BULETINUL Vol.

LXII
96-101 Seria Ştiintele Educaţiei
Universităţii Petrol-Gaze din Ploieşti No. 1A/2010

Considerations on the Impact of Television and

Internet over the Children’s and Teenagers’ Behavior
Mihaela Păişi Lăzărescu

Universitatea din Piteşti, str. Târgu din Vale, nr.1, Piteşti

e-mail: mihaelapaisi@yahoo.com

Abstract
Based upon the data derived from the specialised literature, on the empirical observations an don the
results of a questionnaire, this work examins the effects of unselective and prolonged watching TV
broadcasts by children and teenagers, as well as the computer and Internet addiction.
Key words: television, computer, internet, addiction

Education and challenges of contemporary world

The 21st century world is presumed to be, for the next three decades, the stage of as many
changes as for the past three centuries, where the world knowledge basis doubles every 2-3
years, where 7,000 scientific articles are published everyday, where the volume of knowledge
acquired by graduates in the industrialized countries is larger than what their grandparents have
gathered along an entire lifetime. [6] Studies carried on by UNESCO and published in the report
„Teachers and Teaching in a Changing World” [7], show that young generation enters a world
that suffers changes in all activity fields: science, technology, politics, economics, culture and
education.
School accomplishment, as a complex variable expressing the student’s adaptability to school
tasks, the same as success in any other activity, is subject to the combined influence of a set of
internal and external factors, mediated most of all by these socio-economic and cultural
mutations. More and more often, in recent years, specialists in the fields of education draw
attention on the problems children/teenagers confront with regarding learning, such as the
continuing decrease of school performances, of the understanding and reasoning levels, of the
levels of speaking, reading, wrfiting, difficulties in the logical-mathematical thinking and, not
the least, the decrease of the level of general knowledge. An explanation of the changes that
have occurred for the past few years in the children’s/teenager’s behaviour, of the diminution of
the learning capacity and weakening of the mental abilities in more and more of them is
explained by the influence that television and excessive use of computer/internet have over the
development of the new generation’s mental abilities, mentalities and behaviour.
The child’s/teenager’s psychical development is conditioned by personal experiences he has to
face within the physical and social environment (a poor experience does not create the
circumstances of a structural development of the brain, which therefore cannot cope with the
challenges ahead). The direct, unmediated experiences when objects, phenomena, processes are
 Mihaela Păişi Lăzărescu 97

really manipulated, touched and investigated cannot be replaced with a virtual experience,
achieved through television and computer, even if it offers infinite varieties that are otherwise
impossible to achieve. It is certain that television and computer, with all the advantages they
offer, cannot replace the direct experience lived by the child within the symbolic games and in
the role games or within the interpersonal relationships of the teenager.

Risks and effects of watching TV broadcasts

Once the invasion of television, computer and Internet, there are several questions arising
naturally, to which the answers are still either controversial, or not enough scientifically
justified: do television, computer and Internet achieve a connection to the real world?; to what
extend their use interfere with the psycho-behavioural development?; does their use really
motivate children and teenagers to learn better and faster?, which is the optimal age to start
using the computer etc. Even though most of the parents are proud to discover a child’s abilities
in using the TV, computer remote controller and even the Internet, the effects of these activities
should be reevaluated from the perspective of their contribution to the children’s and teenagers’
psychical and behavioural development. The most noxious effects of TV and computer manifest
mostly during childhood, an age when the judgement needed to protect themselves is not yet
achieved, therefore children easily become the victims of the hypnotical forces these devices
exert.
The consequences of watching TV by children are to be found in the symptomatology of LD
syndroms (Learned Disabilities) and ADHD (Attention Deficit with or without Hyperactivity
Disorder), associated with numerous linguistic, writing, reading, speaking disturbances, children
showing apathy and lack of interest for reading and having affected their memorym
imagination, willpower and motivation. We notice in children an increase in aggresivity,
irascibility, impulsivity, lack of sensibility towards pain, violence, sleep disorders, an
amplification of anxiety and catastrophical thinking, social and emotional isolation by escaping
into the virtual reality, mintal passivity, dependence, erotic materials consumption and psycho-
sexual pseudo-maturisation. [1]
Using a certain language, television will accommodate the child with not doing any effort to
look through the meaning of words hei s addressed, which determins a weakening of his ability
to listen, to understand and to recall an orally presented material, a tendency to communicate
through gestures, diminution of vocabulary knowledge, proliferation of verbal tics, difficulty in
understanding long phrases and complex grammar structures etc. The scarcity of the language is
proven as well by an excess use of stereotypes and jargon words.
Children and teenagers find it very hard, even impossible to attentively concentrate for a longer
time over a certain activity, cannot listen or follow explanations, cannot carry on through the
work they start, shifting quickly from one activity to another, they act before they think, do not
have patience, they are hyperactive and extremely irascible, cannot stand still to concentrate on
study or to listen to the teacher in class, they have the tendency to stand up, get out of their
desks and walk through the classroom, disturbing other colleagues [3]. Teenagers tend to isolate
in fun or dreaming, easily giving up any activity that requires concentration and a motivated
effort; they can barely control behaviours and emotions, so that the internal impulses or the
environmental influences make them not only lose focus very easy, but can even carry them into
actions and emotions that are alien to their own interests. Television also represents a true
danger through activating the psychological mechanisms of immitation, by imposing its own
models in the individual and collective mental [2]. Studies speak about a real conditioning of
some behaviour that most of the times are not of the healthiest. In many researches it is shown
that the predominance of a violent message and of the erotic one on the TV screen have utmost
powerful effects in moulding the conscience and behaviour horison of youngsters. Numerous
98 Considerations on the Impact of Television and Internet over the Children’s and Teenagers’
Behavior

