Television watching
Information:
Definition:
Television watching as recreation, entertainment, distraction, substitution, and/or education.
Watching television is an experience shared by the vast majority of children and adults in our world. It is convenient, inexpensive, available, and attractive. Television can be enormously entertaining for children. They can watch people or characters in various situations and learn a great deal about life. In fact, it is estimated that children learn more from television than from relationships or school. Television can be a useful tool for parents; it can be used for distraction, substitution, and recreation. It can fill the void between stimulation children need and the energy and time a parent has.
Television is only a technical instrument that can be used appropriately to enhance the enjoyment of life or can be used inappropriately as a substitution for human relationships and interactions and personal growth and development. Children learn the most from what they see and do the most. The important question for parents is, "Are my children learning the values, beliefs, skills, and behaviors that I want them to learn, from television?" Parents and professionals agree that while television is a marvelous source of entertainment and education, it is also an underestimated source of demonstrated intolerance, aggression, violence, and development of other inappropriate values, beliefs, and behaviors.
Some of the factors that encourage the child's learning and use of behaviors observed on television are:
1. Age. Young children recognize and learn observed behaviors though they do not understand or recognize motives or consequences.
2. Imitation/modeling. Children identify with characters or situations portrayed on television and are likely to imitate the behaviors of familiar characters and situations.
3. Testing boundaries. Children are attracted to and likely to test behaviors that they have seen on television that were rewarded or not punished. They may be confused by the differences in the behavior limits set and enforced at home and those demonstrated on television.
4. Acceptability of behaviors. Children assume that behaviors observed on television are appropriate and acceptable. They will imitate these behaviors in similar situations. Violence seems an acceptable behavior when observed dozens of times each day on television, especially when it seems to result in the desired outcome without punishment or negative results.
Some recommended guidelines for establishing appropriate television viewing by children are:
1. Make a chart of your children's daily activities, including school, homework, play time, meal times, television watching, video games, etc. Estimate the amount of time your children are involved in each activity.
2. Make a list of the skills, values, beliefs, and behaviors your children will experience and learn from each activity.
3. Determine your desired priorities of these skills for your children.
4. Determine which activities are most likely to help your children learn these skills.
5. Make a list of alternative activities (reading a book, working on a hobby, riding a bike, gardening) that may be beneficial for your children.
6. Create a balanced schedule of activities that will interest, entertain, educate, and model appropriate behaviors and skills for your children.
7. Allow your children to choose which television programs they will watch each day based on the amount of time you have scheduled.
8. Encourage your children to participate in one alternative activity each day before watching television.
9. Encourage frequent interactions with friends and family.
10. Watch television with your children.
11. Turn off the television after the chosen program is over.
12. Demonstrate the behaviors you expect or desire for your children. Invite them to be involved in some of your activities.
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The information provided herein should not be used for diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Copyright 2000 adam.com, Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.
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