Television: Friend Or Foe?
The view from our TV screens today is different than it was in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s when the phenomenon of television was in its infancy. Back then; television was not on twenty-four hours a day and the almighty advertising dollar did not rule which, when, how, why and what shows were presented.
The word “censorship” came into play as new ideas and world events entered our living rooms and our consciousness. Without realizing it, television became influential is shaping the behaviours, values and ideas of generations of viewers.
The programs broadcast in the twenty-first century offer a myriad of choices, ranging from adult (i.e. sex and violence) programs to family entertainment and everything in between. The problem is that TV, while offering some excellent programs, can also be a great time waster that stops families from focusing on family values like spending time together and communicating. It can also contribute to isolating family members from each other, friends and community. The other issue involves the not so good programs that expose our children to a culture of violence and sex. Blatant images of brutality are so commonplace on TV that they often lose their shock value and for some children provide a model of inappropriate behaviour. Children who identify with violent characters or their victims can develop a warped sense of right and wrong. Exposure to explicit or implied sexual content on TV may have the affect of not just tantalizing a young audience, but also creating confusion, misunderstanding and apprehension for children.
The following points discuss both how to protect your family from the negative aspects of television (i.e. violence, sex and promotional and commercial advertisements) and some of the advantages of television.
- Be proactive in your approach to setting limits for television viewing. Peruse your viewing guide together and select programs as a family that you deem worthwhile to watch. Then videotape your selection and have your children view them on your terms. This allows you to not only control what they are watching but the time they spend in front of the TV. In addition, this method of television pre-selection allows you to fast forward over commercial and promotional breaks that are often inappropriate viewing for children.
- Aside from quality younger children’s programs like “Playschool” and “Sesame Street”, consider programs on science, history, cooking, travel, antiques, the arts and of course sport. This variety of program type exposes your children to a wealth of subject matter. Utilize this diversity via discussion, library visits, travel and museum excursions to enhance your family's general awareness and understanding.
- If you are not always able to pre-select appropriate programs, make sure you keep abreast of what your children are watching and watch with them often. Watching television programs with your children allows you to not only provide explanations when needed, but gives you the opportunity to be with them when their curiosity is peaked. Excellent nature shows are regularly presented on television, and the television can act as a “stimulus” to promote discussion, analysis and even possibly community or environmental action.
- It is important to remember that as children get older it is very difficult to completely deny them something. If television is not allowed in your home, they will seek it elsewhere. Therefore giving children some limited autonomy and responsibility over their watching of television will hopefully satisfy their desire for television whilst ensuring it does not dominate their day. For example, let them choose an approved show to watch; television goes on at start, and then is turned off at the end. It should not remain on indefinitely, providing background noise and the opportunity for global, continuous watching.
- There can be some important social benefits of watching television. For example, worldwide sporting events such as the current FIFA world cup are discussed at school by children and in our school, sports teams have been formed based on the international teams. It is important that children are aware of such worldwide events, and therefore have the opportunity to contribute to discussions about them.
- The key issue is to remember that television should form one small part of the tapestry that makes up a child’s day of activities. Watching television for extended periods can mean that a child has less opportunity to develop in numerous other ways. Television is not and never will be a substitute for a child’s imaginative play; it is not a substitute for the reading of books; it is not a substitute for outside play – rolling, tumbling and climbing; it is not a substitute for one-on-one time spent together between parent and child. Very young children (less then twelve months) should not be exposed to background television noise, as they learn to “block out” the noise, and in so doing also tend to “block out” their mothers voice which provides their earliest opportunity for learning.
In summary, the television is not a cheap form of babysitting. If properly managed, it can have social and educational benefits. If global, continuous watching is allowed it can lead to social and behavioural problems in older children and developmental delays in younger children. Television can be both a friend or a foe. Let’s ensure that for our children it is only a friend.
Written by The Editorial Team at parentbytes.com
Copyright for this article belongs to parentbytes.com
