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Hunter Smith
Professor Collins
ENGL 1302
6 March 2016
Television is Fun to Watch, but the Effect Might not be so Fun at All
Doctor Dimitri Christakis, pediatrician and head of the Seattle Children's Research
Institute's Center for Child Health, Behavior, and Development discussed the topic of media
effects on children in a TED Talk video. Specifically, Christakis argued that television has
serious effects on the brains of young children as they grow up. Sufficient, remote, and necessary
causes in Media and Children proposes that heavy television viewing can lead to
developmental problems for children in their later ages.
At the beginning of the video, Doctor Christakis states that children who view more
television before age three are at amplified chances for attention problems as they get older. His
argument would be considered remote because television is the underlying explanation for the
inattention in children when they grow up. Christakis hopes to educate parents so they realize
their children could be at risk due to the increased amounts of television they watch at such a
young age. In a study Christakis conducted, he discovered that the typical child before the age
of five is watching four and a half hours of television per day, forty percent of their waking
hours (Media and Children). The Nielson Company conducted a study in 2009 that revealed
the average child age two to five views television for more than thirty-two hours a week
(Uzoma). This averages out to about four and a half hours a day of television watched by the
typical child. Research completed by the Nielson Company was able to verify Christakiss
findings that prove that children in fact watch a substantial amount of television at an early age.

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Additional research done by Christakis shows that each hour of television watched by a child
before age three increases his or her risk of having attention problems by ten percent (qtd. in
Green). As exemplified, children under the age of three who watched two hours of television
per day would be twenty-three percent more likely to have attention problems (qtd. in Green).
Another study done by Erik Landhuis, a researcher from University of Otago, discovered that
Those who watched more than two hours, and particularly those who watched more than three
hours, of television per day during childhood had above-average symptoms of attention problems
in adolescence (qtd. in Nauert).These studies finished by Landhuis support the claims made by
Doctor Christakis. By providing reliable research to back up his arguments, Christakis
demonstrated parents need to start paying attention to the amounts of television watched by their
children, and the age they start watching it.
One of the sufficient causes claimed in Doctor Christakiss TED Talk is that educational
programs watched by children before age three pose no increased risk of having inattention by
the time they start school. Christakis conducted an experiment regarding educational programs
and the brains of children. During his experiment, he found that educational programs do not
affect the brains of children because of the slower movements and sounds that happen during the
shows (Media and Children). These shows, according to Christakis, do not overstimulate the
brains of children. Research finished by The Future of Children, sponsored by Princeton
University, asserts that children between the ages six months to thirty-six months who watch
educational programs were linked to having improved vocabulary and language (Anderson,
Kirkorian, Wartella). To be specific, television shows like Dora the Explorer and Blues
Clues showed links to the enhanced vocabulary and language these children acquired. The
research completed by The Future of Children not only verifies Christakiss argument that

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educational programs have no effect on childrens attentional part of the brain, but also
educational programs can actually benefit children if they watch it at an early age. Christakis
proclaims educational programs helps parents realize that not all television hurts their children
and can actually be beneficial to them in the long run.
In his TED Talk, Doctor Christakis argues, as a remote cause, that children before the age
of three who watch entertainment and violent programs are more likely to have attention
problems than children who do not watch these shows. As claimed by Doctor Christakis in his
TED talk Media and Children, the chances of children having attention problems surged by
sixty percent when watching entertainment programs. During this study, he also discovered that
violent programs increased the possibility of attention problems by 110 percent (Media and
Children). Doctor Christakis states the fast pace music and rapid image changing overstimulates
the brains of children, which causes the increase in the risk of attention problems. The Future of
Children organization claims, Children who viewed the violent cartoons showed decreases in
measures of self-regulation (Anderson, Kirkorian, Wartella). In addition, the Future of Children
agrees early exposure to violent and non-educational entertainment programming was positively
associated with later symptoms of attention deficit (Anderson, Kirkorian, Wartella). The
research done by The Future of Children shows the arguments and research conducted by Doctor
Christakis resulted in accurate information. Christakis proves children can be at serious risk if
they view an abundance of entertainment and violent television programs at an early age.
According to Christakis, early childhood is extremely important for a childs
development, especially during infancy. Christakis asserts babyhood is vital because of the
amount of growth the brain does during this period of time. From his research, he discovered that
the brain triples in size in the first years of life (Media and Children). Christakis declared,

