Television is a significant influence on the modern child.
Watching TV started out as a pastime, something to do when one is tired and work is done. But today, watching TV has almost become a basic need. The number of channels available to children today is stimulation hard to replicate; making children easily bored unless they’re slumped in front of the tube. More so, kids may feel excluded in conversations with peers unless they’re up to date on the latest programs.
The following are numbers from the Kaiser Family Foundation’s 2006 research on media use:
1 out of 3 children under 6 years old have TVs in their bedroom.
On the average, 61% of babies watch TVs and videos everyday.
Those 18 years old and below spend more time (44.5 hours per week) in front of computer, television, and game screens than in any other activity in their lives except sleeping. (Note: 44.5 hours is more than the average workweek!)
These numbers are staggering! They also point to the alarming amount of information from TV that goes to our kids’ minds. As parents, we have the responsibility of making sure our children only watch good, quality television shows.
The following are some guidelines parents can refer to when choosing TV shows for their kids:
Screen for values communicated.
Just because a show is marketed as child-friendly, doesn’t mean that it is. In fact, the lack of government control on cable networks practically gives license for producers to air content not applicable for young minds!
Findings released by the National Television Violence Study found that children’s TV programs show up to 30 violent acts per hour. Researchers Coyne and Whitehead report that Disney films portray indirect aggression almost 10 times per hour. Adult content are also being presented today in child-friendly format; for instance there are cartoons, clay animation and puppet shows that discuss or portray sexually-explicit conte
Pick educational shows geared for your child’s developmental stage.
Many undesirable ideas are presented on TV everyday, but this doesn’t mean that TV per se is bad for our kids. In fact, TV is an excellent medium to spur our kids’ learning and development. Kids learn best if teaching is a multi-sensory experience; and the combination of visual and auditory stimulation make TV shows engaging to young learners.
Many educational shows are designed by professional educators and learning psychologists. They can effectively teach your young child the basics: the alphabet, counting, basic colors; and older children math operations, scientific processes, grammar and sentence syntax. There are many educational shows today that are even geared for older audiences.
It’s important then for parents to know what shows their kids are watching, and guide them regarding the values communicated by the shows they watch. Always make TV watching an opportunity to take an active role in your child’s formation.
If parents can prevent children from watching questionable TV programs, better. Parents may pre-screen shows, and allow kids to watch only shows they approve. Parents can also install a monitoring device to their TV, one that automatically blocks inappropriate content and/or warns parents if inappropriate TV shows are being watched.
