Abstract The paper presents the view that television often acts as an uncomplaining and constantly available free babysitter in homes with very young children. The paper explains that parents often find that by putting their children in front of the television for entertainment purposes, they can find a few minutes in their busy day to relax and unwind. This paper examines the viewing habits of three mothers with pre-adolescent children: Stacey, mother to Holly; Pam, mother to Eryn and Ellie, mother to Mark.
From the Paper "In the 1950s and 1960s children's programming abounded. There were shows like Romper Room and Captain Kangaroo, The Shari Lewis Show and Howdy Doody, all of which were designed to shape children into well-behaved members of society through entertainment. Later on, programs like Sesame Street and Wishbone made their debut, providing entertainment almost inextricably linked with education. In between and even afterward were a plethora of other shows that focused on children, often with a mixed bag of redeeming value. Television often acts as an uncomplaining and constantly available free babysitter in homes with very young children. Parents often find that by putting their children in front of the television for entertainment purposes, they can find a few minutes in their busy day to relax and unwind. This paper will examine the viewing habits of three mothers with pre-adolescent children."
Abstract The paper relates that television and video games are the most commonly used babysitter for children. The paper explores how this influences our social behavior and thinking system and how it affects a child's development and further social integration. The paper shows how multimedia exposure definitely has an influence on a child's development, whether that's in a positive (learning language, understanding symbols) or negative (inducing aggressive, unbecoming or illegal behaviors, obesity, risk) direction. The paper examines the issue and concludes that the negative impact of excessive exposure is the more profound, permanent and worrying issue.
From the Paper "In our days, it seems like parents do not fully assess the consequences of transforming the TV and video games in the most common used babysitter for their children. The cause for this is the lack of time, together with an increased level of stress and exhaustion adults experience when trying to cope with both work and family demands (Clarke, 2007). Under these circumstances, it becomes imperative that the researchers focus their attention on determining how bad or how good is the "machine"-made education for children. Since infancy, individuals are exposed to the multimedia culture we proudly promote today, becoming "multimedia youngsters"(Neergaard, 2006)."
Abstract This literature review is all about television violence and the effects on youth. The author attempts to examine whether television consumption cause children to imitate behavior. The author includes an examination of how parent involvement interacts. This research includes statistics as proof variables.
From the paper:
"Television is a part of life. Virtually every household has a television set and many homes have two or three (Ledingham, 1993). Needless to say, television plays an enormous role in the lives of many American families and the magnitude of its influence on people is considerable also. This is especially true where children are involved. According to Liebert & Sprafkin (1988), "television viewing time rises from about 2.5 hours per day at the age of five to about 4 hours a day at the age of 12." Ledingham goes on to say that "television is used frequently by parents as a babysitter or distraction device" (1993)."
Abstract This paper attempts to understand the causes of child abuse, its occurrence, and incidence. It looks at how the four main types of child mistreatment are physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect and how, in many cases, children are victims of more than one type of abuse at a time. Child abusers can be anyone with contact or interaction with the child and can include parents or other family members or caretakers, such as teachers and babysitters. It examines the profiles of the abusers and how sexual abuse seems more likely to be committed by males, whereas females were responsible for the majority of the neglect cases. It also evaluates potential sociological factors and how, in general, the reported cases usually involve poor families with little education, young mothers, single-parent families, and parental alcohol and drug abuse.
From the Paper "A high crime rate in the community has also been shown to have an effect on the likelihood of child abuse. This is possibly a reflection of the atmosphere in the community environment in general. In addition, a community that lacks adequate social services to offer to parents, especially single parents is also open to mistreatment in the families. This is connected to the reports that social isolation can lead to child abuse. It has been found that frequently those who feel isolated from the society struggle with their parenting and the resultant frustration and anxieties can be inflicted on the children. Parents can be isolated because they have poor ties with their own families, or with their neighbors, or have small or non-existent social networks (little or no friends)."
