive way. The present day culture has forced people to generate opinions primarily based on their media influence. Modern culture is ruining the childhood of many children today.
Health Dilemma in Children
Modern culture has created health dilemma in children. There are increased chances of obesity in children who spend a lot of their time watching television. This is because they do not move around by engaging their bodies in physical activities such as running and jumping, these activities help in keeping the body physically fit by burning the calories, increasing the rate of metabolism and building muscles. Children who are in the age bracket of between two to ten years, who watch television for two or more hours a day, have a higher risk (30 percent) of developing high blood pressure as compared to children who spend less time watching television. Spending a lot of time watching television can expose a child to the high risk of developing an eye and sleep problems which can continue up to early adulthood.
Influence of Electronic Media
In the modern culture, electronic media is showing bold contents in television shows, movies, and films. Children are exposed to sexual content using their phones and computers. Television exposes children to adult sexual materials and behaviors making children to try them out as a matter of curiosity. This has increased sexual immorality and many teenage pregnancies. Children also have easy access to internet connection which increases child pornography, ruining the child mentally and emotionally (Comstock, Erica, and George, 8).
Introduction to Harsh Realities
Modern culture is ruining childhood by introducing children to the harsh realities of life and the world. Children become worried about contemporary problems, thereby becoming fearful about things that children in the past generations had no idea existed. A study using a sample of five hundred children from the United States shows that thirty-three percent of the children feared that the earth would not be in existence by the time they grow up. Fifty-six percent believe that the environment will not be conducive to human survival. Advertisements in televisions and social media are exposing children to realities they are not supposed to think of making them live in fear ruining their childhood.
Antisocial Behavior and Development Procrastination
Children have become so antisocial they do not go out to play with others. Kids of the past generation interacted with each other while playing outside the house. The modern culture has introduced children to technology and devices, instead of playing and socializing, they spend time indoors watching television, surfing and playing video games. There is the development procrastination whereby children have no motivation to study because of laziness. Although modern culture is seen to be ruining childhood, it also has its advantages in the development of children (Strasburger, Victor, and Amy, 12).
Regulating Children's Media Exposure
Children exposure to media materials should be regulated. Parents should make sure they restrict the amount of time their children spend on devices such as television, video games, and music. This can help in the development of a child physically and mentally. The contents they are watching should also be supervised if not controlled.
Works Cited
Comstock, George A, Erica Scharrer, and George A. Comstock. Media and the American Child. Burlington, MA: Elsevier, 2007
Strasburger, Victor C, Barbara J. Wilson, and Amy B. Jordan. Children, Adolescents, and the Media. , 2013
