When most television programs feature people of a particular ethnicity, or portray certain ethnic groups in a consistently distorted manner, children acquire stereotypes and misinformation about racial and ethnic groups different from their own. In that same survey, children from groups who are under-represented on television, such as Asians and Latinos, talked about their feelings of being left out, or ignored by society. Television's unrepresentative view of the world is damaging to all children. It s not good for white children to be taught a sense of superiority based on race. Nor is it good for minority children to be inadvertently taught that their ethnic group is inferior or overlooked by the rest of society.
TV does have the capacity to debunk racial and ethnic bias.
Studies show tangible benefits to exposing children, even preschoolers, to programs that feature positive interracial and inter-ethnic relationships. Children watching such programs increase their capacity to cooperate, and develop more positive attitudes about racial and ethnic groups.