Television and young children

Television has become a fixture in daily family life for many of us, however you may consider setting some boundaries regarding television viewing and your young children.

Some babies are introduced to television while they are still in their cots. Their parents see television as a built-in babysitter to keep children amused. For quite a lot of children television is more popular and consumes more of their playtime than all other play activities added together. Here are some of the reported facts about television:

• Television is at its least useful when a child is left to watch it alone. Even if she's watching a highly educational programme she'll get less out of it if she watches it in an entirely passive way. But if she watches with other children who comment on it, or with an adult who asks questions and makes observations, the programme can act as a springboard for ideas and discussion.


• Some parents let television interfere with the usual eating and sleeping routines, leading to upset digestion and tired children.


• Watching television can curtail other activities, especially outdoor play and playing with other children; it may leave little time for creative play.


• Television often presents information in a more exciting and dramatic way than school books and school teachers. Children therefore often find books and school work boring.


• Television cuts down on conversation and other social interactions in the family.


• Characters on television are often presented as exaggerated stereotypes and children come to think that people in a given group have the same qualities as the people portrayed on the screen and this influences their attitude towards them.


• If a child watches too many programmes portraying crime, torture and cruelty, this may blunt her sensitivity to violence so that she accepts violent behaviour as normal.


• Two groups of children were studied for the effects of violence on television. One saw violent programmes, the other did not. The studies showed that the young children who watched the violent programmes were noticeably more aggressive, both with other children and with their toys, than those children who had not been exposed to the same programmes.


• Children are great imitators and as the law breakers often seem more glamorous than the heroes, children tend to identify with the villains.


• Television can present models for the behaviour of the different sexes and for life roles and careers. This in turn gives rise to similar expectations in children that are not always the best.


• If children are really interested in programmes they have seen they may want to find out more by reading or asking grown-ups about the subject.

 

Dr Miriam Stoppard

New Babycare
Copyright © 2009 Dorling Kindersley
Text copyright © 2009 Miriam Stoppard

Posted 03.11.2010

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