The End of Play

1438 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Media effects on teenagers

Long gone are the days of playing kickball and flying kites in the park on a Saturday afternoon. Children of today's society would most likely prefer staying inside playing Guitar Hero on their Xboxes or watching the latest episodes of their favorite television show during their free time. The time for imaginative and physical play is slowly being pushed to the side as the years pass by, and room is being made for empty, redundant television shows and video games. The essence of childhood play is gradually diminishing as today's society encourages the idea of growing up as quickly as possible. In the process of allowing children to indulge in as much television and video games as they please, the problem of childhood obesity is introduced since outdoor play and physical activities are not of great importance to today's children anymore. Children should have a restricted amount of time on how much they are allowed to watch television or play video games so that they learn the important benefits of outdoor and imaginative play, ultimately resulting to a healthier lifestyle.

In Marie Winn's article titled “The End of Play”, she discusses the topic of how children today are seeming to lose the sense of being a child. Compared to children of previous generations, the children of today's society have parallel interests and occupations of modern day adults. (Winn 1). They seem to be losing touch with their inner child and skipping straight to adulthood. A child a couple of decades ago would be easily distinguished from an adult due to their interests, but since then television and video games have replaced the imaginative play that children once enjoyed. (Winn 2). In Winn's article, a parent of two school-age children mentions that s...

... middle of paper ...

... relationships to be shaped effectively. (Winn 29).

The issues of losing the essence of being a child, the encouragement of obesity and the inability to function socially have one common factor that ties them together. They are all negatively influenced by the presence of television and video games. The regulation of television and video games has not been brought to attention until recently, but is it too late to reverse the effects it is having on the present generation of children? Not much can be done to undo the leniency society has allowed for the past couple decades except to educate the children and implement more restrictions on what is being broadcasted and marketed towards their age group. The children are a very important fundamental to society because they are, after all, the ones who will run our future and generations after the next.

Show More
Related

  • Samantha

    2458 Words  | 5 Pages

    Early Childhood is marked by a time in children’s lives when they develop “a confident self-image, more effective control over their emotions, new social skills, the foundations of morality, and a clear sense of themselves as boy or girl” (Berk, Kauffman & Landrum, 2011, pg. 45). According to Erik Erikson, early childhood is a period of “vigorous unfolding,” one where children have a sense of autonomy and a new sense of purposefulness or initiative (Berk, Kauffman & Landrum, 2011, pg. 45). Play is a means for children to learn about themselves and they begin to adopt the moral and gender-role standards of the society in which they live (Berk, Kauffman & Landrum, 2011). A negative outcome of early childhood is the guilt children feel as a result of excessive punishment and criticism by the adults in their lives (Berk, Kauffman & Landrum, 2011)....

    Read More

  • The Nutri-Grain Bar In The 1990's

    1873 Words  | 4 Pages

    A voiceover asks the characters, “What are some of your most memorable experiences as kids?” A father-daughter duo is interviewed first. The daughter says, “My dad would always take me down to the creek and we’d look at the fish in the pond. As soon as I finished my homework.” Next, one woman who is with her sister responds, “My sisters and I would play hide and seek. Mom would always yell at us for drudging mud into the house afterwards.” These characters use a casual and friendly tone of voice that is familiar with the target audience. A parent telling a child to finish their homework before play, the drudging of mud into the house, spotting fish in the local creek—these images are all too familiar to the western audience and generation of parents. Their stories evoke a sense of longing and return to the past when many individuals are becoming increasingly uncertain aboutthe future. A stark contrast is presented with the child playing on the ipad. The relaxing background music abruptly stops as he candidly states, “I play on my ipad. I think I play games on it for three hours a day. Sometimes more.” The purpose of using a small child for a scene that portrays video games in a negative light (as opposed to an older individual) is due to the fact that a child’s concerns is rarely deemed “offensive” to others. Ultimately it’s the children that can provide

