Improving Your Child's TV Habits
At first glance, television may seem like
a good thing: children can get help learning the alphabet
on public television, grade school children can learn about
wildlife on nature shows, and parents can keep up with current
events on the evening news. No doubt about it - TV can be
a great educator and entertainer. But whatever its advantages,
too much television can have a downside.
Research has shown that children who consistently
spend more than 10 hours per week watching television are
more likely to be overweight, aggressive and slower to learn
in school.
Children who view violent episodes such
as a kidnapping or murder on the news, for example, also
are likely to believe that the world is scary and that something
bad will happen to them.
Research also indicates that TV consistently
reinforces gender-role and racial stereotypes. Most children
plug into the world of TV long before they enter school:
70 percent of day-care centers use TV during a typical day.
In a year, the average child spends 900 hours in school
and nearly 1,500 hours in front of a television.
Children should watch no more than one
or two hours of television programming a day and none prior
to two years of age according to guidelines from the American
Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). As a parent, you should monitor
the content of the TV programming and set viewing limits
to ensure your children don't spend time watching TV that
should be spent on other activities, such as playing with
friends, exercising and reading.
TV violence sometimes begs for imitation
because violence is demonstrated and promoted as a fun and
effective way to get what you want. Many violent acts are
perpetrated by the "good guys," whom children
have been taught to emulate. Adding to the lure of imitation
is TV's freedom from restraint. Children are taught that
it's not right to hit, but television says it's OK to bite,
hit or kick if you're the good guy. And even the "bad
guys" on TV are rarely held responsible or punished
for their actions.
The images children absorb also can leave
them traumatized and vulnerable. According to a recent study,
children ages 2 to 7 are particularly frightened by fantastic,
scary-looking things, such as grotesque monsters. Simply
telling children that those images aren't real won't console
them because they can't yet distinguish between fantasy
and reality.
Children ages 8 to 12 are frightened by
the threat of violence, natural disasters and the victimization
of children, whether those images appear in fiction or on
the news or reality-based shows. Reasoning with children
this age will help them, so parents should provide reassuring
and honest information to help ease their children's fears.
According to the AAP, there is a link between
excessive TV watching and obesity - a significant health
problem. Children are inactive and tend to snack while watching
TV, and they are bombarded with advertising messages that
encourage them to eat unhealthy foods, such as potato chips
and cookies and high-fat food, which often become preferred
snack foods.
Too much educational TV has the same indirect
effect on children's health. Even if children are watching
four hours of Sesame Street, they're not exercising, reading,
socializing or spending time outside.
Children's advocates are divided when it
comes to solutions. While many children's advocates urge
for more hours per week of educational programming, others
assert that no TV is the best solution. Finally, some say
it is better for parents to control the use of TV and to
teach children that TV is for occasional entertainment,
not for constant escapism.
It's important for parents to talk to their
kids about what they're seeing and share their own beliefs
and values. If something objectionable appears on the screen,
parents can ask their children, "Do you think it was
OK when they hit that guy? What else could they have done?
What would you have done?"
Parents can limit the number of hours their
children spend watching TV by moving the set from the most
prominent room in the house to a side room and by keeping
TVs out of bedrooms and turned off during meals. TV could
also be treated as a privilege that children need to earn,
not a right to which they are entitled.
Parents should also check the TV listings
ahead of time for programs that the family can watch together
- developmentally appropriate and nonviolent programs that
reinforce family values, appropriate language and social
skills. Try watching TV only when there is a specific program
you want to watch instead of channel surfing until something
gets your interest. As a parent, you should set a good example
by limiting your own television viewing.
The V-chip (V is for "violence")
is designed to enable you to block television programs and
movies you don't want your children to see. All new television
sets now should have internal V-chips, but set-top boxes
are available for older TVs.
An age-group rating system modeled after
the familiar movie ratings has been developed for TV programs.
For many, this may be a valuable guide. There is concern
that this new rating system may be worse than no system
at all: research shows that preteen and teen boys are more
likely to want to see a movie if it's rated R than if it's
rated PG. The rating system also does not satisfy some family
advocates who complain that they fail to give enough information
about a program's content to allow parents to make informed
decisions about whether a show is appropriate for their
child.
The Federal Communications Commission requires
that V-chips in new TVs recognize the TV Parental Guidelines
and the age-group rating system and block those programs
that do not adhere to these standards. Broadcast news, sports
and commercials - which aren't rated - were not addressed,
though they often present depictions of violence. So, it's
important for parents to preview shows to determine whether
they are appropriate for children.
Turning off the TV will allow you to spend
more quality time with your family and friends. Try some
of these activities for a change of pace:
• Play board games
• Read stories
• Bake cookies
• Go for a walk
• Start a family hobby
• Plant a garden
• Talk to each other
• Write a letter
• Learn how to knit
• Go ice skating
• Sing a song
• Go to the library
• Build a house of cards
© Copyright 1999 American Medical Association
All rights reserved.
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