Television and the adolescent viewer

Abstract

Television occupies a large part of our time from childhood to adolescence, and to adulthood. It is seen as a means of entertainment and education offering current information and also knowledge about the world. It also presents other images which can be considered inappropriate for the adolescent viewer. This has prompted my research to explore the effects of TV and their possible implications on young viewers. The study considers a section of Maltese post-secondary students and tries to establish any patterns of television viewing among adolescents, their programme preferences, motivation to watch television and how programmes might effect youth in their everyday decisions. It also explores character identification between the viewer and the television characters portrayed and what possible effects this has on the viewer; it also touches on sexuality as portrayed on television programmes and its possible effects on adolescents. The information for this survey was gathered by way of a questionnaire distributed among five post-secondary schools, followed by interviews with a selection of focus groups where the adolescents could express and discuss their views. The schools were represented by a private/church school, two government schools, a technical school and a health care school. Research results seem to indicate that adolescents spend less time watchmg television than what is commonly perceived. The questionnaire aims to give a broad indication on adolescents' programme preferences and their reasons for watching TV. The interviews seem to indicate that constant viewing eventually has an effect on adolescents' choices and decisions in everyday life. When asked whether television programmes portrayed life realistically or not, many said that they were uncertain.