Is technology sapping children’s creativity?

By Valerie Strauss

The technology revolution has sparked a new debate about just how much parents should allow their young children to play with iPads, iPhones and other devices. Here’s a smart look at the issue by early childhood development expert Nancy Carlsson-Paige, a professor emerita of education at Lesley University in Cambridge, Ma., when she won the Embracing the Legacy Award from the Robert F. Kennedy Children’s Action Corps for work over several decades on behalf of children and families. Carlsson-Paige is author of “ Taking Back Childhood” and the mother of two artist sons, Matt and Kyle Damon.

By Nancy Carlsson-Paige

My 4-year-old grandson Jake who lives in Guatemala recently called my husband in his office on Skype. No one seems to know how Jake managed to get onto the computer and make the call. And, as I sat talking to a friend, her 3-year old somehow found her iPhone and found his way to a video of Cat in the Hat.

It wasn’t long ago that we were talking about how much TV kids should watch. And now here we are in the midst of a technology revolution that is happening so fast we can barely keep up with the number of devices and the options for screen time available to kids — on computers, tablets, cell phones, iPhones, flip down car monitors, interactive “app” toys, and on and on.

There has not been time to reflect on how this cascading influx of technology is affecting us all or to study the potentially far ranging influence it is having on our children. While electronic games for young children are flooding the market (72 percent of iTunes’ top-selling “education” apps are designed for preschoolers and elementary school children), the research on their impact is scant.

A great many adults these days tell me how impressed they are with their young kids’ facility with technology or with what they think the kids are learning as they interact with screens. But let’s back up a little, think about what we know about how children grow and learn, and consider this pervasive new influence through that lens.

Starting with What We Know

We have many decades of theory and research in child development that tell us so much about how young children learn. We know that, like children all over the world and throughout time, children need to play. We know that learning in the early years is active — that kids learn through direct play and hands-on experiences with people, with materials, and in nature.

Kids need first-hand engagement — they need to manipulate objects physically, engage all their senses, and move and interact with the 3-dimensional world. This is what maximizes their learning and brain development. A lot of the time children spend with screens takes time away from the activities we know they need for optimal growth. We know that children today are playing less than kids played in the past.

Researchers who have tracked children’s creativity for 50 years are seeing a significant decrease in creativity among children for the first time, especially younger children from kindergarten through sixth grade. This decline in creativity is thought to be due at least in part to the decline of play.

The Importance of Play

Play is a remarkably creative process that fosters emotional health, imagination, original thinking, problem solving, critical thinking, and self-regulation. As children actively invent their own scenarios in play, they work their way through the challenges life presents and gain confidence and a sense of mastery. When they play with materials, children are building a foundation for understanding concepts and skills that form the basis for later academic learning.

And it’s not only concepts that children are learning as they play, they are learning how to learn: to take initiative, to ask questions, to create and solve their own problems. Open-ended materials such as blocks, play dough, art and building materials, sand and water encourage children to play creatively and in depth. Neuroscience tells us that as children play this way, connections and pathways in the brain become activated and then solidify.

Technology, Play, and Learning

What children see or interact with on the screen is only a representation of things in the real world. The screen symbols aren’t able to provide as full an experience for kids as the interactions they can have with real world people and things. And while playing games with apps and computers could be considered more active than TV viewing, it is still limited to what happens between the child and a device — it doesn’t involve the whole child’s body, brain, and senses. In addition, the activity itself and how to do it is already prescribed by a programmer. What the child does is play according to someone else’s rules and design. This is profoundly different from a child having an original idea to make or do something.

For example, my granddaughter Isabella decided recently to make a house at a city park for a little caterpiller she found there. She spent over an hour finding building materials (sand, sticks, leaves) and creating the tiny house. To make the house in the first place was Isabella’s idea — her invention. How to make it, the materials to use, the design, the process were all up to her. With an interactive screen game, the deeper, more creative aspects of an activity such as these are not within the child’s control.

Many of the companies that market electronic products for young children make claims that these things are educational. While the research on the impact of apps on learning is meager and mixed, I can imagine studies might show that children can learn specific facts or skills by playing interactive games — such as how to count to 10. But parents should not be fooled into thinking this kind of learning is significant or foundational. Games and apps encourage kids to hit icons that lead to right (or wrong) answers. This promotes a kind of rote learning, but it is superficial. For example, a child could get right answers on simple addition problems: 3 + 2 = 5 and 2 + 4 = 6 by repeatedly playing an electronic math game, but still not grasp the underlying concepts of number.

How Might Time on Screens Affect Relationships?

Quite a few years ago, I began noticing how easy it was for parents to turn to screens in challenging moments with their children. This first hit me when I saw a little girl who was in tears over saying goodbye to her good friend and her mom offered her a TV program to watch. Now today, there are almost endless opportunities to quiet our kids with entertaining games, apps, and screen time. But when we do that, are they missing out on the chance to feel, to argue, to sit in silence, to listen, to be?

Screens can occupy, distract, and entertain children for sure; the appealing game or show really “works” in the short term. But harmful habits set in early on both sides: for the child, learning to look outside of oneself for happiness or distraction in tough times; for parents, learning to rely on screens instead of our own ingenuity to soothe and occupy kids.

I thought about how using screens could easily bypass kids’ chances for building emotional and social competence a few years ago when embarking on a family trip. My husband Doug and I were taking our grandsons Jackson and Miles away for the weekend for the first time. We were all packed up and ready to go when Miles’s eyes (he was five years old then) began to fill with tears.

“I have to say goodbye to Mama,” he said, struggling. I could see the powerful sadness sweeping over Miles now that the concrete reality of our leaving was upon him. I gently rubbed Miles’ chest (I felt so badly for him) and said, “When we go away from Mama, we have sad feelings.” I wanted to acknowledge the feelings he was having, but I wanted to help him too. “But you know what? We’re going to New York, we’ll sleep one night, then we come back the next day and Mama will be right here waiting for you!”

Then we got two photos of their family for each boy to carry with him on the trip. Miles was reassured. I knew that if he got through this, he was going to have a big accomplishment in his repertoire that would help him deal with other emotional transitions he’d have to make in the future.

What if when Miles had started to cry, I had handed him a phone app to play with to distract him from his sadness, or offered a Dora the Explorer episode to watch on my computer to cheer him up? It’s so easy to reach for this solution and it’s a sure success. But is it interfering with our longer term goals of helping our kids develop inner resilience and social skills? I’ve become concerned that many children today are learning to cope with their feelings and relationships by distraction, and that screens of all kinds have become easy substitutes for the inner life experiences and personal interactions children need to have.

What Guidance Can We Find?

