Student Web Activites

Chapter 4: Socialization

"Children and Television"

Introduction
In this chapter you learned about socialization and the role it plays in human development. The family, school, peer groups, and the media all are a part of socializing young people. In this activity you will take a closer look at the role of one type of mass media—television—in the socialization of children.

Web sites
How Television Images Affect Children
Read through this Web site to see how some researchers believe the television affects how children behave. Think about how many hours a day you watch TV.

Violence on TV: The Desensitizing of America
What are your views on the effects of violence in the media and behavior? See what some researchers have to say about the television affecting behavior and what can be done to curb the trend.

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Activity
Every evening for one week, watch the local news broadcast in your community. Keep a log of the number of stories about violence or crime that are presented compared to human-interest stories or stories about something positive. Based on what you recorded, do you think the news is overly negative or violent? Do you think there is a good balance between negative and positive news coverage? What would you like to see done differently? Share your log and your ideas with the class.