Dear Olumuyiwa

Children also learn through simulation.

So, after watching TV, the children start copying  the character who is their favorite one.

And not only they stop unto this, but further they also imaging the character within themselves and responding in such way in day to day life's activities.

It is a very natural things in general for all children. When it comes to risk taking behaviors , it becomes a matters of concerns also.

Many research article is published related to these risk taking concepts. So, for further details consult good literature.

Thanks

I'd add to you question a bit of context: mass communications are no longer understood as a one-way street, so than an inquiry about the subject should not be about the children, but about the circumstances that may lead to that kind of perceived influence. So much so, that just for the sake of argument, Umberto Eco once wrote an article titled "Do children harm TV?".

This is an interesting and complex question. How, exactly, children respond may be tied to their sense of identity. I humbly submit to you a study I published a few years ago, exploring gender identity and advertising: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/294764755_Creating_Gender_Expectations_Through_Children%27s_Advertising

It is not simply that a character may be their 'favorite' , but that there is an expected bias in their 'choice' of favorite, and a culturally-acceptable amount of risk-taking behavior involved in this choice.

My colleague and I looked at gender-bias, but many different aspects of identity are most likely involved.

Chapter Creating Gender Expectations Through Children's Advertising.