Children and Television

Children and Television
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Children and Television It is proven that children who watch television shows such as SpongeBob Squarepants score an average of twelve points lower on their I.Q. tests. Study suggests that watching just nine minutes of programs such as those can cause short-term attention and learning problems in four-year-olds (Fox News, 2011). Parents have become accustom to convenience and the sheer quickness of everything. The TV becomes a cheap and easy babysitter. Television becomes the one thing that parents probably would not know what to do with their children if it happened to go out. Parents want to spend time with their children while watching their shows, so they let the children watch programs they should not. Television has become a teacher to young children, and whatever they see and hear becomes something that they believe they can do. While it is easy to put children in front of the TV, inappropriate content and too much time spent watching TV can hinder their learning abilities. Society has become too rushed these days. Everyone is always on the go and barely has enough time to sit down as a family and enjoy each other’s company. There is always something going on or somewhere to be. Because of the constant hustle and bustle, parents are putting their children in front of the TV so that they can get their tasks finished easier. In some instances it is good to have that option to use, especially when you have small children. Some TV shows are better than others in that they are educational, and they teach your children rather than lower their IQ. SpongeBob is an example of an un-educational program. It is just a television program that is for entertainment purposes only. There are many pre-teen television shows becoming more popular as time goes on. Children are watching these shows more than cartoons any more. These shows focus on showing children how fun life can be. It also shows them how to improvise and how to solve problems, which can be an asset in the future. Parents are allowing their children to watch more inappropriate content in today’s times. Part of the reason that more children are watching those shows today is because television has become more lenient with their ratings. What used to only be on after nine p.m., when children should be in bed, now comes on at six and seven. Most of the shows watched now have at least one curse word and have many sexual references. Censorship is almost nonexistent. It seems that more programs are geared toward adults and few are suitable for children to watch. Children almost need to be limited to one channel and that would be the Disney Channel. The Disney Channel is one of the few that stick to a certain format concerning children’s shows. With the way that the world is changing today, it is hard to find an adequate television show for children and pre-teens. The younger children want to watch more adult shows because that is all they see. In most of the newer television sets, there is this device called a V-chip. The purpose of the V-chip is to limit the types of shows that you want your children to watch when you cannot be around. With the V-chip, certain programs with the television ratings not suitable for young children are able to be blocked with a password. It can be tricky at times though, because all children want to do is watch television shows geared more for older children. With today’s ratings, something that is rated TV-PG may be too boring for some children, yet the next rating is TV-14 and that will be too risqué for most children. Also, some television programs have low ratings, such as the news broadcasts, that can be unsuitable for children because of the random acts of violence that happen in the world today. Most television shows need to be monitored closely before allowing children to view them. According to Aacap.org (2011), “Children in the United States watch an average of four to six hours of television a day.” Time spent watching television takes away from important activities such as reading books, schoolwork, playing, and social development. Children have become accustom to coming home and flipping on the television. There are very few children who go outside to play, or use their imagination and play together inside, rather than sitting in front of the television, transfixed on what is being played. Most families let their children come home and watch TV, versus doing something that stimulates their brain. It has almost become a habit for most children. Depending on what they are watching, they also think that they can say and do whatever it is that they just seen on TV. Children feel as though they can mimic what is going on. It has to be true, because they are seeing it with their own eyes. They do not have the knowledge that we do concerning the difference between realities and make believe. Many different shows and movies are all about violence, sex, and obscene language. Young children are very impressionable. They assume that what they see on TV is normal and acceptable behavior. It is very important to monitor what your children are watching. Exercise is something that has been neglected by parents and children. Parents forget that their children need time to get out and have some physical activity. Children that sit in front of the TV for so many hours tend to have lower grades in school, read fewer books, and exercise less. In the 1980s and years before, children wanted to be outside. They wanted to explore and use their minds. Programs in those years were not as interesting as they are now. Now, you have the capability of watching anything you want on demand. Smart televisions are very popular right now. With smart TV’s, you can pull up different apps and load them onto your TV so that you would not need to go anywhere to even rent a movie. TV has gotten to where it can destroy some families and make them distance themselves from each other. In some households, the television replaces family game night. Instead of getting the whole family at the dinner table to discuss the day or any other topic they can think of, sitting in front of the television to eat and not talk seems to be the choice for most families. If that is all you do (watch television), then you will lose your sense of social skills. Social skills are mandatory in the world today. It seems like the world today is mostly made up of technology; almost as if you do not need social skills to succeed. There are computers that can do almost everything for you. Having social skills is what could set you apart from everyone else. It is very important for children to communicate well in the real world. Many parents are cutting back on extracurricular activities because of the cost and the time it takes to enter them. There always tends to be an excuse for everything. We can let them be just that; excuses, or we can move on and own up to it. There are many elements that can be put in place to limit the amount of television, as well as the content, that children are watching. Limiting the amount of television being watched is a good start. The key to enforcing this one though, is to limit the parents’ intake also. Start with one night a week where there is no television watched in the house. It is surprising, when realized, how much television is not a necessity. Another grand idea is to watch television together, in moderation. Of course, it should be programming that is suitable for the children. Game shows are great to watch with the family. It keeps the whole family in suspense, along with interacting with each other. By having children watch public television, you are setting them up for success. Public television is one of the few broadcast companies that do not have anything on their stations except programming that is suitable for young children. Some families categorize watching television all night, every night as quality, family time, but there is no interaction between the families. Children need to be challenged as well as receive positive reinforcement from parents to be individuals. Too many children today are becoming dependent on television. When a child is bored, they immediately go to the TV. It has even gotten to where they turn to the television out of habit; like it is something that they need in order to get through the day. Parents should promote physical exercise with their children so that they do not become lazy or dependent on the TV. While television seems like an excellent form of media that can provide endless entertainment for children, it needs to be limited so that they can develop properly.

References

http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/facts_for_families/children_and_watching

http://children.webmd.com/news/20110414/most-young-kids-dont-get-enough-exercise?page=2

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/09/12/watching-spongebob-can-lead-to-learning-problems/

References: http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/facts_for_families/children_and_watching http://children.webmd.com/news/20110414/most-young-kids-dont-get-enough-exercise?page=2 http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/09/12/watching-spongebob-can-lead-to-learning-problems/