The Facts On Children And Television
Should Your Kids Be Watching TV?
Most parents feel a little guilty about propping their children in front of the television and letting quiet descend on the house. It is the guilt that they are somehow doing their children harm by turning on the dreaded box.
As with most things, television can be helpful or harmful and the difference comes down to a variety of factors such as, the child’s age and personality, as well as program content and absolute time spent in front of the TV.
The influence of television varies greatly across different age groups and demographics and so guidelines for TV viewing should continue to evolve as children grow.
The Figures
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) report that the average US child watches approximately 4 hours of TV per day, despite their recommendation that children over 2 should watch no more than 1-2 hours per day. The AAP recommend that children under 2 years should watch no television as it may interfere with the exploration and interaction required during this time of rapid brain development.
In 2000 Annenberg Public Policy Center found that 57% of US children ages 8-16 years had a TV in their bedroom, and this incidence is certain to have grown in the years since.
Violence
It is estimated that a US child will witness 200,000 acts on violence on TV by age 18. These take the form of cartoons, crime shows and increasingly via current affairs programming. The influence of television violence on children has become a hot topic for debate in recent years with hundreds of studies on the subject reaching varying conclusions. Establishing a direct cause / effect is difficult as some children are more vulnerable to violent images than others.
What is clear is that preschool children are far more likely to exhibit aggressive behaviour after witnessing violent TV. Importantly, kids this young are unable to distinguish between fantasy and reality and therefore cartoon violence can be as detrimental as adult - based violent content. Further, cartoon violence is often portrayed as humorous or as having no consequences to the victim.
Children aged 2-7 years are particularly disturbed by scary images such as grotesque monsters and cannot be comforted by simply telling them that the images are not real.
Older children are better able to distinguish between reality and fantasy and are more disturbed by the threat of violence in current affairs and news coverage. This can lead to an increased fear of the ‘mean world’ and anxiety regarding the welfare of their friends and family. Constant exposure to violent images can also desensitize children to real life aggression.
As children age, they can be reasoned with and reassured by discussion of what they have seen and any anxieties they may have.
Ethnic and gender stereotypes
A 1996 Children Now Survey found that children want to see people like themselves on television and that those from ethnic minorities feel left out and have lower self-esteem if that is not the case.
Many shows feature characters which re-enforce ethnic and gender stereotypes and can act as powerful role-models in influencing children’s behavior.
Sexual Themes
While it is true that television can be educational, it is also true that sexual issues are rarely dealt with by TV programming in a responsible and meaningful manner. In addition, sexual behavior is often linked to other risk-taking behaviors such as alcohol-drinking and there are rarely discussions about consequences.
A 2001 Kaiser Family Foundation study ‘Sex On TV’ found that 75% of primetime programs contained sexual references with sitcoms being the most prominent of these. In particular, only 17% of shows portraying teens in sexual situations had any safe sex messages written into the scenes.
It has been suggested that teens who watch a lot of sexual content on TV are more likely to initiate intercourse or participate in other sexual activities earlier than peers who don't watch sexually explicit shows.
Developmental impact
Television can impact on childhood development in a number of ways, primarily by taking time away from other activities needed for mental, physical and social development.
One of the commonest parental battles is over television and homework and according to the Canadian Paediatric Society, as little as 1-2 hours of TV per day can detract from academic performance.
The alarming rate of childhood obesity has been linked, in part, to children’s viewing habits, both in terms of promoting a sedentary lifestyle and from the relentless marketing of junk food to children through television advertising.
Benefits
Letting your children watch television should prompt feelings of responsibility from parents rather than guilt. TV can be used as a tool of entertainment and education and can expose a child to an entire world of experiences and cultures far outside their own. It can also promote family togetherness and discussion and can be used as a catalyst to promote reading and activity.
By using a few simple guidelines parents can transform television from a passive babysitter into a valuable part of family life.
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