studies have confirmed the increase of aggressive behaviour in children that have watched TV
broadcasts with a violent content, but not all children react the same to the same movie, an
important factor intervening here being the education they acquired from their parents.
To this end, there are relevant conclusions of a study performed in Bucharest [5], showing that
students that spend more than two hours in fron of the TV set prove more aggresivity (while
theyretain the aggressive attitudes of the characters), comparing to those who spend less than
two hours watching TV, but keeping in mind other behaviour, less aggressive. The same study
proved that cartoon characters that are aggressive, dangerous, hold weapons and put the lives of
other characters in danger can be nice, generous, embodying saviours and always presented in a
favourable light, through their qualities. At the same time, the erotic message incites children’s
imagination and contributes essentially to an early sexual maturisation.
Research point out the occurrence of serious psychological and behavioural disturbances in
children and teenagers that got used with the consumption of erotic materials, presented within
the TV programmes or on internet, and that create addiction, to the meaning that they require an
increased consumption. A false image referring to what love means, of what we may expect
from another and most of all, of what we need to offer ourselves is created.

The dependency on television, computer and internet – a new form of

addiction
Along with the television, video games and internet have the capacity to generate a strong
relation of dependency (addiction) [3]; deprivation from these produces, in children, the same
symptoms as in the case of addictive drugs and behaviour. The term of „addiction” has been
extended in psychiatrical language to identify the issue of unselective and prolonged TV
watching, as well as of using computer and internet, associated with significant social,
psychological, professional troubles. Some of the computer and internet users become addicted
in the same way to those who become addicted to drugs, alcohol or gambling.
According to some studies, individuals with computer addiction spend over 35-38 hours online,
comparing to an average (considered as „normal”) of 8 hours. It is considered that in the case of
people with a certain „vulnerability” (which is not yet quite precisely described), the computer
induces addiction especially because some applications. We don’t know exactly which are the
factors that determine this addiction (they are probably different in different people). We may
incriminate the process of living fantasies involving aggresivity, sexuality, power, possibility to
assume different roles, the sensation of belonging to a group, social recognition, taking upon
oneself a superior social role etc. [4]. In the case of this form of addiction, psychological
tolerance is indicated by the need to spend more and more time in computer related activities,
such as games, sorting files, particpation in groups of discussions. Users carry on with tjis
behaviour,although they are aware it represents a problem. Signs of withdrawal syndrome are
indicated by the growth in irritability and anxiety when a person cannot access a computer (in
case of some persons, this state appears just a few hours after last using the computer).
In a study performed on children supposed to be addicted to TV shows and mostly to the
computer, the following symptoms have been observed: homework neglect and diminution of
school grades, repeated lies about the time spent in front of the computer, preference towards
spending time at the computer and not with friends, abandon of social activities (clubs, sports),
irritation when deprived of computer, boredom towards other activities, well-being when one
uses the computer (pleasure and intense sense of guilt), growth in number of hours spent on the
computer/online, preoccupation towards the computer even when one doesn’t use it, excuses
and reasons implied as to use the computer, more money spent on dedicated revues, hardware,
 Mihaela Păişi Lăzărescu 99

softwares, feeling of being lost or irrtability when not on the computer. There have also been
noticed more somatical symptoms related to the excessive use of computer: carpian tunnel
syndrome, eye pains caused by cornean dryness, due to an alteration of the blinking reflex,
migraines, back pains, feeding disorders determined by skipping meals, sleep disorders. [4]

