Should children watch television? In the United States, “children watch television 4 hours a day, 28 hours a week, and sometimes 10 hours on Saturday and Sunday. Before their 18th birthday, children can watch 25,000 hours of television” (Ni Chang 85). Nowadays, technology has been developed and used in different ways. Many children spend a lot of time on their iPads, smartphones and computers. Obviously, television has played an important role in the lives of most young people. As a parent, one of the biggest concerns about the influence of television on children is that they tend to become aggressive when they watch a lot of violent shows. Communication and engagement with each other is limited because television has destroyed communication within the family and alienated children from social interaction. Additionally, watching a lot of television also contributes to childhood obesity. Overall, television is harmful to children during their early development because it will not only delay their brain development, but also increase their aggressive behavior and cause childhood obesity in the long term. First, children who normally watch television are more likely to have delayed brain development. For example, by constantly watching TV, children will lack natural exploration skills, such as language, learning, and attention development. According to Mary L. Courage, a research professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland, "exposure to the abnormally rapid rate of sound and image changes in video material during this sensitive period could alter synaptic connections in the neural networks underlying attention and shorten attention span. attention span of the infant” (73). Basically, she says many children started...... middle of paper ......rks Quoted Ni Chang, Mary. “Reasoning with Children About Violent Television Shows and Associated Toys.” Journal of Early Childhood Education 28.2 (2000): 85-89. Premier Academic Research. Internet. February 13, 2014. Al-Ghamdi, Sameer H. “The association between television watching and obesity among school-aged children in Saudi Arabia.” Journal of Family and Community Medicine 20.2 (2013): 83-89. Premier Academic Research. Internet. February 13, 2014. Burke, Mary G. “The Influence of Television and Visual Electronic Media on Brain Development.” » Brown University Child and Adolescent Behavior Letter 19.7 (2003): 1. Academic Search Premier. Internet. February 13, 2014. Courage, Mary L. “Discussing the Impact of Television and Video Materials on Very Young Children: Attention, Learning, and Brain Development.” “Child Development Perspectives 3.1 (2009): 72-78. Academic Search Premier. Web. February 13.. 2014.