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity recommend keeping children under the age of two as screen-free as possible and limiting screen time for older children. I think this is a standard we should aim for. And as we try to limit screen time, we can do a lot to foster our children’s play as well. Children need uninterrupted playtime every day. The chance to play with materials that are open-ended will encourage the deepest, most creative and expanded play possible.

We can avoid buying electronic toys, games and apps as much as possible. If a child is playing with an electronic game, we can try to introduce a more open-ended material. such as blocks. I did this the other day with Evan, a 3 year old who was visiting us. It was hard to get him away from his mom’s computer, but when I pulled out some construcion toys, Evan jumped at the chance to start building.

When our kids are involved with any toy or material, we can ask ourselves, “What is the potential of this activity for fostering imaginative play and creative problem solving? Is there a more beneficial, more fully engaging, direct experience available for my child right now?”

Not long ago, a parent asked me if I thought the computer game calledConcentration was good for her 4-year-old daughter to play. “Well,” I answered, “I think the question is, could your daughter have a richer, fuller experience if she were playing the actual game of Concentration— if she were manipulating the picture cards, matching them, lining them up and sorting them, playing the game with another person instead of alone?”

Finally, as we try to make wise choices in using technology, we can ask ourselves: When and why do I choose to use screens with children? We can remember that our kids grow socially and emotionally by interacting with us and through direct experiences with others, and make sure we aren’t bypassing important everyday social and emotional “lessons” by how we use screens.

The fact that parents today have the option of so much technology can seem like both a gift and a curse. At certain times and in certain situations, when no other choice seems right, we can breathe a sigh of relief that we have a screen activity available to us. But at other times, we can agonize because our kids are begging for screen time and we want to see them engage in more beneficial activities. Trying to follow the AAP Guidelines is often challenging and takes a lot more effort than the “quick tech fix.” But remembering what we know about how kids learn and grow helps to guide us. And our own ingenuity and inventiveness as parents is the best and sometimes most untapped resource of all.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/is-technology-sapping-childrens-creativity/2012/09/12/10c63c7e-fced-11e1-a31e-804fccb658f9_blog

Racial and Gender Differences in the Relationship Between Children’s Television Use and Self-Esteem A Longitudinal Panel Study

A longitudinal panel survey of 396 White and Black preadolescent boys and girls was conducted to assess the long-term effects of television consumption on global self-esteem. The results revealed television exposure, after controlling for age, body satisfaction, and baseline self-esteem, was significantly related to children’s self-esteem. Specifically, television exposure predicted a decrease in self-esteem for White and Black girls and Black boys, and an increase in self-esteem among White boys. The findings are discussed in terms of cultivation theory and social identity theory.

http://crx.sagepub.com/content/39/3/338.abstract

"We can't deny the fact that media has an influence when they're spending most of their time -- when they're not in school -- with the television," Martins said. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120530100105.htm

In discussing the results of their findings, the authors point to three potential explanations:

1. Male characters are portrayed as powerful, strong, rational, and the main character, while in contrast, female characters are portrayed as emotional, sensitive, and more likely to be a sidekick or love interest. In contrast to white characters, black male characters are more likely to be depicted as menacing or unruly, and black female characters are more likely to be shown as exotic and sexually available. As a result, young white boys have greater access to positive media representation. Social identity theory would argue that exposure to this coded messaging helps young white boys believe that anything is possible, and that they can attain, achieve, and be heroes.
2. If television serves to reinforce gender and racial stereotypes, then social identity theory also predicts that the white girls, black girls, and black boys in the study used messages from the media to evaluate themselves, and that these comparisons can impact self esteem. In addition to messages kids get from family members, peers, community members, and other areas in their lives, if white and black girls and black boys also absorb messages from the media, it could impact their self esteem if they do not see themselves as successful, as main characters, or as heroes.
3. If kids are watching television, this might be displacing real-life experiences that could otherwise build self esteem. (The study found that black kids watched 10 hours more of television than white kids did.) Arguably, these kids could be learning more about themselves through activities other than television, which could otherwise have raised self esteem. (The authors note that this theory does not explain why watching television hurts self esteem for girls and kids of color but raises self esteem in white boys who watch a lot of TV.)

http://www.racebending.com/v4/blog/study-examines-television-diversity-self-esteem/

Co-researcher Nicole Martins explained the contrast between white male, female, and black male characters on television:

“Regardless of what show you’re watching, if you’re a white male, things in life are pretty good for [people who look like] you. You tend to be in positions of power, you have prestigious occupations, high education, glamorous houses, a beautiful wife, with very little portrayals of how hard you worked to get there.

“If you are a girl or a woman, what you see is that women on television are not given a variety of roles. The roles that they see are pretty simplistic; they’re almost always one-dimensional and focused on the success they have because of how they look, not what they do or what they think or how they got there.

“Young black boys are getting the opposite message: that there is not lots of good things that you can aspire to. If we think about those kinds of messages, that’s what’s responsible for the impact.”

This is an interesting article: http://www.chillibreeze.com/articles_various/impact-of-television-on-child-brain-development-1010.asp

Impact of Television on
Child Brain Development

chillibreeze writer — Shurobi Hindocha

The human brain continues to be an enigma. For many decades, researchers have toiled hard to understand as to why the human species is the only one which is born with a foetal brain. It is indeed no less than an evolutionary miracle that the brain in fact triples in volume during the first two years of a child’s life. Evidently there is something magical happening in the brain. The brain could be visualized as a massive and unending network of neural pathways, made up of ‘neurons’ or brain cells as we commonly know them. It is said that there are up to ten times the number of neurons in the developing brain as there are the number of stars in the galaxy! Healthy brain development occurs through continual interaction of these neurons, at all-time firing ‘synapses’ or brain connections almost at the rate of 700 synapses per second. These synaptic connections essentially lay the foundation of all fundamental learning and development in a child’s life.

Having established the significance of these synaptic connections in early childhood years, it really seems disastrous that a simple activity of watching an hour or two of ‘harmless television’ could in fact alter neural pathways forever and adversely affect brain development leading to severe disorders like ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), infantile insomnia, language and other developmental delays, obesity and aggressive and regressive behaviour patterns in children.

So how do synaptic connections get established?

Children in the age group of birth to five are said to be in the motor sensory phase of development; they are trying to make sense of the various aspects of the world by means of sensory stimuli available around them. Sight, touch, tastes and smells, handling objects, stacking blocks, pouring, washing, bending and moulding, exploring, running, talking aloud and being spoken to, social interaction and imitation are few of the many ways by which children are learning to decode their environment and establishing movement and behaviour patterns that will enable them to become complete individuals eventually. Children learn to apply logic, arrive at solutions, find creative and alternative options for any given problem, and express emotions and opinion related to contextual situations only through engaging and positive interaction with the environment and the people therein.

