Toddlers and even babies grow up watching television
and VCD(s) as a daily routine. It is considered the
norm today. Though some amount of TV viewing is harmless
and in some instances even inevitable, too much of
TV exposure can have negative implications.
Why some kids are so hooked
on to TV?
• Many parents rely on this medium because it
is convenient, accessible, free, and serves to keep
your child distracted for long periods while you have
the leeway to do other stuffs. Knowing the appeal
TV holds for children, many parents allow their child
to tune in to their favorite program or video for
various reasons: as a reward for good behavior, break
time, or to relax after a school day. A young baby
can stay mesmerized by watching moving colorful lights
and sounds although comprehension is zilch right now.
Conversely, a toddler or a preschooler is more discriminating
and will likely have particular preferences, and do
not mind watching the same program again and again.
So when parents want to finish their chores or tasks,
television becomes the efficient 'child-minder'.
• Many parents feel that TV cannot be all that
bad – programs designed these days does offer some
educational value and hence some benefit is provided
after all. There are programs that focus on letters
or numbers or have some other educational content
so children should watch such videos and programs.
The pressure becomes especially strong when other
peoples kids are TV watchers.
• Finally, parents feel that if their preschool
children do not get enough exposure to mainstream
TV, then they will experience social problems and
feel excluded. An example will be when children talk
about their favorite TV characters or games and a
child not familiar with the characters stays isolated
from the exchange. Further, most programs often feature
merchandise tie-ins, such as games, toys and gears.
Hence parents feel compelled to join in the crowd
and make TV watching a feature of their children's
daily schedule.
The long-term consequences
•
Obesity – Children who watch
a lot of TV end up as obese kids; it is an intellectually
and physically passive activity. Fewer calories are
burnt when watching TV versus playing with blocks
or cycling. The other reason is it promotes poor eating
habits. This is partly because snacking and TV viewing
go hand in hand in many households. Another reason
largely hinges on TV advertisements; food and toys
commercials make up majority of children's advertisements
which don't exactly promote good foods like fruits
but feature high sugar cereals and fast foods. Experts
suggest that junk-food ads along with too much sitting
have a part to play in increasing childhood weight
issues.
•
Less time for other activities
– Children need to use their imaginations to learn
to draw, build, question, be physically active and
everything else. Television takes away valuable time
and doesn't provide the avenue for the child to learn
such life skills. Television viewing is habit-forming;
children who watch a lot of TV in their early years
end up doing the same in their adolescence.
•
Shortens attention span –
Watching television and videos appeal to kids because
it requires less concentration than say, reading or
playing puzzles. Researchers feel that young minds
which are exposed to 2-3 hours a day of TV face attention
problems known as attention deficit disorder, although
this finding is not conclusive.
•
Stalls intellectual growth
– Children may learn the alphabets or numbers from
watching educational programs but they may not understand
in essence what a letter or number is. Active TV watchers
fail to interact with their environment, which provides
them with active learning opportunities versus the
passive experiences derived from TV viewing. Watching
TV is a one way street – there is no opportunity for
the child to ask questions and hear answers, and therefore
learn.
In Hindsight..
• Studies indicate that until the age of three,
children only pay real attention to programs that
they can understand. If portions are not understandable,
the child loses interest until she hears something
interesting and familiar again.
• Research shows that 14 month old babies are
able to remember images from the TV for a day or more,
though they cannot describe them properly.
• Research show that 2 year olds are attracted
to features of television such as animation, fast
music, sound effects, puppets and repetition, just
to name a few.
• It has been observed that most children do
other things when watching TV, like singing, playing
and jumping around.
• It has also been observed that television
can model positive social behavior like sharing. It
is therefore important to expose your child to the
right kind of programs such as
Sesame Street
and
Barney to name a few.
Your actions
• The approach to media exposure should be as
little and as late as possible. However judicious
viewing does offer advantages as a teaching tool.
Around 30 minutes of TV a day for a child of 2 or
3 is enough. Long period of TV causes your child to
become restless later.
• It is important to remember that age-appropriate
programs are not interactive enough and may not be
at the right pace for your child thereby causing confusion.
Watch with your child whenever possible and then talk
about the program afterwards.
• Having an adult reinforce is one good way
to increase a child's comprehension of TV messages.
As a parent you can comment on the major actions and
themes and ask your child questions about what you
are viewing together.
• You can also reinforce what your child sees
on TV with books on the same topic. For example, if
your toddler watches a segment of Barney that deals
with weather, read a book about weather.
• There is nothing wrong to allow your child
to watch a CD now and then while you go about with
your work. Video is a better alternative to TV because
it allows you more control. With a library stock of
tapes or discs of the right kind for your child, there
will always be something worthy to watch.
• It makes sense to vet very carefully what
your child watches since there is evidence suggesting
that scary programs are linked with nightmares.