Tags: sexual, emotional, parents, environment, community, single, drugs
Abstract In today's modern world, computers have not only changed the way one handles daily errands and life, but also the way children are being educated. Today, computers are in classrooms across the nation and being used in almost every subject as a teaching tool. This paper shows that, while the age of technology continues to grow, there are some who are concerned that the back-to-basics of elementary education may be lost in the use of technological tools such as computers. People are concerned that the basic ability to read and compute numbers will be lost if the children at this age-level are taught to use technical tools instead of the "old fashioned method". Teachers around the nation have been trained to incorporate computers into their lessons, but those who have concerns fear the computers are either taking the place of basic instruction or being used as babysitters. This proposal addresses that concern and asks questions to determine whether the use of computers in the elementary classroom is taking away the basic instructional knowledge for the core subjects.
From the Paper "Many articles have been published about computers in the classrooms and the benefits of the programs that are available(Instill, 1995). Children type in the word "Watergate" and they are instantly taken to a picture of Richard M. Nixon with a history of his life and participation in the scandal. Other students may locate maps of Africa and compare them historically through graphics on the monitor(Instill, 1995). All of this appears to be a positive learning experience but is it taking the place of good old fashioned research? Students are being taught reading skills by chasing characters across the correct words on a screen and some worry that it is replacing the skill of sounding out words on a page."
Abstract This paper cites numerous studies detailing the social and economic consequences of child poverty in America. The paper looks at the long-term effects of child poverty, its primary causes, the failure of government policies to address the problem, and some measures the government can implement to reduce the child poverty rate. The paper also looks at how high immigration rates tend to increase the child poverty rate and immigration policies put into effect in an effort to stem the rising tide of immigrants.
From the Paper "Studies show that child poverty has been increasing at an alarming rate in the last decade. In 1994, 15.3 million children, or 21.8% of all Americans, were poor (Lichter 1997) and that, although children constituted only 26.7% of the population, 40.1% of all poor persons in the US were children (US Bureau of Census 1996 as qtd in Lichter). These rising poverty rates are used by government agencies in determining the criteria for eligibility in social insurance programs and public assistance interventions developed by these government agencies. And, according to these criteria, the economic well-being of American children is on a downtrend, which indicates that tomorrow's adults will be less economically adjusted than adults today and that the future of today's children is materially and psycho-emotionally less promising (Lichter)."
Abstract This paper examines parents' use of television as an electronic babysitter. The effects and consequences of television violence on children are explored, and the various ways that we can protect our children from the effects of prolonged exposure to television violence are presented in the paper. These are important issues that should be dealt with quickly. The paper contends that, as television violence increases and more parents spend time at work and away from their children, the problem is not one that will go away by itself.
From the Paper "In the 78 years since the invention of television, it has gone from a luxury item to a common household appliance. However, with an average of two televisions per household, its effects on children and society at large have transformed this household appliance into a virtual weapon of mass destruction. With the increased level of violence shown on television each day, children have become immune and insensitive to violence and are more aggressive verbally and physically than ever before. While this is a serious problem, it is not one without a solution. Parents need to take a proactive role and monitor what their children are watching as well as discuss what is being viewed on television rather than rely on television as an electronic babysitter for their children."
Abstract In this article, the writer discusses that cases of child abuse in all its types continue to increase in the past years, some occurring in child care centers or committed by babysitters and other child caretakers. The writer notes that symptoms of abuse may also indicate the quality of care. Further, the writer discusses that parents must also contend with the high cost of quality day care services and risk the possibility of their children developing poor social skills in these child care centers. The writer also points out that current research showed that regular day care does not have to interfere with the emotional connection between a working mother and her infant. The writer concludes that adequate provision for the child's basic physical needs, the feeling of being valued, being allowed to play and the mother's personality traits weigh much more heavily.
Outline:
Introduction
Literature Review
Hypothesis
Method
Findings and Discussion
Conclusion
From the Paper "Meyerhoff discusses how the economic, cultural and social revolution in the country 50 years or so ago has driven young women and mothers to join the workforce. To adjust to the change, child care centers were set up to keep the children while their parents worked. Scientific evidence stands that children raised primarily at home develop much better social skills than those who spend a lot of time in group care. These young children in the company of other young children in group care learn social skills among themselves through imitation and operant conditioning. Every child will try some strategy, which will get him what he wants. In addition, many parents have started to feel guilty about separating from their children and leaving them in the care of others. They wish the situation could be more beneficial. Parents can make the arrangements needed to address this problem, but they should not be distracted away by modern conveniences from the fundamentals of authentic human development. When a problem turns up, the author invites parents to focus their attention on the expectations they place on the child's behavior rather than on the child's behavior itself."
