<p>This study focuses on how the playing of children is being affected by watching TV, if it is being affected at all? Is TV consumption promoting or restraining the playing of children? Can children identify with a TV-character? The study was carried out at a school with children 6 to 8 years old. I have interviewed five children, two 6 year olds, one child of 7 and two children who are 8 years old. I recorded the interview so I could listen to it afterwards, and concentrate on the childrens body language during the interview. I observed children playing during the recess. I also gave questionnaires to the five children's parents. I wanted to know the parents opinion about the TV-habits of their children, but the questionnaires did not have any major effect on the study. I haved drawn on, and related my findings to older research, specially the work of the swedish media researcher Margareta Rönnberg.</p><p>Children's playing is a reflection of what they have experienced and what they've seen and heard both on TV and from people around them. Identity is something you have in yourself. It's who you are and how you will react in different situations. But the identity is not the same over your lifetime. It changes when you meet with new situations and encounter other people. My major conclusion is that children's playing get inspired from what they see. Children don´t only look on children's TV-shows, they look at many adult TV-shows as well, and their playing gets inspiration from it. They mix the things they found interesting on TV with things they have been through personally. Children can identify with characters from TV and recognize themselvs in them. The identification can be based on personality or on the outer likeness in special features as hair colour etc.</p>

This study focuses on how the playing of children is being affected by watching TV, if it is being affected at all? Is TV consumption promoting or restraining the playing of children? Can children identify with a TV-character? The study was carried out at a school with children 6 to 8 years old. I have interviewed five children, two 6 year olds, one child of 7 and two children who are 8 years old. I recorded the interview so I could listen to it afterwards, and concentrate on the childrens body language during the interview. I observed children playing during the recess. I also gave questionnaires to the five children's parents. I wanted to know the parents opinion about the TV-habits of their children, but the questionnaires did not have any major effect on the study. I haved drawn on, and related my findings to older research, specially the work of the swedish media researcher Margareta Rönnberg. Children's playing is a reflection of what they have experienced and what they've seen and heard both on TV and from people around them. Identity is something you have in yourself. It's who you are and how you will react in different situations. But the identity is not the same over your lifetime. It changes when you meet with new situations and encounter other people. My major conclusion is that children's playing get inspired from what they see. Children don´t only look on children's TV-shows, they look at many adult TV-shows as well, and their playing gets inspiration from it. They mix the things they found interesting on TV with things they have been through personally. Children can identify with characters from TV and recognize themselvs in them. The identification can be based on personality or on the outer likeness in special features as hair colour etc.