How does reality TV come across to kids?

I remember when the show Supernanny had just started. We watched a couple of episodes, and it didn't bother us if the kids were running around and happened to stay and watch a little of the show. We would just talk to them about any bad behavior they saw from the kids on TV, and since the behavior was cast in an unpleasant light, it almost seemed like our kids would try to act better just to show they weren't like the kids being naughty on TV.

We never got into the show Jon and Kate Plus 8, but it's hard to miss the updates all over TV and the Internet now that the couple is reportedly breaking up. Many of the blogs and articles wonder, and rightfully so, how the divorce and life in the spotlight will affect the Gosselin children. But, I also wonder how the show will affect viewing kids. Many families have followed the show together. Are the Gosselin's intimate family problems too much for viewing kids to take, or does the show offer an opportunity for productive family discussions?

What about kids who have suffered through their own parents' divorce? Is it devastating or enlightening to watch the TV family and view firsthand the parents' struggles in raising their kids together?

Reality TV is definitely a genre that has positives and negatives. The messages conveyed in reality series carry a different kind of weight, since what is being portrayed is supposedly "real life" or "true." The perspective means that we may need to be even more diligent in making an informed decision whether or not to let kids watch, and in discussing the issues the show brings out as a family in order to ensure kids get the right message. I know I've said this before, but it is so true, we never know what assumptions our kids are making about the world when they see things on TV. The situations being portrayed may seem so obvious and logical to us, but kids can come to some pretty interesting conclusions at times. Even reality TV shows can be turned into a positive experience, though, if a good family discussion ensues.