Arlo Spear
C. Srygley
9-23-010
Period 4
When did they stop being children’s networks?
There is a serious problem polluting the radio waves. Such a problem is becoming more and more bilious as time goes on. Have you ever sat on your couch for a moment, bored and flipping through channels, only to find teenagers making out on Disney Channel? It has become appalling to see those once proud children’s networks showing this kind of content. One could say they are changing to keep up with their aging audience. However, I find that to be a problem because there are already channels for teenagers to watch. So as more networks change their content and stop producing young children’s programming, spectators are left with a nagging question. What are the kids going to be left with?
A few months ago, I pulled up the TV guide on my television to see what I could watch. To my surprise, I found a movie on Nickelodeon named Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging. If you are not well versed in western European slang, “snogging” is equivalent to the American term “making out.” I do not think you need to be informed about thongs. At first, I could not believe my eyes, so I reread the title. It remained the same as before. I was shocked to see that a channel I had watched for years, that aired my favorite shows when I was as old as five and six, would broadcast something so foul. Children should not be allowed to watch such a thing. So it should be kept off of channels that little kids watch.
I have been forced to view several of these new age shows because of my little sister. The shows that I watched with her provided helpful information about this subject. There is a particular show I find that truly aggravates me; it is named The Secret Life of an American Teenager; for those that follow it, just The Secret Life. I have had to endure several hours of that show with my parents and little sister. I regret to say that every other word in that show’s script is sex. Not only that, but everyone and their fathers get pregnant in this show; a show about high school students. This is not something that I want my thirteen year old sister to be exposed to. Especially when she is at an age when young teenagers often copy what they see on TV (Chemin and Linebarger). It is disturbing that such shows are placed on channels that children purposely go to for entertainment.
As mentioned above, Disney channel is no exception to this despicable fad. More times than I would like to recount, my sister has picked up the remote and flipped over to channel 30, only for us to witness some teenagers sharing spit. Disney still has children’s programming, but just like McDonald’s breakfast, it ends at 10 o’ clock. The rest of the day consists of high school and middle school students dealing with boy trouble. Even though the teen dramas rule the day, the juiciest programs are saved for primetime. This is when most students have just finished homework or dinner and are sitting down to watch a little bit of TV while their stomachs settle and minds relax. Instead of nice, family friendly programming, they get garbage (“A childhood lost is very difficult to regain, so keep children out of reality TV; Wind Back”).
I’m not saying that the shows and movies these networks televise should not exist. They are obviously very popular, or their smut would not be tolerated. Network executives just need to find different channels on which to air them. I have no doubt any loyal fan would transition to a different channel for the show they enjoy. Replace the troubling programs with more child friendly shows. This is precisely what Vanessa Thorpe calls for in her article (19). Airing shows with more innocent topics and ideals is recommended (Hillstrom). These replacement shows do not have to be educational, although it is preferred, just creative and fitting to be aired to children. Moving the shows is a sufficient idea because it will remove the unsuitable series from the supposedly “child oriented” channels, without canceling them. Although this method would be slightly costly, it is certainly more favorable than canceling the questionable shows and losing viewers. On a lighter note, they is certainly a profit to be made with an increase in time available for commercials.
Trying to fit an aging fan-base leaves a new generation in the dust. A new generation that will begin inhaling promiscuity and other ideas that are inappropriate for their age. At least cartoon network broadcasts their adult content late at night and with several warnings about the recommended age of their targeted audience. This technique is much different from the choices of networks like Disney, Nickelodeon, and (abc) Family. These channels need to follow in Adult Swim’s footsteps. According to a recent study, children from ages six through eleven watch at least 28 hours of television a week. A good portion of this time in front of the tube is between 6 o’clock and 9 (McDonough). Primetime television marketed towards high school students should be marked with a banner dictating the appropriate audience age.
Undeniably, the corporate executives and those that decide what these networks broadcast should be ashamed of themselves. Parents, looking for family friendly television, have turned to channels like Disney and Nickelodeon for years. Children being exposed to improper and realistic topics for their age are likely to imitate the actions and conduct of those they witness or idolize(Pruitt 89). Behavior exhibited in such shows as The Secret Life, should be moved off of traditional family networks. These removed shows can be placed onto a separate channel for separate viewing. At the very least, parents should be alerted to the nature of a show by some sort of banner. As long as something is done, the purity and innocence of today’s youth will remain intact that much longer.
Works Cited
Chernin, Ariel R., and Linebarger, Deborah L. "Television's Impact on Youth and Children's Play." Encyclopedia of Recreation and Leisure in America. Ed. Gary S. Cross. Vol. 2. Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2004. 348-351. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 27 Sept. 2010.
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Pruitt, David B. "The Elementary School Years: Ages Six through Eleven." Your Child: What Every Parent Needs to Know about Childhood Development from Birth to Preadolescence. New York: HarperCollins, 1998. Print.
Thorpe, Vanessa. "Former Play School Presenters Plead for Gentler Children's Television." The Observer 19 Sept. 2010: 17-19. Print.
"Taking charge of TV." Report by: U.S. Department of Education (2005). General OneFile. Web. 27 Sept. 2010.
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"'An Appeal to Hollywood'." Television in American Society Reference Library. Ed. Laurie Hillstrom. Vol. 3. Detroit: UXL, 2007. 119-130. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 27 Sept. 2010.
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Hillstrom, Laurie E. "Johnson, Lyndon B." Television in American Society Reference Library. Vol. 3. Detroit: UXL, 2007. 93-103. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 28 Sept. 2010
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McDonough, Patricia. "TV Viewing Among Kids at an Eight-Year High | Nielsen Wire." Nielsen Wire. The Nielsen Company, 26 Oct. 2009. Web. 29 Sept. 2010. <http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/media_entertainment/tv-viewing-among-kids-at-an-eight-year-high/>.
"A childhood lost is very difficult to regain, so keep children out of reality TV; Wind Back." DNA [Daily News & Analysis] 28 Aug. 2010. General OneFile. Web. 28 Sept. 2010.
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