Your final task is to write an opinion text about how parents can shape the way TV affects their
kids.
Activities A and B will provide you with input for Activity C.
Part I - ACTIVITY A
1- Complete the text below, using the words/expressions in the box. Do not use the
same word/expression more than once. Four of them do not apply. Write only the
numbers and the words.
Collect It!
Most kids plug into the world of television long before they
enter school. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF):
two-thirds of infants and toddlers watch a screen an average of
2 hours a day; kids under age 6 watch an average of about 2
hours of ...1... a day, primarily TV and videos or DVDs; kids
and teens 8 to 18 years spend nearly 4 hours a day in front of
a TV screen and almost 2 additional hours on the computer
(outside of schoolwork) and playing ...2....
The American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) recommends that
kids under 2 years old not to watch any TV and that those
older than 2 to watch no more than 1 to 2 hours a day of
...3....
The first 2 years of life are considered a critical time for brain
development. TV and other ...4... can get in the way of
exploring, playing, and interacting with parents and others,
which encourages learning and healthy physical and social
development. As kids get older, too much ...5... can interfere
with activities such as being physically active, reading, doing
homework, playing with friends, and spending time with family.
Of course, TV in moderation can be a good thing: Preschoolers can get help learning the alphabet on public
television, grade schoolers can learn about wildlife on nature shows, and parents can keep up with current events
on the ...6.... No doubt about it — TV can be an excellent educator and ...7.... But despite its advantages, too
much television can be detrimental: Children who consistently spend more than 4 hours per day ...8... are more
likely to be overweight; Kids who view violent acts are more likely to show aggressive behaviour but also fear
that the world is scary and that something bad will happen to them; ...9... often depict risky behaviours, such as
smoking and drinking, and also reinforce gender-role and racial stereotypes.
Children's advocates are divided when it comes to solutions. Although many urge for more hours per week of
educational programming, others assert that zero TV is the best solution. And some say it's better for parents to
control the use of TV and to teach kids that it's for occasional ...10..., not for constant escapism. That's why it's
so important for you ...11... the content of TV programming and set ...12... to ensure that your kids don't spend
too much time parked in front of the TV. http://www.education.com, October 2011
2-Fill in the gaps with the right degree of comparison.
to feel ... (good) about their own lives, and reality TV offers up a lot of characters whose lives are far ... (bad) than o
saw the ... (outstanding) documentary about the negative effects of reality TV.
e how much ... (big), ... (loud), and ...(crazy) characters we can get for these shows.
programmes are ... (fascinating) for both teens and children than reality TV.
atch too much TV are more likely to get ... (low) grades in school.
handle ... (serious) programmes than younger kids can.
on Big Brother was ... (disgusting) as any other reality show.
3-Match the words/expressions in bold in column A with their corresponding meaning in
column B. One of the meanings does not apply.
Column A Column B
1- These days, America tunes in to watch eligible bachelors. a) discover
2- ... many preteens and teens are unaware that these programs have producers b) result
who work hard to make the shows appealing. c) adjusts
d) confirm
3- ... there are writers hired to figure out the best outcome from an
e) diversion
entertainment standpoint ...
f) enjoy
4- “Anecdotally I would say ‘yes,’ but I don’t have any research to back that up,” g) attractive
ACTIVITY B – Read the text carefully
It’s been 17 years since The Real World hit the small screen, and ever since then, reality TV has all but taken
over night time programming. These days, America tunes in to watch eligible bachelors, budding models,
singers, dancers—even budding skinny people. Many of us even know someone who has had 15 minutes of
fame.
How does all this reality television affect our kids? The bottom line is: They think it’s real. According to Maria
Ivancin, Assistant Professor of Communications at American University, many preteens and teens are unaware
that these programs have producers who work hard to make the shows appealing. “Even though the shows
aren’t scripted, there are writers hired to figure out the best outcome from an entertainment standpoint,”
Ivancin says. “Many adolescents and teens don’t really get that.”
The title of the genre —“reality TV”— holds weight and legitimacy for adolescents and teens, and according to
Ivancin, they are more likely than adults to accept the reality at face value. Ivancin, who co-authored a
discussion paper for the Kaiser Foundation titled “The ‘Reality’ of Health: Reality Television and the Public
Health,” says reality TV can have very real health implications: “Even shows that aren’t related to health —like
Survivor— put people into situations that are controlled on the set, but kids don’t understand that.”
The risk? People try to mimic the behaviours without having the controls. Dr. Rocio Rivadeneyra, Assistant
Professor of Psychology at Illinois State University, agrees that reality shows are important to pay attention to
because of their behavioural influences. “Preteens and teens watch these shows and believe this is how they
are supposed to behave,” Rivadeneyra says. “By watching The Bachelor, we understand that if you want to
treat a woman right you give her a rose.” Content analysis of these shows has found that sex is portrayed as a
competition. “We have to compete with people for other people’s affection,” Rivadeneyra explains. “This gets
played out in these reality shows — the person is dating multiple partners at once and engaging in sexual
behaviours with more than one person.”
Little research has been completed looking at the effects of reality television on teens, but Rivadeneyra says
we already know a lot about the role of media and how it influences young people: “What we know is that
children and teens are more likely to take away messages and have their viewpoints influenced by television
when they aren’t getting their information from elsewhere.” Rivadeneyra says this is one of the concerns
about the sexual messages on reality TV shows. Many parents aren’t talking about sex with their adolescents
and teens due to embarrassment, but by not talking about it, parents are essentially saying that they’re okay
with the messages their kids are getting from the programs. There is plenty of negative discussion about
reality television, and television in general, and its influences and effects on people, but many of us wonder if
there’s a broader, more positive side. Can we get anything good from these shows, beyond entertainment?
Can American Idol, for instance, inspire teens to reach for their dreams? Can reality TV positively influence
teen’s behaviour and their life decisions? “Anecdotally I would say ‘yes,’ but I don’t have any research to back
that up,” Rivadeneyra says. “I remember watching Growing Pains as a teenager and thinking ‘Oh, a
psychologist. That looks cool.’ I do think television can give you at least a televised presentation of different
roles and jobs.”
“Television is appealing. And if you can use that to help teach your child about something, that’s pretty
powerful,” Rivadeneyra says. “With reality TV, we can teach our kids to think critically about what they’re
watching. What’s real about the shows and what’s not. It’s important for them to have media literacy.”...
, August 2012
Page 2 of 3
1-Identify, in the text, 3 different ways reality TV can affect preteens and teens.
2- What do the underlined words refer to in the text?
a) who b) their c) they d) it e) I f) them
3- Find evidence in the text for the following statements.
a) The first reality TV programme appeared two decades ago.
b) Teenagers aren’t able to distinguish what they watch on TV from real life.
c) People imitate the attitudes of the characters of reality TV programmes.
d) Kids form their opinions according to what they see on TV.
e) Researchers have found some negative influences of TV on people.
f) Rivadeneyra believes kids can learn some things with TV.
Part I I - ACTIVITY C
V affects their kids by setting limits on how much they watch and what they watch, by talking to them, and
bout 150 words commenting the above statement.
politicalfun:blogspot.com
trueslant.com
Page 3 of 3
