Television and Schooling: Displacement and Distraction Hypotheses

Television is often accused of undermining children's academic achievement. This paper investigates two explanations which frequently accompany such a claim. The displacement hypothesis predicts that the time children spend with television is taken from activities that are more beneficial to school performance. The distraction hypothesis suggests that children's cumulative exposure to the structure of television—its pace, format, etc.–engenders an intolerance for the pace of schooling. A review of research on television viewing, time displacement, and academic performance fails to find any support for the displacement hypothesis. A review of studies relevant to the distraction hypothesis, however, uncovers mixed findings. This paper presents analyses of data gathered from school children in South Africa.