Many of the millennials I know consider TV as their third parent. In an age of double income families and increasingly accessible technology, that reality is not hard to imagine. Most parents, tired from a day’s work at the office or juggling various tasks would gladly turn over control of their children to the television and get some rest from the hectic world of parenthood.
When my sister came over from Boston for a visit and a much needed vacation, our default solution for a hyperactive child was the television. More often than not, the Disney channel was the best solution. When we’re tired of playing games or questions, we’d plug her into the TV. Almost instantly the hyper-ness disappears and an intense amount of concentration will go into watching Mickey and Friends or the gift Dragon be his benevolent self around his friends.
A lot of kids are plugged in the same way before they start formal training in school. The Kaiser Family Foundation compiled years of research that states the following in its results.
Two thirds of the infant and toddler population watch an average of two hours of television, while kids under age 6 watch an average of 2 hours of screen media—and what this is talking about are primarily traditional television, videos and DVDs. It’s also safe to assume that the list also includes Youtube under the definition.
Children from age eight to age eighteen, watch around an average of four hours daily in front of the television and on top of that, spend two additional hours on the computer on extra-curricular activities.
Are these numbers healthy at all? According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, this isn’t healthy at all. The recommended average of hours for kids under age two is actually ZERO hours. And those three and upwards should only watch only up to one or two hours of quality programs.
The argument of not having your children watch any TV before they turn three is this: the first two years of their life is precious, a critical point in the development of their brains. TV is a construct that tends to make all sorts of rules in a child’s perspective, immersing them in a context whose values and rules may not agree with or in fact counter the values of the parents. TV and other media can conflict with the chances of building a relationship between child and parent in the form of play, exploration as well as interactions with others—the keystones for progressive physical and social development.
If a child spends too much time in front of the television they can end up lacking interest in physical activities, reading, doing homework, play, and time spent with family and friends. These are activities that ensure that the child and eventually the adult as he grows up is well adjusted in society. That’s the consequence of too much TV—it can actually hamper a person’s chances in life. It may be easy to just let the television take over every now and then, but with that thought in mind you have now the information to think twice on your actions.
Always remember that television is good when it is granted to children in moderation. Learning numbers or the alphabet is one activity that can be easily done using the TV. I remember a typing class I took in Grade School that incorporated the Mario game into the typing activity—to advance, one had to type correctly even though there was a piece of cardboard covering one’s hands. I hated typing but since I wanted Mario to jump on blocks and burn enemies to cinder, I had to learn. It is definitely a good motivator of children, but parenting should not be given over to it.
When my sister came over from Boston for a visit and a much needed vacation, our default solution for a hyperactive child was the television. More often than not, the Disney channel was the best solution. When we’re tired of playing games or questions, we’d plug her into the TV. Almost instantly the hyper-ness disappears and an intense amount of concentration will go into watching Mickey and Friends or the gift Dragon be his benevolent self around his friends.
A lot of kids are plugged in the same way before they start formal training in school. The Kaiser Family Foundation compiled years of research that states the following in its results.
Two thirds of the infant and toddler population watch an average of two hours of television, while kids under age 6 watch an average of 2 hours of screen media—and what this is talking about are primarily traditional television, videos and DVDs. It’s also safe to assume that the list also includes Youtube under the definition.
Children from age eight to age eighteen, watch around an average of four hours daily in front of the television and on top of that, spend two additional hours on the computer on extra-curricular activities.
Are these numbers healthy at all? According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, this isn’t healthy at all. The recommended average of hours for kids under age two is actually ZERO hours. And those three and upwards should only watch only up to one or two hours of quality programs.
The argument of not having your children watch any TV before they turn three is this: the first two years of their life is precious, a critical point in the development of their brains. TV is a construct that tends to make all sorts of rules in a child’s perspective, immersing them in a context whose values and rules may not agree with or in fact counter the values of the parents. TV and other media can conflict with the chances of building a relationship between child and parent in the form of play, exploration as well as interactions with others—the keystones for progressive physical and social development.
If a child spends too much time in front of the television they can end up lacking interest in physical activities, reading, doing homework, play, and time spent with family and friends. These are activities that ensure that the child and eventually the adult as he grows up is well adjusted in society. That’s the consequence of too much TV—it can actually hamper a person’s chances in life. It may be easy to just let the television take over every now and then, but with that thought in mind you have now the information to think twice on your actions.
Always remember that television is good when it is granted to children in moderation. Learning numbers or the alphabet is one activity that can be easily done using the TV. I remember a typing class I took in Grade School that incorporated the Mario game into the typing activity—to advance, one had to type correctly even though there was a piece of cardboard covering one’s hands. I hated typing but since I wanted Mario to jump on blocks and burn enemies to cinder, I had to learn. It is definitely a good motivator of children, but parenting should not be given over to it.