The brain synapses formed through such experiences help in development of the logical, detail and structure oriented, problem solving, and language enthused Left Brain, as also the intuitive, emotional, spontaneous, creative and macro enthused Right Brain. However, research has it that when the television comes on, the rays of the monitor releases hormones like endorphins and low level ‘alpha brain waves’ which correlate to drug usage and states of induced hypnosis. Television essentially switches off the left brain activity completely; consequentially the right brain, which is incapacitated to deal with logical reasoning, experiences stress and also gets evidently cut off. The bright lights and colours, swift pans, distracting flashes and zooms which are an integral part of most video content made for children awake the ‘orienting response’ in the brain, which is activated only in ‘fight or flight’ situations. Thus the only part of the brain that is alert when a child is watching TV is the part which renowned psychoanalyst Freud relates to the most basic primordial instincts of man.

Fundamental human functions

It has been proved that high level gamma waves that develop the ‘grey matter’ in the brain, are released only when individuals are involved in executing the most fundamental human functions like language, reasoning and movement, whether it is through social interaction, reading story books or ‘being read to’, writing essays, drawing or sculpting, playing a musical instrument or dancing. When children are propped in front of the TV, they have neither contextual background nor appropriate responses to their questions or remarks. Even the so called ‘educational videos’ do not have any scientific research backup to prove that they in any way help early literacy development. TV robs children of the special bonding time that they ought to share with parents and an average child learns 8 to 10 fewer words as compared to children who spend time talking with their caregivers.

The constant noise of the TV in the background also mutes the ‘conscious inner voice’ that only humans use while they are reading, going over a thought or are problem solving. ‘Sequential thought building’ which is so important for progress in every field has its root cut off even before it can hope to be manifested.

Impact on children

A young child’s brain and visual/auditory sense cannot cope with dramatic shifts in contexts, scenes and time frames and loses focus every few seconds; as a result children exposed to more than an hour of screen time daily eventually develop ADHD and other learning difficulties by the age of seven. Memory retention also declines as the brain is constantly shifting focus and remembers only those incidents which have had most impact from the pleasure point of view. Thus retention of academic concepts conveniently gets replaced by recent or more impactful TV content.

It would be redundant to state that TV has a direct connection to childhood and adult obesity. Young children who cultivate the habit of watching TV during meal time also get habituated to snacking in front of the TV as they grow. Advertisements that promote junk food gradually lead the child into obesity and eating disorders. If one does observe the pattern, one could hardly find commercials on air that promote healthy food habits.

Another concern TV viewing raises is that violence in ‘reel life’ makes children insensitive to violence in ‘real life’. Most movies promote the idea that the protagonist has the moral right to hurt and kill, which in real life is a culpable offence. Aggressive and regressive behaviour patterns seem to be considered normal to a growing child who watches 2 to 3 hours of TV daily and would have witnessed about 30,000 murders and violent attempts by the time he has reach adulthood.

Parents’ role

These figures and findings are scary to any parent who has until now ‘for the good of the child’ regarded TV as a beneficial tool. However, the future lies in the hands of well informed and positively educated parents who can deal with TV viewing from a developmental perspective. First off, it is important that growing children be educated about the unrealistic portrayal of life that TV offers. Secondly, Parents who help children learn to budget TV time and balance other important activities like studying, free play, family bonding time, meal time etc. can be sure that TV viewing functions only as an entertainment period and not as the most sought after phase in a day’s work. Content appropriateness must be complimented with a parent’s suitable explanations and resourcefulness if TV must become a developmental tool.

The American Academy of Paediatrics recommends absolutely ‘no screen time’ for children under the age of two years and less than two hours for children above three. The young and dazzling infant minds who will take charge of the future world are building magical neural pathways every second. The continuously changing ‘brain plasticity’ is going to define the strength of the gen next. Clearly, such critical phases of development cannot be overlooked for the sake of mere pleasure and entertainment.

In the words of the AAP, ‘the only right thing to do with the TV is to ‘TURN IT OFF!’

hard to eat healthy in front of TV

Did you notice how many commercial for food and even more for junk food are running on American TV?

Well, let say you decide to eat healthy, or you always eat healthy, you are starting a diet to loose some weight so you need to reduce your calories per day.

You are pretty good about what you eat and as most diet, you are not supposed to eat much carbs or none.

There are no pizza or hamburger in a diet (usually) and no ice cream or cookies either, but as you are watching your favorite show, you will see many commercials for all those.

So, you had your diner and you feel perfectly fine, you are not thinking about food at all. But as you are watching TV and you see so many commercial about food, junk food that you are not allow to eat, sugary stuff that are not on your diet, that it makes you think about it.

And this is it! TV commercials exist to create needs, they are repeated over and over to penetrate your brain and control your desire. So may be you will go back to the kitchen and indulge yourself.

For children, it is even worse. Their brain is still developing and is weaker than yours. Like it or not, it is a lot easier for advertisers to create needs in their brain, to trick them in fact.

And as you can see, they do not care at all about their health!

The only thing who interest advertisers is your money :-)

And the only way to protect your child from them, beside turning off the TV, is education, media literacy education, meaning teaching your children very early on about media, how they are done, what their goals are. Teaching them that commercials are lies and are made to sell...

Easy way to have media's independent children

I will continue to share my way of raising my children media's independent. As they are growing I can see if I succeed or not. They are now 10 years old and I am pretty happy and proud of the result so far.

If you go back in the oldest post you will read more details about how I did it.

If I tried to summarize I would say that I did not let them watch any TV at all for the 2 first years of their life.

When they reached 2 and half years old, or around it, I believe that I showed them some animal's documentaries, but about 1 or 2 per month maximum. The trick was that since they were born the TV was off and hidden inside an piece of furniture. My husband and I were never watching TV while the children were awake. TV never was part of their life. They learn early on to entertain themselves the same way I did when I was a child as TV was not the center of a family life as it was just starting to exist.

When they got a little older, meaning walking, we started to go out a lot, socialize with other parents and children. Happily Los Angeles is full of opportunities for parents who want to be active with their children, a lot of mommy and me fun classes and get together.

We also started to hike and they absolutely adore it. Escaping in those mountain was always a way to relax.

Park and recreation centers in Los Angeles are also an amazing resource for parents, they offer amazing classes in many different activities, sport or art, for a very affordable fee. We definitively took advantage of it.

So it is easy to fill up a day without TV, plus children really belong outside, they literally love to be outside, play in the park, in the sand, in the soil, in nature.

Sure as all of you I did need to have time to cook meal, and I never put my children in front of the TV to have free time to cook. I let them play with their toys, leave them "read" their picture books, listen to their Cd's. I have to say that I did have a lot of Cd's, many of music but also many with stories. I particularly love those books with Cd's inside. They love to watch the pictures while somebody is reading the story to them. And they love it still today, at 10.

