A study from the National Communications Commission (NCC) shows that while most parents in Taiwan would like their children to watch more news and educational TV programs, school-age children prefer watching television dramas featuring popular teen idols.
The nation’s media regulator last year commissioned a research institute to examine the influence of TV programs and commercials on the behavior of children aged four to 12. The results, which were released earlier this month, showed that more than 60 percent of children aged 10 to 12 said TV influenced them more than anything else.
The children also said that TV helped them to improve their language skills, gain new knowledge and learn about interpersonal relations.
Ranked in order of popularity, their favorite TV programs were Office Girls (小資女孩向前衝), Rookies’ Diary (新兵日記), daily news programs, Family Harmony (家和萬事興), In Time with You (我可能不會愛你) and Independent Heroes (廉政英雄).
Most of these shows are romantic dramas or TV series.
Asked why they liked watching these programs, responses ranged from “the actors are funny” and “the main characters are handsome or beautiful” to “the dialogue is hilarious” or “the plots are interesting or touching.” However, the study found clear discrepancies between the preference of parents and children.
When parents were asked to name the TV programs they would rather their children watched, the responses in order of popularity were shows on the Discovery Channel, All Pass (百萬小學堂) and other game shows, Animal Planet, National Geographic and news programs.
In the study, about 6 percent of children aged 10 to 12 said their parents often talked to them about what they should watch on TV; about 31 percent reported that their parents only occasionally discussed TV with them; approximately 42 percent responded that they seldom talked to their parents about TV programs, and nearly 21 percent said they never did.
Meanwhile, a large percentage of the children in this age group said they spent “more than four hours” or “between two and two-and-a-half hours” a day watching TV during the holidays. The programs they watched were mainly aired between 4pm and 10pm.
While 66 percent of parents said they knew and were clear about the TV rating system, about 30 percent said they were not clear about the system and less than 4 percent said that they were unaware of the system.
In view of the influence TV programs can have on children, the NCC said that it plans to review the current TV rating system and is considering a quality-based labeling system for children’s and teenager’s programs.
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