    Read More

  • Child's Theory Of Play

    1219 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many theorists have tried to define play as a concept, however, no two agree on a set definition. Their backgrounds and induvial lifestyles influence the way they see the importance of play. Reed and Brown also believe that there isn’t an agreed definition of play because is something that is felt rather than done (Reed & Brown, 2000 cited in Brock, Dodd’s, Jarvis & Olusoga, 2009). In spite of this, it is clear that most theorists uphold the ethos that play is imperative to a child’s learning and development. There is a wide range of different studies and theories which helps us develop our own perception of what play is. In my personal experience I have found play to be a way of expressive our emotions, exploring and learning new things, thus

    Read More

  • Analysis of Childhood Obesity in America

    1285 Words  | 3 Pages

    Exercise, food, technology, and money all play a role in causing childhood obesity. Lack of exercise among adolescents has been proven to be the leading cause of childhood obesity. According to a May 2012 Institute of Medicine report, only half of America’s children and one in four teens get enough activity to meet current guidelines (Doheny and Noonman 1). The recommendations call for children to participate in at least 60 minutes of vigorous to moderate physical activity every day (Hendrick 1). “Only four percent of elementary schools, eight percent of middle schools, and two percent of high schools provide daily physical ...

    Read More

  • Childhood Obesity

    952 Words  | 2 Pages

    With the expansion in technology, children are hastily becoming more and more inactive. In the past century, kids would play outside from sunrise to sunset. Little did they realize, that playtime served as great daily exercise. Physical activity is a key necessity in keeping a healthy lifestyle. With the advancement of technology and the growing popularity of video games and television, fewer children are getting exercise. Stationary activities, such as video games and watching T.V., are keeping children inside and away from exercise. To blame just the kids for this lack of exercise would be wrong. The parents are the ones responsible for giving the children these games, but that is not all bad. Where it does turn bad however, is when the kids are given these games or televisions without a time restraint. Through research, they have found that 26% of children watch television for more than four hours a day. In efforts to encourage outside playtime for kids, Nickelodeon shut down programming daily from noon to 3pm. This seemed to be a great idea, but does it really help? Children are in school session Monday through Friday from 8am 3pm. The time Nickelodeon chose to go dark is the same time child...

    Read More

  • Childhood Obesity : Obesity And Obesity

    713 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many children become obese due to lack of exercise. Today’s generation of children enjoy television, video games, iPads, and laptops much more than what the earlier generations of children did. Electronics have taken the joy out of things, like going outside to run around and play. In her book Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health in the Balance, Jeffrey P. Koplan includes how to get children involved in others things besides electronics, “Encouraging children and youth to be physically active involves pr...

    Read More

  • Obesity, Children and Physical Education

    1273 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ing, snowboarding, kickboxing, golf, etc. These games are operated by a motion censored controller that reads the child’s movement. This works because the kid is entertained by the game, but at the same time burning calories. It’s a great idea to narrow the correspondence between obesity and video games.

    Read More

  • Causes and Effects of Adult Obesity

    1953 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...mption of food and physical activity. To make their children more active, parents should stop buying videogames and set a time limit to decrease the amount of time their children spend in front of a computer screen. Another way to increase physical activity is to encourage children to join an extra-curricular activity. Although it is easiest to prevent obesity at a young age, many people in the United States grow up obese or become obese. To help and to encourage adults who are suffering from obesity, they need to learn the life-threatening effects that accompany the “heavy” burden.

    Read More

  • Child Learning Through Play

    1857 Words  | 4 Pages

    Children have a natural inclination to play, alongside a natural instinct to learn and to be curious and inventive, which are characteristics of the human race in general. This quote taken from Janet Moyles is a good starting point for this essay. It is well known that children love to play. If a child were to be left to his/her own devices they would happily play and create new worlds anywhere they were left. It has been well documented and researched that children learn excellently through play. However they are not always given the opportunity to do so, instead being told to, ‘finish your work and then you can go play’. Obviously this is not always the case, but the fact that it is a common practice shows that we do not all fully appreciate the importance of play to children’s learning. This essay will attempt to show how children learn through play, making reference to current theory and practice. I will also give examples from my own first-hand experience of how children learn and develop as people through play.