Here is a fact: children do not need TV!

Later on I did start to teach them media literacy. I never let them watch a commercial. that was pretty simple as we were just watching tapes or DVD. So I did explain to them what a commercial was and help them make one, I videotaped them making their own commercial, they were about 6 years old. I believe that there is no better way to understand what media are, commercial are by making it yourself. And yes, they did understood very well.

From there I did teach them more about media. We made more little video and I showed them movie from Melies and the Lumiere's brothers, explaining to them that it was the beginning of cinema.

I strongly believe that media education should start in Elementary school. But it is essential that this continue to be reinforce at home. You will be surprised by the number of mother who come to me and tell me how much they would love to keep the TV off but their husband would not...

Many husband seem to be spending a lot of time in front of TV, particularly watching sport. Those wife told me that they would not accept to turn the TV off.

So suppose I am really lucky to have an understanding and supportive husband.

As my children grew, it was completely natural for them not to watch TV. We watch some tapes and DVD together now and then, always more documentaries than movies or entertainment programs. I believe that watching TV along with the children is essential, this way they can share with you their emotion and ask you any question they want.

I also always preview those programs before showing them to them. That way they never were exposed to violence, particularly the free violence in so many movies and cartoon.

As you surely supposing, we do not do video game at home. Does not mean that my children do not know about it as they are playing sometime at their friends house. But they easily bored by video games, they prefer to be outside. Does not mean they do not like computer, they love them, they love to learn about them, use some educational CD rom, go on some interactive website, or check their email.

They love to make movies as well. And for me, this is a big part of media literacy education. By making video they learn all the tricks.

May be some of you will think that it is easy for me as I am not working outside my home. In fact, I do not think it makes any difference. If you are a working mom, your child must be in daycare or school were they are not supposed to watch TV.

When they get back home, if you never get them in the habit of watching TV and keep the TV off while they are awake, they will entertain themselves another way.

After all, many of us did not grew up with Television on and we were not bored or unhappy.

actually letting your baby find ways to entertain himself will be an asset for a lifetime.

I hope this is helping. do not hesitate to ask me any questions you want.

Children and TV: Limiting your child's screen time

Children and TV often go hand in hand. Understand the effects of too much screen time — and how to enforce reasonable limits.

By Mayo Clinic staff

Are you concerned about how much time your child spends watching TV or playing video games? Although some screen time can be educational, it's easy to go overboard. Consider this guide to children and TV, including what you can do to keep your child's screen time in check.

The effects of too much screen time

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends limiting a child's use of TV, movies, video and computer games to no more than one or two hours a day. Too much screen time has been linked to:

• Obesity. Children who watch more than two hours of TV a day are more likely to be overweight.
• Irregular sleep. The more TV children watch, the more likely they are to resist going to bed and to have trouble falling asleep.
• Behavioral problems. Elementary students who spend more than two hours a day watching TV or using a computer are more likely to have emotional, social and attention problems. Exposure to video games also increases the risk of attention problems in children. Children who watch excessive amounts of TV are more likely to bully than children who don't.
• Impaired academic performance. Elementary students who have TVs in their bedrooms tend to perform worse on tests than those who don't.
• Violence. Too much exposure to violence on TV and in movies, music videos, and video and computer games can desensitize children to violence. As a result, children may learn to accept violent behavior as a normal part of life and a way to solve problems.
• Less time for play. Excessive screen time leaves less time for active, creative play.

• How to limit screen time

  Your child's total daily screen time may be greater than you realize. Start monitoring it. In the meantime, you can take simple steps to reduce the amount of time your child spends watching TV, movies and videos or playing video or computer games:

  • Eliminate background TV. If the TV is turned on — even if it's just in the background — it's likely to draw your child's attention. If you're not actively watching a show, turn off the TV.
  • Keep TVs and computers out of the bedroom. Children who have TVs in their bedrooms watch more TV and videos than children who don't. Monitor your child's screen time and the websites he or she is visiting by keeping computers in a common area in your house.
  • Don't eat in front of the TV. Allowing your child to eat or snack in front of the TV increases his or her screen time. The habit also encourages mindless munching, which can lead to weight gain.
  • Set school day rules. Most children have limited free time during the school week. Don't let your child spend all of it in front of a screen. Avoid using TV and video or computer games as a reward for finishing homework and chores.
  • Talk to your child's caregivers. Encourage other adults in your child's life to limit your child's screen time, too.
  • Suggest other activities. Rather than relying on screen time for entertainment, help your child find other things to do. Consider classic activities, such as reading, playing a sport or trying a new board game.
  • Set a good example. Be a good role model by limiting your own screen time.
  • Unplug it. If screen time is becoming a source of tension in your family, unplug the TV, turn off the computer or put away the video games for a while. You might designate one day a week a screen-free day. To prevent unauthorized TV viewing, put a lock on your TV's electrical plug.

  Become an active participant

  When your child has screen time, make it as engaging as possible:

  • Make viewing an event. Rather than keeping the TV on all of the time, treat watching TV as though you were planning to see a movie in a theater. Choose a show and pick a specific time to watch it.
  • Plan what your child views. Instead of flipping through channels, seek quality videos or use a program guide to select appropriate shows. Pay attention to TV Parental Guidelines — a system that rates programs based on suitability for children. Make a list of the programs your child can watch for the week and post it in a visible spot, such as near the TV or on the refrigerator. Use parental control settings on your home computer. Preview video games before allowing your child to play them.
  • Watch with your child. Whenever possible, watch programs together — and talk about what you see.
  • Record programs and watch them later. This will allow you to skip or fast-forward through commercials selling toys, junk food and other products, as well as pause a program when you want to discuss something you've watched — such as a depiction of family values, violence or drug abuse. When watching live programs, use the mute button during commercials.
  • Choose video games that encourage physical activity. Better yet, make the games a family experience.

  It can be difficult to start limiting your child's screen time, especially if your child already has a TV in his or her bedroom or your family eats dinner in front of the TV. It's worth the effort, however. By creating new household rules and steadily making small changes in your child's routine, you can curb screen time and its effects.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/children-and-tv/MY00522

still no time for TV

As probably many of you, I have a collection of DVD that I would show to my children. But we honestly do not find the time to watch them.

May be if we were living in a cold weather city we would watch more DVD?

I am not even sure. last week, my children were sick, so we did stay home for days. And yes, in fact they did watch one movie. But they spent most of their time doing art, reading, playing board-game and resting too.

After watching one movie, they are already tired of the screen and do not wish to watch more. There is some DVD that they wish to watch but having the choice between screen time and some other fun activities, they always choose to do something else: outdoor, playing game, singing, playing piano...

