Television as a socializing agent
Young children are strongly influenced by television. The only activity they spend more time doing is sleeping. The average American child watches about 27 hours of television each week. By the time they finish elementary school children have seen more than 100,000 violent acts on television. Even very young children prefer violent cartoons. A lot of research has suggested that TV violence leads to aggressive behavior in children and teenagers. Some studies have shown that excessive TV viewing is linked to childhood obesity. There is also research showing that there is a relationship between too much television watching and disturbances of sleep.
A child’s view of the world is shaped by television. Television programs easily manipulate the beliefs of children. Television tends to socialize children into active consumers. Television begins socializing children before schools, religious institutions and peers can.
Television can be effective as an educational medium. Shows like Mr. Rogers Neighborhood and Sesame Street have been proven to help with social behavior and vocabulary.
Source: The World of Psychology 4th Edition