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Prolonged exposure to rapid image change during a critical period of brain development would
pre-condition the mind to expect high levels of stimulation, which leads to inattention in later
life." Dr. Gilliam confirmed Christakis argument asserting, The first few years of life are crucial
for setting a strong or fragile foundation for all later learning, well-being and happiness
(Parenting Talk). Even though research proves this argument, it is logical to believe early
childhood is critical for children later in their life. Christakis stresses how important brain
development in early years is in his video so parents will make sure to regulate what their
children watch from at a young age.
Lastly, Christakis discusses the remote cause for reduced attention problems in children is
more cognitive stimulation in their early years. In his studies, Christakis states that activities like
reading, singing, or going to a museum actually decreased the risk of attention problems in
children. Not only that, he discussed every hour children participated in these types of activities
to promote cognitive stimulation reduced attention problems by thirty percent (qtd. in Green).
Doctor Pascale Michelon, a research scientist at Washington University, concluded some of the
ways to improve concentration and memory was reading, playing games like checkers, chess,
and Sudoku, or going to the museum, which are all forms of cognitive stimulation. The findings
from Doctor Pascale at Washington University show the research completed by Christakis was
accurate. Christakis is able to show parents that they can reduce their childrens chances of
having attention problems by simply having them do activities to promote cognitive stimulation.
Throughout his TED Talk, Doctor Christakis states numerous causal arguments that are
effective to convey the idea that parents should be concerned with the amount and types of
television watched by their children. The research he has done agrees with the studies completed

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by other doctors and researchers, which proves that his information is precise. Parents can use
Christakis as a reliable source if they need information regarding their childrens attention.

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Annotated Works Cited
Green, Sharon. "Television Kids Develop Attention Problems, Study Claims." International
Business Times. International Business Times, 03 Feb. 2012. Web. 02 Mar. 2016.
In the article by Green, research is practiced by Dr. Dimitri Christakis. Green quotes
Christakis numerous times throughout her article. She sums up the findings found by
Christakis in his research.
Kirkorian, Heather L., Ellen Wartella, and Daniel R. Anderson. "Media and Young Children's
Learning." The Future of Children. The Future of Children, n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2016.
All three of the authors are doctors of this article. This have known credentials, proving
they are a valid source to get information from. They talk about how educational
television programs can actually benefit young children in the long run. Even though
most people think television is can be bad for children, the authors provide evidence to
show why educational programs are not.
Michelon, Dr. Pascale. "Are Mentally-stimulating Activities Good or Bad for the Brain? The
True Story." SharpBrains. SharpBrains, 16 Sept. 2010. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.
Dr. Pascale Michelon is a researcher for Washington University. She discusses that
cognitive stimulation can improve the focus and concentration of people. Her research
can be used to back up the argument made by Christakis, which says cognitive
stimulation reduces attention problems.
Nauert, Rick. "Childhood Television Watching Correlated to Later Attention Problems." Psych
Central News. Psych Central, n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.
Rick Nauert is a doctor for Rocky Mountain University of Health Professionals. His
research is accurate and can be trusted because of his title. He provides studies to support

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the claims made by Christakis, which say television at an early age can lead to attention
problems.
"Parenting Talk Reveals The Importance Of Quality Early Childhood Development." Arabia
2000 (2014): Newspaper Source. Web. 2 Mar. 2016.
This source is a great article from the Alvin Community College databases. It offers
sufficient evidence to support why early childhood development is important. The source
offers information and studies from different doctors that are associated with Yale
University. The evidence in this source is going to be used to support one of the
arguments made in the TED talks video.
TEDxTalks. "Media and Children." YouTube. YouTube, 27 Dec. 2011. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.
Doctor Christakis, head of the Seattle Children's Research Institute's Center for Child
Health, Behavior, and Development, discusses attention problems due to television. He
provides numerous statistics in his video to back up his claims. Christakis can be trusted
because of his credentials and the research he has completed.
Uzoma, Kay. "How Much TV Does the Average Child Watch Each Day?" LIVESTRONG.COM.
LIVESTRONG.COM, 24 May 2015. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.
This article provides statistics from the Nielsen Company. This firm measures numerous
things like the amount of television watched by consumers and which shows are popular.
The statistics provided by the Nielsen Company backup the claims made by Chirstakis on
how much television is watched by young children.