    Read More

  • Effects of Youth Involvement in Organized Sports

    2054 Words  | 5 Pages

    By now almost everyone has heard about child obesity in America, but just how high are the rates? The answer might surprise you. According to Nate Whitman, a writer for The Huffington Post, “rates of obesity have doubled in 2- to 5-year-olds, quadrupled in 6- to 11-year-olds, and tripled in 12- to 19-year-olds” (par. 2). This is due to more children staying inside and only doing activities such as video games. They do not interact with anyone besides whomever they are talking to online. These findings are astonishing to say the least. What can we do to combat this? Involvement in organized sports helps children develop their social skills, improve their academic progress, and stay active.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Child Obesity

    1277 Words  | 3 Pages

    Putting children in sports, clubs, involving them in reading, dancing, singing, or even drama, can help keep children from reaching the risk of becoming overweight and obese. Parents are responsible for their child’s health rate, so allowing them to partake in more activities benefits their child. Parents who buy their children video games are pushing their child to stay inside instead of pushing them to go outside and play. Playing outside for just one hour every day will make a difference in a child’s health. Staying inside only collects more calories in the body, rather than being outside and burning calories. I started playing soccer when I was in seventh grade which helped me stay active and healthy. Sports are a good way to keep children on track and physically healthy so that they avoid becoming overweight. Parents should be aimed to help find a hobby or a healthy lifestyle that their child enjoys. Parents who don’t aren’t helping their child participate in life lessons which keeps there child focused on unhealthy actions such a focusing more on T.V shows and video games.

    Read More

  • Schools Can Reduce Childhood Obesity

    2217 Words  | 5 Pages

    Childhood obesity is a health problem that is becoming increasingly prevalent in society’s youth. For a number of years, children across the nation have become accustomed to occasionally participating in physical activities and regularly snacking on sugary treats. In result of these tendencies, approximately one third of American children are currently overweight or obese (Goodwin). These grim statistics effectively represent all the lack of adult interference, in regards to health, has done to the youth of America. The habits of over consuming foods and under participating in physical activities are all too common in the children of today. Children cannot solve this issue alone, though. These young people need to essentially be given the opportunities to make positive health decisions and learn about good, nutritional values.

    Read More

  • Play Influence on Child Development

    544 Words  | 2 Pages

    Children develop normally when they are exposed to different types of play that allow them to express themselves while using their imaginations and being physically active. According to the Center for Health Education, Training and Nutrition Awareness, “Play is child’s work”; this is true because it is a child’s job to learn and develop in their first few years of life, in order for them to do this, they play. Not only is playing a child’s full time job, the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights listed play as a right of every child. Through their full time job of play, the children develop emotionally, socially, physically, and creatively. Children need to participate in child-led play in order to facilitate healthy development of their minds, body, and creativity.

    Read More

  • How Has Childhood Changed Culture Essay

    1719 Words  | 4 Pages

    Television is something that is easily accessible for any child. I can agree with Postman when he stated that the transformation of childhood was when literacy disappeared, education disappeared, shame disappeared and essentially childhood disappeared. Though, he predicted all of this in the 90’s, I see it happening every day. The culture of our current generation of children has completely changed from when I was a child and the young are more tech-savvy than generations before (Postman, 1994).

    Read More

  • Should Children Watch Television?

    944 Words  | 2 Pages

    In United States, “Children watch 4 hours of television every day, 28 hours a week and, sometimes, 10 hours on Saturdays and Sundays. Before their 18th birthday, children may view 25,000 hours of television” (Ni Chang 85). Nowadays, technology has been developed and used in many different ways. Many children spend large amount of time on IPad, smart phone, and computer. Clearly, television has played an important role in most of the younger age group’s life. As a parent, one of the biggest concerns about the influence that television has on the children is that they tend to become aggressive while they watch a lot of violent program. Communicating and engaging with one and other is limited because television has destroyed communication among family and removed children from the social interaction. Moreover, watching a lot of TV also contributes child obesity. Overall, television is harmful for children in their early development because it is not only going to delay their brain development, but also increase their aggressive behavior, and cause child obesity in a long term period.

    Read More

More about The End of Play

Open Document