Study regarding the effects of watching TV and using computer over

children and teenagers
Specialists in the field of education, as well as practitioners have noticed that those children and
teenagers that grant much time to watching TV, video games and Internet have poor school
results, low interest towards the school activity, they manifest physical and verbal violence,
weak communication competencies, low self-esteem, as well as a series of behavioural
disturbances.
The Objective of our study has intended to identify the length of time children and teenagers
spend on TV and computer, the reasons that determine them to grant time to such activities, to
use information obtained from these sources for personal development and ways the family
supervises this activity. The study results have been reported to the students’ school results and
to the theachers’ observations regarding their cognitive and social behaviour.
The questionnaire comprised four questions with closed answers and three questions with open
answers, addressed to a number of 115 students, with chronological ages between 8 and 18
years old (students in primary, secondary and high-school classes). We should mention that not
all students included in the initial panel of subjects have completed the answers, that is why they
have been excluded. Of the subjects panel, 84% were living in the urban environment and the
rest in the rural one, having the possibility to be connected to cable television and internet. All
students included in the study have the possibility to watch cable TV at home, and 86% have a
computer and are connected to the internet.
From the analysis and interpretation of results we derive that the average time alloted to
watching TV shows is distributed as follows: 17% less than an hour, 61% between 1 and 3
hours and 5% over 5 hours. An analysis on age groups shows that pre-adolescents grant more
time to watching TV, comparatively to high-school students that are more selective in choosing
shows and to children in primary school that do not exceed 3 hours of watching TV broadcasts.
Concerning the use of internet, the answers obtained from the subjects have shown the
following distribution: 6% use it less than an hour, 42% between an hour and three hours, 31%
between three and five hours and 21% use computer either for video games or internet surfing
over 5 hours daily. We note that those who use the internet daily 3-5 hours and over 5 hours are
mostly students between 13 and 18 years old. Less than one hour a day use the internet the small
ones (second, fourth grades) and students in the rural environment – both in secondary and high
schools. We have considered that both in the access to TV broadcasts and in using the computer,
a very important role is held by parents. Of the questionned subjects, 52% state they are
unrestrictidely allowed TV and computer access by their parents, 7% have access only during
week-end, 33% have daily access, but in a certain measure and 8% have daily access, only after
finishing homework.
The reasons children and teenagers spend so much time in front of the computer and TV have
been investigated through the following set of questions of the questionnaire. The subjects state
they watch show son different networks just to pass time, or to have fun, to feel good, to listen
to the music, to document, to obtain information, to forget about worries, to relax after a day’s
school. Using the computer for video games is dominant in early ages. The children’s games are
mostly virtual; they state a great preference for this category of games, even if at home they
don’t have access to computer. Subjects of ages between 13 and 18 years old state they navigate
100 Considerations on the Impact of Television and Internet over the Children’s and Teenagers’
Behavior

the internet to spend their time, to have fun, to feel good, to communicate with others and make
friends, to download movies, pictures, music, to set up a date, to solve a series of school
requirements (problems solving, referrals, essays etc).
In students from the 5th to the 7th grades, preferences go first of all to films, followed by variety
shows and cartoons. High-school students mostly watch movies, documentaries and variety
shows. When using the computer, students from the 2nd to the 4th grade do it especially for
messenger and games, those in the 5th – 8th grades do it for messenger and games, whereas high
school students use it for chat or messenger. The activities chosen by students as an alternative
of spending free time are reading, playing with friends and walking through the park (for the 2nd
– 4th graders), listening to music, bike riding or skate-rolling (for the 5th – 8th graders); meeting
with friends and walking through the park are preferred by high school students.
In the second part of the study we have tried to identify which is the children’s perception on the
behavioural effects of long term watching TV broadcasts and using the Internet. Thus, 19% of
the children in primary school that have taken part in the study have affirmed the time spent as
such influences their behaviour to a very large extend, 15 % have declared to a large extend, 42
% have chosen the response answer „to an average extend”, 23% have chosen the „not at all”
answer.
From the 5th-8th graders taking part in the test, 14 % have stated the time spent in front of the TV
set and computer influences their behaviour to a very large extend, 16 % - „to a large extend”,
34 % - „to an average extend”, 26 % - „to a small extend”, 8 % affirm they are not influenced
„at all”, and 2 % have responded they don’t know or they won’t answer this question. High
school students have replied in a proportion of 6 % that the time spent in front of the computer
and TV influences their behaviour to a very large extend, 21%- „to a large extend”, 37% - „to an
average extend”, 26% - „to a small extend”, and 10% - „not at all”. Both students and their
teachers state that the main consequence of excessively using computer and television is
tiredness, followed by boredom and lack of attention. Teenagers have also identified, besides
these consequences, the addiction of watching some shows and accessing the Internet („I feel a
state of anxiety”, „I cannot do anything else”, „I think all the time to that show or to what I need
to communicate online”, „I feel something is missing, something is wrong” etc – these are some
of the worrisome statements).
We have drawn, out of the subjects assertions the fact that the main consequence of excessively
using TV and computer over them is tiredness, followed by boredom and lackof attention („I
spend less time in open air”, „I speak more rarely at the phone”, „I read books very rarely”, „I
don’t write letters – I have never sent a letter by postal mail” etc).