And time is running really fast, during school week, we never have time to turn the TV on. And on week-end, we are usually outside. In fact, we have also a lot of other activities that we would love to do and still have difficulties to find the time for them. For example, we have a few science kit that would be fun to use, and for that we need at least an hour to start. We also have some art and craft that are waiting to be use. And some new board-game still waiting to be opened.

So yes, if we were leaving in a cold city, we would probably find more time to do all those indoors activities and may be, we would watch a little more DVD. But in Los Angeles, when homework is done and the weather is nice outside, we all prefer to go out, play tennis, hike, go somewhere.

Money over children...

Until now, most states prohibited school bus advertising—in fact, only nine states allow it. But faced with unprecedented budget shortfalls, many states and school districts are considering what was once unthinkable: selling ads on the outside and interiors of school buses. Around the country, long-standing laws protecting students from school bus ads may be overturned. If passed, new legislation would transform school buses from Rhode Island to Washington into traveling billboards for everything from fast food to violent and sexualized media.

if this concern you: http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/actions/schoolbusads.html

a little reminder

Approximate number of studies examining TV's effects on children: 4,000

Number of minutes per week that parents spend in meaningful

conversation with their children: 3.5

Number of minutes per week that the average child watches television: 1,680

Percentage of day care centers that use TV during a typical day: 70

Percentage of parents who would like to limit their children's TV watching: 73

Percentage of 4-6 year-olds who, when asked to choose between watching TV

and spending time with their fathers, preferred television: 54

Hours per year the average American youth spends in school: 900 hours

Hours per year the average American youth watches television: 1500

http://www.csun.edu/science/health/docs/tv&health.html#tv_stats

what bother you more violence or nudity

I found this article interesting, even if when he speak about the use of bad langage, it made me think how annoying it is for me to constantly hear bad word on French TV... Having to tell your kid not to use certain bad words they are hearing all the time on TV can be challenging. Well, for us it is kind of easy as they are not watching much TV...

What TV Harms Children More: Seeing a Person Murdered or Seeing a Person Naked?

by Judge H. Lee Sarokin

Retired federal judge

As the Supreme Court (FCC v Fox Television Stations) once again wrestles with government control of profanity and nudity on broadcast television, I marvel at the focus. Children can watch murders, rapes, kidnappings, stabbings and beatings a hundred times a day, but it appears they need protection from profanity and nudity! In considering the difficult First Amendment questions, should the Court be asking whether there is a need or justification for the regulations? The statute and regulations creates a "safe haven" -- safe from what?

The network that allowed Janet Jackson to bare her breast for a millisecond was fined $550,000. The supposed basis for these regulations is to protect our children. How are children harmed by seeing a bare breast or a naked behind? I am not talking here about pornography or obscenity -- which also have their own definition problems -- but language and nudity. What happens to the children of the country after seeing a breast or even an entire naked person? When we were kids we called them "dirty pictures" and somehow we have incorporated that concept into law (and survived and even enjoyed the experience). Every child has or will see someone naked during their lifetime. Are they somehow traumatized by seeing them when they are young?

And to me, the concern about profanity is even more ludicrous. How are children harmed by the old label of "curse words" a la George Carlin? If children hear those words and their parents don't want them to use them, they can say so. But there is no intrinsic harm in hearing them. All of us would draw some lines when it comes to what should be available on TV -- broadcast and cable. "We know it when we see it," but that standard is different for everyone and too vague to provide guidance. The availability and competition of cable makes the restrictions even more problematic. It's like a father saying: "We don't allow that kind of language here -- go next door if you want to hear it!"

Also, there is the irony of those who insist on regulating profanity and nudity on TV. Although many favor it, the social conservatives are the moving force -- advocates of family values. But those are the same persons who insist that government should stay out of their private lives, and, at the same time, want it to tell TV broadcasters what they can say and show and families what they can see and hear. I am all for protecting children where they need protection, but my view is that far more harm comes from the barrage of violent, criminal activity on TV rather than from profanity and nudity.

Finally, if the Court should determine to allow "fleeting expletives" on TV in the name of free speech, it certainly will not cause anywhere near the harm to children that Citizens United has caused to the entire country.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/judge-h-lee-sarokin/fcc-vs-fox-television-_b_1206380.html

Why my children have their own computer and email and do not watch TV?

Well, let's see why I would let my children have their own laptop and email while their are not watching TV?

First of all, they are learning since the beginning that TV and Computers are tools. We may watch TV programs from time to time that we did record so we can watch them at our convenience without commercial and all-together.

Computer and the internet are tools that we did use since a long time. For example we enjoy watching video on specific subject on YouTube, like watching a program from the History Channel about the Mayflower, or listening to other kids saying their poetry...

We do not have video games in our home and we will never have any as we consider those a waste of time. We favor real activities and communication over the virtual one. However, my children do have their own laptop and email so they can also communicate with their family and friends via internet. Email is also a tool and a great one to push kids to enjoy writing.

They do get some CD-Rom with educational activities. They like to use those from time to time. They are also getting used to navigate the internet (learning from us at the same time, some so important safety rules). They are using it to do some research for school and prepare some presentation.They enjoy typing their work using Word. Fun to do for 4 grader.

They are also very familiar with MSN and Skype as they use them since years to communicate with their grand-parents who live far away. That way, they do see and talk to each other every week!

They also have an I pad. They are very familiar with it as well. And in any case, they definitely identify TV and computer as tools.

'I don't let my children watch morning television... it turns them into zombies,'

said an article written by JO CLEMENTS.

"...Fiona Phillips has revealed she has banned her children from watching breakfast television, because it turns them into ‘zombies’.

The former GMTV presenter, who is married to the show’s editor-in-chief Martin Frizzell, said she finds early morning television irritating and listens to the radio instead..."

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1208971/I-dont-let-children-watch-morning-TV--turns-zombies-says-GMTV-host-Fiona-Phillips.html#ixzz1a8ErkGVQ

A good observation made a many studies: the worse time for children to watch television is actually the morning!

Well, depending what and how, if it is a teacher showing a piece of documentary to illustrate her lesson, In other word using a video as a tools and in a specific context, this is not the same.

In that context children are supposed to be engaged in the screening as they will speak about it at the end with their professor.

On the other end, showing a movie or a cartoon in the morning will probably encourage a passive state of mind in the children. This is why parents and teachers should avoid showing those programs in the morning.

What do I need to know about children and TV?

