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Did you know that children who watch a lot of TV and movies tend to:
Perform worse in school
They spend less time reading.
They have shorter attention spans.
Their vocabulary is not as highly developed.
Be more overweight
They snack excessively while watching TV.
They see food in programs and ads that promote unhealthy eating choices.
They tend to exercise less.
Act the way TV characters act
Children as young as 1 year old learn behaviors from television.
Children imitate actions and scripts from TV programs instead of creating their own play ideas.
See ads that are harmful to them
Children under the age of 6 cannot tell the difference between an ad and a show.
Children are encouraged to nag their parents for things they see on TV.
Children learn to see violence as an acceptable way to solve problems.
Important Facts and Figures
-The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no TV or videos for children under the age of 2.
-Exposure to TV during the first 3 years has been associated with problems paying attention in 7 year olds.
-The foods featured on TV are usually very unhealthy (high in sugar and fat) and contributes to obesity.
-Entertainment violence is stored in the brain as if it were a read experience. This “memory” can negatively affect behavior.
-Children and adolescents in the United States spend 22 to 28 hours a week watching TV. By the time they are 70 they will have spent 7 to 10 years watching TV.
What you CAN do about your family’s viewing habits:
Reduce the role of TV in your family
Agree to limit the time spent watching television. (to one hour a day, for example)
Use a TV guide to help choose programs with your child.
Help your child turn off the TV
Give your child a warning a few minuets before the TV goes off.
Help your child come up with things to do when the TV is off.
Watch TV with your kids and discuss what you’re watching.
Some conversation starters:
What did you think about the show/game?
Did you like it when ____ happened?
What do you think happened?
What was pretend and what was real? How could you tell?
How can we tell the difference between the ads and the show?
What would you do if you were in that situation?
What do you think about how ____ solved their problem?
If you have a problem like that, what could you do/say?
Can you think of a peaceful way to solve that problem?
I wonder, why is it usually the male characters that fight?
I’ve noticed that women need to be rescued be men a lot.
Have you ever noticed that? I wonder why?
I wonder, why do the “bad guys” have foreign accents? Wear dark colors? Have darker skin?
Find appealing non-TV activities for your family.
Go to your local library. A library card is free!
Participate in library sponsored activities: story time, puppet shows and craft activities.
Have a family game night. Play board games, cards.
Read books and tell stories together. Listen to books on tape/CD.
Start a journal , scrapbook, or photo album.
Have art supplies available. (crayons, play dough, colored pencils, paper, tape, hole puncher, scissors)
Sing songs or listen to music.
Go for a walk.
Do puzzles.
Promote healthy eating habits
Make sure TV snacks are healthy. (apple slices, cheese or peanut butter and crackers, raw vegetables)
Resist junk food advertised on TV.
Eat together as a family without TV.
Get support from family and community.
Talk to other parents, teachers, and caregivers about your efforts to limit your child’s TV viewing.
Source: www.truceteachers.org
Teachers Resisting Unhealthy Children’s Entertainment (TRUCE) is a national group of educators deeply concerned about how children’s entertainment and toys are affecting the play and behavior of children in our classrooms.
Totally agree with this article! Loved it! I have a 2 and 1 year old and try my best for them to RARELY ever see any type of tv programming. One issue big that I have with parents these days. Its so sad to see children sitting on their butts not using their imaginations productively, and there not the ones to blame. When my children do get to watch something, I almost ALWAYS try to make it something educational, like a show about words or colors or animals. I wish other parents would do the same. Though I do recognize there are just some days where you need that break mentally as a parent to just zone out, and thats when I do the educational tv. But actually since my children are soooo use to not watching tv they wont even usually sit and watch all the way threw lol. I want my kids to grow up loving the outdoors and sports and reading as much as I do! Thanks for the article sometimes I forget the simplest things and ways to help engage and enrich my children!
That is so refreshing to hear Sarah! I so strongly about advocating for children to have their OWN play ideas and imagination and TV takes away from SO much of that! Thanks for your honesty and example!