Television Viewing and Perception of Social Relations by Nigerian Children
Keywords:
Television, media violence, perception, social relations: childrenAbstract
Several research studies have confirmed the high level of exposure of children to electronic media, particularly, television. In Nigeria, the influence of exposure to violent television messages on children's perception of social relations has not been adequately addressed. The key research (question is: What is the relationship between exposure to television violence and children's perception of social relations? Using George Gerbner's Cultivation theory (of heavy viewers) as the theoretical framework, 500 pupils from 10 schools in 5 Local Government Areas in Lagos, Nigeria were studied. The multi-stage sampling technique was adopted. The survey results showed that 97% of those sampled are highly exposed to electronic media, and that females account for a greater proportion (55%) of the children exposed to electronic Media Violence (EMV) than males (45%). Few respondents 29%) watch television for 4 hours a day while (71%) watch for less than 4 hours a day. This means that only a few of the respondents are heavy viewers, 'the majority (58%) of EMV consumers watch television for between one and three days a week. This is a significant shift from Gerbner's "cultivation theory as it showed that Nigerian children who watch television for less than 4 hours a day equally consume a lot of EMV which influences their habits and understanding of social reality in the Nigerian context. Lather, the socio-economic condition of the children was found to be a predictor of the perception of social relations in the study population. The study recommends that further studies should address youths' restiveness and their increasing negative perception of social relations, paying particular attention to females. It also recommends that the government as well as media operators should initiate mass media campaigns to educate the citizenry on the negative effects of excessive exposure of children to violent electronic media products.
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