Very interesting article published by the University of Michigan about child development:

What do I need to know about children and TV?
Television (TV) has its good side. It can be entertaining and educational, and can open up new worlds for kids, giving them a chance to travel the globe, learn about different cultures, and gain exposure to ideas they may never encounter in their own community. Shows with aprosocial message can have a positive effect on kids' behavior; programs with positive role models can influence viewers to make positive lifestyle changes. However, the reverse can also be true: Kids are likely to learn things from TV that parents don't want them to learn. TV can affect kids' health, behavior and family life in negative ways.

It's worthwhile for parents to think about what role they want TV to play in their family. Consider:

• A great deal is known about children and television, because there have been thousands of studies on the subject. Researchers have studied how TV affects kids' sleep, weight, grades, behavior, and more. It’s worth looking at what the research says when deciding how to manage television in your family.
• Spending time watching TV can take time away from healthy activities like active play outside with friends, eating dinner together as a family, or reading. TV time also takes away from participating in sports, music, art or other activities that require practice to become skillful.
• TV viewing starts earlier than other forms of media—often beginning before age two. In recent years, TV, video and DVD programs geared to babies and toddlers have come on the market—and now even a cable channel for babies. We don't know yet what effect TV-viewing by babies may have on their development. We do know that time spent watching TV replaces time spent interacting with caregivers and other children. Social interaction is critical to a baby's healthy development.

How big a presence is TV in kids' lives?

• TV viewing among kids is at an eight-year high. On average, children ages 2-5 spend 32 hours a week in front of a TV—watching television, DVDs, DVR and videos, and using a game console. Kids ages 6-11 spend about 28 hours a week in front of the TV. The vast majority of this viewing (97%) is of live TV [1].
• 71% of 8- to 18-year-olds have a TV in their bedroom [1a]; 54% have a DVD/VCR player, 37% have cable/satellite TV, and 20% have premium channels [2].
• Media technology now offers more ways to access TV content, such as on the Internet, cell phones and iPods. This has led to an increase in time spent viewing TV, even as TV-set viewing has declined. 41% of TV-viewing is now online, time-shifted, DVD or mobile [2a].
• In about two-thirds of households, the TV is "usually" on during meals [3].
• In 53% of households of 7th- to 12th-graders, there are no rules about TV watching [4].
• In 51% of households, the TV is on "most" of the time [5].
• Kids with a TV in their bedroom spend an average of almost 1.5 hours more per day watching TV than kids without a TV in the bedroom.
• Many parents encourage their toddlers to watch television.
• Find out more about TV in the lives of children ages zero to six.
• Find out more about media in the lives of 8- to 18-year olds.

As you can see, if your child is typical, TV is playing a very big role in their life. Here are some key research findings to keep in mind as you decide what kind of role you want TV to play in your family:

• TV viewing is probably replacing activities in your child' s life that you would rather have them do (things like playing with friends [6] , being physically active, getting fresh air,reading, playing imaginatively, doing homework [7], doing chores).
• Kids who spend more time watching TV (both with and without parents and siblings present) spend less time interacting with family members. [8]
• Excessive TV viewing can contribute to poor grades [8a], sleep problems, behavior problems, obesity, and risky behavior.
• Most children’s programming does not teach what parents say they want their children to learn; many shows are filled with stereotypes, violent solutions to problems, and mean behavior.
• Advertisers target kids, and on average, children see tens of thousands of TV commercials each year [9]. This includes many ads for unhealthy snack foods and drinks. Children and youth see, on average, about 2,000 beer and wine ads on TV each year [10].
• Kids see favorite characters smoking, drinking, and involved in sexual situations and other risky behaviors in the shows and movies they watch on TV.
• More on how television viewing affects children.
• For more detailed information on these and other issues, read on.

Does TV affect children's brain development?
With television programs—and even a cable channel—designed and marketed specifically for babies, whether kids under two years of age should be watching becomes an important question. While we are learning more all the time about early brain development, we do not yet have a clear idea how television may affect it. Some studies link early TV viewing with later attention problems, such as ADHD. However, other experts disagree with these results. One study found that TV viewing before age three slightly hurt several measures of later cognitive development, but that between ages three and five it slightly helped reading scores [11].

The American Academy of Pediatrics takes a "better-safe-than-sorry" stance on TV for young children [12].


"It may be tempting to put your infant or toddler in front of the television, especially to watch shows created just for children under age two.

But the American Academy of Pediatrics says: Don't do it!

These early years are crucial in a child's development. The Academy is concerned about the impact of television programming intended for children younger than age two and how it could affect your child's development. Pediatricians strongly oppose targeted programming, especially when it's used to market toys, games, dolls, unhealthy food and other products to toddlers.

Any positive effect of television on infants and toddlers is still open to question, but the benefits of parent-child interactions are proven. Under age two, talking, singing, reading, listening to music or playing are far more important to a child's development than any TV show."

In addition, TV can discourage and replace reading. Reading requires much more thinking than television, and we know that reading fosters young people's healthy brain development. Kids from families that have the TV on a lot spend less time reading and being read to, and are less likely to be able to read [13].

What about TV and aggressive or violent behavior?
Literally thousands of studies since the 1950s have asked whether there is a link between exposure to media violence and violent behavior. All but 18 have answered, "Yes." The evidence from the research is overwhelming. According to the AAP, "Extensive research evidence indicates that media violence can contribute to aggressive behavior, desensitization to violence, nightmares, and fear of being harmed." [14] Watching violent shows is also linked with having less empathy toward others [14a].

• An average American child will see 200,000 violent acts and 16,000 murders on TV by age 18 [15].
• Two-thirds of all programming contains violence [16].
• Programs designed for children more often contain violence than adult TV [17].
• Most violent acts go unpunished on TV and are often accompanied by humor. The consequences of human suffering and loss are rarely depicted.
• Many shows glamorize violence. TV often promotes violent acts as a fun and effective way to get what you want, without consequences [18].
• Even in G-rated, animated movies and DVDs, violence is common—often as a way for the good characters to solve their problems. Every single U.S. animated feature film produced between 1937 and 1999 contained violence, and the amount of violence with intent to injure has increased over the years [19].
• Even "good guys" beating up "bad guys" gives a message that violence is normal and okay. Many children will try to be like their "good guy" heroes in their play.
• Children imitate the violence they see on TV. Children under age eight cannot tell the difference between reality and fantasy, making them more vulnerable to learning from and adopting as reality the violence they see on TV [20].
• Repeated exposure to TV violence makes children less sensitive toward its effects on victims and the human suffering it causes.
• A University of Michigan researcher demonstrated that watching violent media can affect willingness to help others in need [20a]. Read about the study here: Comfortably Numb: Desensitizing Effects of Violent Media on Helping Others.
• Viewing TV violence reduces inhibitions and leads to more aggressive behavior.
• Watching television violence can have long-term effects:
• A 15-year-long study by University of Michigan researchers found that the link between childhood TV-violence viewing and aggressive and violent behavior persists into adulthood [21].
• A 17-year-long study found that teenaged boys who grew up watching more TV each day are more likely to commit acts of violence than those who watched less[22].
• Even having the TV on in the home is linked to more aggressive behavior in 3-year-olds. This was regardless of the type of programming and regardless of whether the child was actually watching the TV [23].

