Let’s Talk
A monthly column for parents and educators.
Turning Off the Tube
Summary: Television viewing contributes to a lack of creativity and can impact social interaction development in children; experts recommend limiting viewing.
Many children spend more time glued to the television screen than they do in school. According to some estimates, the average child watches TV up to six hours a day.
The Child Development Institute warns of the dangers of too much tube time. According to the Institute, “Research has shown that as the amount of time spent watching TV goes up, the amount of time devoted not only to homework and study but other important aspects of life such as social development and physical activities decreases.” However, the Institute also recognizes that television is here to stay, so it’s important that parents become more active in regulating their children’s viewing habits.
One way to start is to participate in TV Turnoff Week, April 24-30, 2006.
The TV-Turnoff Network, a national nonprofit organization, is urging parents to reach for the remote, click off the set, and “turn on life” during that week. The Washington, D.C.-based group suggests filling the void with healthier and more creative options. If you’re stuck for ideas, the TV-Turnoff Network’s Web site (www.tvturnoff.org) lists a host of “screen-free” activities—from looking at clouds to starting a journal to playing freeze tag.
TV Turnoff Week can be used as the first step in making television less prominent in your family’s life year-round. You might want to TV-proof your home by moving the television to a less prominent place in the home, taking the TV out of your child’s room, keeping the television off during dinner, and listening to the radio or music rather than relying on television to provide background noise.
Limiting viewing time is also recommended. The American Academy of Pediatrics says children younger than two years old shouldn’t watch any television. For older kids, they suggest no more than one to two hours a day of “quality” programming. Helping your children become critical viewers is also important. You can do that by playing games like “spot the commercials”—something that can be difficult to do in children’s programs where TV characters also promote products. One game for older youngsters is to do taste tests comparing heavily advertised items with generic brands: Do they really live up to the commercial’s claims?
“Parents need to talk to their kids about what’s shown on TV and how it relates to their family’s ideas and values,” says Lena Ko, an advisor in the Child and Family Program at the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. “Parents also need to have an understanding of the effects of television and realize that after a certain amount of viewing, any informational or recreational benefits of television go way down.”
Ko goes on to say, “Television viewing will actually contribute to a lack of creativity and can impact social interaction development. Once parents take that into consideration, they can make a judgment on how much TV is good for their child, decide what kinds of program she can watch, and make a timetable for viewing.”
This column by Rhonda Barton is provided as a public service by the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, a nonprofit institution working with schools and communities in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington.
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