IMPACTS OF TELEVISION ON CHILDREN Television has become a significant social phenomenon in Pakistan. There is no doubt that television has a great influence on children from a very early age itself and it will affect children?s cognitive and social development. The role that Television plays in socializing children is very great. Television can be educational and beneficial, but their negative aspect, such as the amount of aggressive and violent activity it displays daily, is causing grave concern to parents and educators around the world, especially in Pakistan. Whether and how we will manage to control the harmful effects of television and harness its potential for the good of children is a subject of ongoing debate. Though not yet investigated empirically, TV viewing is, generally believed to generate social forces of undeniable influence in Pakistan. With more th scrap steel prices an 1.5 million sets in use and about seven hours of daily transmission, the number of viewers is now estimated to be over 12 million. These statistics may be modest by international standard but these are not insignificant in a country where’ the rate of literacy and per capita income are still very low. Children do not generally become consistent viewers until they are about 3 years old. Even then they do not watch the set constantly because their span of attention is very short. Os they get easily distracted. Now-a-days the working parents are so busy; they don?t have enough time spend with their kids. The mother has to do the cooking and look after the child simultaneously; there may not be servants also. So she switches on the TV and puts the child in front of it. Slowly it becomes addicted to the television. And the mother blames the child for regularly watching TV.