What parents can do:

• According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, media education can help kids become less susceptible to the bad effects of watching violent TV. Some studies have shown that kids who received media education had less violent behavior after watching violent programs. Teach your kids to be media savvy. Find out more about media literacy.
• Watch with your kids, so if the programming turns violent, you can discuss what happened to put it in a context you want your kids to learn.
• Know what your kids are watching. Decide what programs are appropriate for their age and personality, and stick to your rules.
• To minimize peer pressure to watch violent shows, you may want to talk to the parents of your child's friends and agree to similar rules.
• Visit YourChild: Managing Television: Tips for Your Family for more ideas.

For more on TV violence and kids:

• Key Facts: TV Violence—a report from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
• A 1993 summary of some of the research on TV violence and behavior.
• Television Violence: Content, Context, and Consequences.
• The National Television Violence Study (NTVS).
• Television Violence: A Review of the Effects on Children of Different Ages—a 1995 70-page report and review of the literature.
• Violence in the Media--Psychologists Help Protect Children from Harmful Effects: Decades of psychological research confirms that media violence can increase aggression.
• Comfortably Numb: Desensitizing Effects of Violent Media on Helping Others—This study by a University of Michigan researcher demonstrates that watching violent media can affect willingness to help others in need.
• Joint Statement on the Impact of Entertainment Violence on Children: Congressional Public Health Summit—a statement of the American Academy of Pediatrics, American. Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, American Psychological Association, American Medical Association, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Psychiatric Association.
• Can TV scare or traumatize kids?

Children can come to view the world as a mean and scary place when they take violence and other disturbing themes on TV to be accurate in real life.

• Symptoms of being frightened or upset by TV stories can include bad dreams, anxious feelings, being afraid of being alone, withdrawing from friends, and missing school.
• Fears caused by TV can cause sleep problems in children [24].
• Scary-looking things like grotesque monsters especially frighten children aged two to seven. Telling them that the images aren't real does not help because kids under age eight can't always tell the difference between fantasy and reality.
• Many children exposed to scary movies regret that they watched because of the intensity of their fright reactions.
• Children ages 8-12 years who view violence are often frightened that they may be a victim of violence or a natural disaster.
• Violent threats shown on TV can cause school-aged kids (8-12) to feel fright and worry. When the threat is shown as news it creates stronger fears than when it is shown as fictional [25].

How does watching television affect performance in school?

• TV viewing may replace activities that we know help with school performance, such asreading, doing homework, pursuing hobbies, and getting enough sleep.
• One research study found that TV's effects on education were long term. The study found that watching TV as a child affected educational achievement at age 26. Watching more TV in childhood increased chances of dropping out of school and decreased chances of getting a college degree, even after controlling for confounding factors [26].
• Watching TV at age four was one factor found to be associated with bullying in grade school [27].

Can TV influence children's attitudes toward themselves and others?
Let's take a look at what kids see on TV, and how it can affect their beliefs about race and gender:

• Children learn to accept the stereotypes represented on television. After all, they see them over and over.
• When non-whites are shown on TV, they tend to be stereotyped.
• A review of the research on gender bias shows that the gender-biased and gender-stereotyped behaviors and attitudes that kids see on television do affect how they see male and female roles in our society.
• Television and movies do not often show Asians or Asian Americans, and when they do, they fail to show the diversity in Asian American culture [28].
• Thin women are disproportionately represented on TV. The heavier a female character, the more negative comments were made about her [29].
• In 1990's commercials, white men more often were depicted as strong, while white women were shown as sex objects. African American men more often were portrayed as aggressive and African American women, as inconsequential [30].
• Ads for household items, like cleaning products, usually feature women [31].
• G-rated movies are commonly viewed by younger children—often over and over on DVD, and perceived by parents as safe for little kids. However, in these movies, whether live action or animated, males are shown more than females, by three to one, they are not often shown in relationships, and do not solve problems peacefully [32].
• In G-movies, characters of color are under-represented, and are usually shown as sidekicks, comic relief, or bad guys. Male characters of color are more aggressive and isolated [33].
• Music videos over-represent black males as aggressors, and white females as victims, compared to actual demographic data [34].
• To learn more, visit the Center for Media Literacy's page on Stereotyping and Representation

How are children portrayed on TV?
A study by a group called Children NOW of how children are shown on local TV news, found that [35]:

• Almost half of all stories about children focus on crime (45%).
• Children account for over a quarter of the U.S. population but only 10% of all local news stories.
• African American children account for more than half of all stories (61%) involving children of color, followed by Latino children (32%). Asian Pacific American and Native American children are virtually invisible on local news.
• African American boys are more likely than any other group to be portrayed as perpetrators of crime and violence whereas Caucasian girls are most likely to be shown as victims.

Can TV affect my child's health?
Yes, TV is a public health issue in several different ways. First of all, kids get lots of information about health from TV, much of it from ads. Ads do not generally give true or balanced information about healthy lifestyles and food choices. The majority of children who watch health-related commercials believe what the ads say. Second, watching lots of television can lead to childhood obesity and overweight. Finally, TV can promote risky behavior, such as trying dangerous stunts, substance use and abuse, and irresponsible sexual behavior.

Children who watch more TV are more likely to be overweight

• University of Michigan researchers found that just being awake and in the room with the TV on more than two hours a day was a risk factor for being overweight at ages three and four-and-a-half. [34]
• The effects can carry on into adult weight problems. Weekend TV viewing in early childhood affects body mass index (BMI), or overweight in adulthood. [35]
• University of Michigan researchers and their colleagues who investigated whether diet, physical activity, sedentary behavior or television viewing predicted body mass index(BMI) among 3- to 7-year-old children, found that physical activity and TV viewing are most associated with overweight risk. TV was a bigger factor than diet. Inactivity and TV became stronger predictors as the children aged [36].
• Children who watch TV are more likely to be inactive and tend to snack while watching TV.
• Many TV ads encourage unhealthy eating habits. Two-thirds of the 20,000 TV ads an average child sees each year are for food and most are for high-sugar foods. After-school TV ads target children with ads for unhealthy foods and beverages, like fast food and sugary drinks [37, 38].
• All television shows, even educational non-commercial shows, replace physical activity in your child's life.
• While watching TV, the metabolic rate seems to go even lower than during rest [39]. This means that a person would burn fewer calories while watching TV than when just sitting quietly, doing nothing.
• The food and beverage industry targets children with their television marketing, which may include commercials, product placement, and character licensing. Most of the products pushed on kids are high in total calories, sugars, salt, and fat, and low in nutrients [40].
• Children watching Spanish-language TV after school and in the evening see lots of ads for food and drink. Much of it targets kids and most of the ads are for unhealthy foods like sugared drinks and fast food. This advertising may play a role in the high risk of overweight in Latino kids [40a].
• Results from recent studies have reported success in reducing excess weight gain in preadolescents by restricting TV viewing [41].

