Children and Tv

Effects of Television on Children

Children are mainly exposed to television, television violence and television culture at home. Thus parents play a vital role in helping children to make sense of what they see on the television. These days television influences the lives of young children and it is only going to get worst with each passing year. It is very challenging for young children to make choices of what programs they should watch. Because of the lack of experience they need more help from adults. Pulling children away from television programs is a challenge. Children's media are designed to get attention and keep it.

Some Horrifying facts about media violence in children's lives:

• By the end of elementary school, the average child will have seen 8,000 murders and 100,000 other violent acts in the media.

• Children's cartoons and action programs average more than 20 acts of violence per hour, compared with 5 acts per hour during prime-time hours.

• The sale of Mighty Morphin Power Ranger products (based on the extremely violent TV show) surpassed $1 billion in 1994.

• More than $3 billion of products related to the Star Wars movie have been sold worldwide.

• In one survey, more than 90% of teachers thought the Power Rangers led to increased violence among the children they taught.

Some Action Ideas:

First of all as a parent, take charge. Develop guidelines for your child as to how much television she/he can watch. The less the television time the better it is. Since young children do not have the concept of time, deciding on the number of shows they can watch can be an option. Select programs that are designed to promote positive development and learning. Some experts suggest no more than an hour a day for young children. Experts have suggested a simple chart that parents can use with their children, for example:

________________________________________

Plan for TV viewing for ____________________________

Day of week Picture of Show #1 Picture of Show #2

_________ Time: Time:

_________ Time: Time:

________________________________________

Children as young as three years old can plan by drawing pictures of the show they plan to watch.

You can develop TV rules