As technology advances and media choices increase, children are developing unconstructive social, learning, and health habits that many parents are greatly unaware of. Parents don't realize that the amount of time children spend consuming media is second most to anything else children do, besides sleep (Dunnewind, A1). Children today spend more than four hours a day either watching television, messing around on the computer, or playing video games (Vanderkam, A1). It is estimated that by high school graduation, teenagers will have spent more time in front of the screen than in the classroom (Children and the media). Research goes to show that today's media plays a significant role in shaping children's lives.
             The mass media triggers children's minds and habits in numerous ways. Parents used to only have to worry about the effects of television on their children. Now they have to worry about the advances in television along with DVD players, Nintendo, Playstation, computer games, and the Internet (Dunnewind, A1). On average, the American child grows up at home with two televisions, two VCRs, three tape players, two CD players, one video game system, and one computer (Dunnewind, A1). Above all, television is probably the most effective form of media. It contains advertisements, violence, sexuality, and false statements that most children tend to believe (Children and the media). About thirty-five percent of children between the ages of five and seven believe that television commercials always tell the truth (Liebert and Sprafklin, 170). The Internet is also a strong form of media that can have negative effects on children. If children are left unsupervised, they can be exposed to sexual or violent content on the Internet, which can give children the wrong impression of sex and violence (Children and the media). Video games also have a strong effect on children and their minds. Although most video...