Childhood TV habits are a risk factor for many adult health problems

• One study looked at adults at age 26, and how much TV they had watched as children. Researchers found that "17% of overweight, 15% of raised serum cholesterol, 17% of smoking, and 15% of poor fitness can be attributed to watching television for more than 2 hours a day during childhood and adolescence." This was after controlling for confounding variables [42].

Children may attempt to mimic stunts seen on TV

• Injuries are the leading cause of death in children, and watching unsafe behavior on TV may increase children's risk-taking behavior.
• Kids have been injured trying to repeat dangerous stunts they have seen on television shows.
• Many kids watch TV sporting events. Researchers surveyed TV sports event ads to assess what kids might be seeing. Almost half of all commercial breaks during sporting events contained at least one ad that showed unsafe behavior or violence[43].

Watching TV can cause sleep problems

• Television viewing is associated with altered sleep patterns and sleep disorders among children and adolescents.
• Regular sleep schedules are an important part of healthy sleep. A recent study found that infants and toddlers who watch TV have more irregular sleep schedules. More research is needed to find out whether the TV viewing is the cause [44].
• Those sleep disturbances may persist. Teens who watched three or more hours of TV per day had higher risk of sleep problems by early adulthood [45].
• Find out more in this research brief from the Kaiser Family Foundation: Children’s Media Use and Sleep Problems: Issues and Unanswered Questions.

TV viewing may promote alcohol use

• The presence of alcohol on TV runs the gamut from drinking or talking about drinking on prime-time shows, to beer ads, to logos displayed at sporting events.
• Many studies have shown that alcoholic drinks are the most common beverage portrayed on TV, and that they are almost never shown in a negative light.
• Recent studies have shown that exposure to drinking in movies increases the likelihood that viewers themselves will have positive thoughts about drinking [45a].
• Alcohol has damaging effects on young people’s developing brains—and the damage can be permanent. TV ads are a major factor in normalizing alcohol use in the minds of children, adolescents and college students [46].
• Ads for alcohol portray people as being happier, sexier, and more successful when they drink. Alcohol advertising, including TV ads, contributes to an increase in drinking among youth [47].
• Television ads for alcohol, such as "alcopop," which combine the sweet taste of soda pop in a liquor-branded malt beverage, may target youth, especially girls and Hispanic and African American kids [47a].
• The Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY) at Georgetown University found that in 2003, the top 15 prime time programs most popular with teens all had alcohol ads [48].
• Alcohol is increasingly advertised during programs that young people are more likely to watch than people of legal drinking age [49].

Kids who watch TV are more likely to smoke

• Even though tobacco ads are banned on TV, young people still see people smoking on programs and movies shown on television. The tobacco industry uses product placement in films. Smoking in movies increased throughout the 1990s [50] .
• Internal tobacco industry documents show that the tobacco industry purposefully markets their product to youth. The industry uses subtle strategies like logos at sporting events, product placement, and celebrities smoking to get around the ban on TV advertising for their products [51] .
• Kids who watch more TV start smoking at an earlier age. The relationship between television viewing and age of starting smoking was stronger than that of peer smoking, parental smoking, and gender [52].
• Recent research has shown that exposure to smoking in movie characters increases the likelihood that viewers will associate themselves with smoking [52a].
• Find out more about kids and tobacco.

Kids get lots of information about sexuality from television

• Most parents don't talk to their kids about sex and relationships, birth control and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Most schools do not offer complete sex education programs. So kids get much of their information about sex from TV.
• Kids are probably not learning what their parents would like them to learn about sex from TV.
• Sexual content is a real presence on TV. Soap operas, music videos, prime time shows and advertisements all contain lots of sexual content, but usually nothing about contraception or safer sex.
• The number of sex scenes on TV has nearly doubled since 1998, with 70% of the top 20 most-watched shows by teens including sexual content [53]. Fifteen percent of scenes with sexual intercourse depict characters that have just met having sex. Of the shows with sexual content, an average of five scenes per hour involves sex.
• Watching sex on TV increases the chances a teen will have sex, and may cause teens to start having sex at younger ages. Even viewing shows with characters talking about sex increases the likelihood of sexual initiation [54]. (Read more about this study.)
• Watching sexual content on TV is linked to becoming pregnant or being responsible for a pregnancy. Researchers found that even after controlling for other risk factors, the chance of teen pregnancy went up with more exposure to sex on television [55].
• On the flip side, TV has the potential to both educate teens, and foster discussion with parents. Watch with your kids, and use the sexual content on TV as a jumping-off point to talk with your teen about sex, responsible behavior and safety.
• To find out more, read:
• The American Academy of Pediatrics' (AAP) Parent Page on Sex, the Media and Your Child
• The AAP' s policy statement on Sexuality, Contraception and the Media

How can I find out more about kids and TV?

Here are some websites with helpful information:

• The Smart Parent's Guide to Kid's TV—from the AAP.
• Guia para Ver la Television en Familia, a Spanish publication from the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC).
• Guidelines for Rating Children’s Television, a guideline from PBS Ready To Learn.
• Pautas para la evaluación de los programas de televisión para niños, the above guideline, in Spanish.
• Special issues for young children (2-11 years) and Special issues for teens address some developmental issues.
• Talking with kids about the news—10 tips for parents.
• The Federal Communication Commission's (FCC) page on children's educational TV.

Visit these related topics on YourChild:

• Managing Television: Tips for Your Family
• Media and Media Literacy
• Video Games
• The Internet
• Obesity
• Sleep Problems
• Reading

What are some organizations that work on issues around kids and TV?

• The Center for Media Literacy believes in empowerment through education—that kids need to learn how to think critically about TV and other media.
• Media Awareness Network is a Canadian group with a wealth of information for parents.
• The Center for Screentime Awareness sponsors National TV Turn-Off Week each year. Future TV Turn-Off Weeks are in Spring and Fall: April 19-25, 2010 & September 19-25, 2010. TV-Turnoff Week is supported by over 70 national organizations including the American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, National Education Association, and President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.

References

Written and compiled by Kyla Boyse, RN. Reviewed by Brad Bushman, PhD

http://www.med.umich.edu/yourchild/topics/tv.htm