Conclusions
The conclusions of our study have pointed out to the great impact of unselective TV watching
by children and teenagers and the excessive use of computer. The empirical observations, as
well as specialised studies have shown that, if children are exposed to such „bumping”
experience from early ages, their attention is seduces by the TV environment and when they are
confronted with activities that aren’t shocking in any way, they can’t concentrate and show
signs of boredom. The external control of attention, by the so-called „orientation reaction” faced
to the danger, does not only favour the development of upper brain centers, but also inhibits it.
In front of the TV and computer, the child, as well as the teenager are not compelled to make a
personal effort to evaluate situations; no one is asking on the educational message, of what is
right or wrong in a cartoon picture or in a video game, so that watching TV and using the
computer turns into a passive teaching. Living one or another experience does not require a
 Mihaela Păişi Lăzărescu 101

conscious effort of concentration, that is why they don’t find anything interesting in what
implies a thinking or acting effort. Watching TV broadcasts several hours daily, starting from
the first years of life, contributes to an almost complete deactivating of the internal control of
atention, because the upper nervous system centers cannot overtake control since this age,
children being dependent of the surrounding stimuli that can very easily influence them. The TV
experience is not an interactive, but a passive one, applied to specific, particular circumstances.
The chil dis not provoked to ask himself questions, to involve in a conversation, that is why
communication through television is a monological and impersonal one, while the young ones
need personal addressing, dialogue. In front of the TV, children do no task themselves
questions, don’t look for solutions, don’t talk, being absorbed by the flow of images and sounds.
Instead of discovering by their own the surrounding world, to wonder of events and means, they
are used to wait the meanings to reveal themselves in front of their eyes.
Even if recent studies have shown that some children/teenagers have become addicted to
computer by excessively using internet and/or video games, to the liking some persons become
addicted to drugs, alcohol or gambling, the correct diagnostic still remains an open subject.
Signaling the symptoms of this addiction is important both for those in cause, as well as for
educators and parents.

References
1. C h i r i ţ ă , R . , C h e l e , G . , Ş t e f ã n e s c u , G . , I l i n c a , M . , C h i r i ţ ă , M . - Date
generale privind efectele utilizãrii calculatorului la copii si adolescenti, Revista de psihiatrie, 3/4–
2006
2. G h e o r g h e , V . - Efectele televiziunii asupra minţii umane şi despre creşterea copiilor în lumea
de azi, vol.I, Editura Prodromos, Bucureşti, 2006
3. G h e o r g h e , V . - C r i v e a n u , N . , D r ă g u l i n e s c u , A . - Efectele micului ecran
asupra minţii copilului, Editura Prodromos, Bucureşti, 2007
4. M a r i n e s c u , V . , M a t e i , V . - Utilizarea computerului - între proces normal şi dependenţă,
Revista de psihiatrie, 3/4 – 2003
5. R ă ş c a n u , R . - Psihologie si comunicare, Editura Universităţii, Bucuresti, 2007
6. Information and communication technologies in teacher education. A planning guide. UNESCO,
2002, http://www. unesoc.unesco.org , access la 2.12.2009
7. Teachers and Teaching in a Changing World. UNESCO, 1998,
http://www.unesco.org/education/information/wer/PDFeng/wholewer98.PDF, access 2.12. 2009

Consideraţii privind impactul TV şi Internetului asupra

comportamentului copiilor şi adolescenţilor

Rezumat
Bazându-se pe datele desprinse din literatura de specialitate, pe observaţiile empirice şi pe rezultatele
unui chestionar, lucrarea examinează efectele vizionării neselective şi de lungă durată de către copii şi
adolescenţi a emisiunilor TV, precum şi dependenţa de computer şi de Internet.
Copyright of Petroleum - Gas University of Ploiesti Bulletin, Educational Sciences Series is the property of
Petroleum - Gas University of Ploiesti and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted
to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or
email articles for individual use.