Should Your Child Watch the News?

Parents are always concerned that their kids are watching too much television. Unfortunately the children' programming today leaves much to be desired. Public television still has educational shows that small children enjoy. But in an effort to have worthwhile family time and have children watch things other then kiddie shows families may be watching the evening news with their small children. Here are some things for you to consider before you do.

Small children do not have the ability to differentiate between fantasy and reality. That is why really good children's programming does not contain frightening or violent content. As they age children gain this skill. Still, ratings for movies such as PG or R are there so that parents will know that the content is not appropriate for small children. No one rates the news. The content of an average newscast will contain stories about murder, killings, fires and other occurrences which can easily scare a small child. The local news may even cover stories in areas which are recognizable locations to your child. This kind of exposure can create a fearful anxious child.

Generally, evening television is filled with murder and crime. These shows are usually on the air after eight or nine o'clock. But children are staying up later and later and often watch these programs as part of family time. Even the family comedies get their humor from showing dysfunctional families getting themselves out of silly or troublesome situations. Evening cartoons contain extreme vocabulary and portray situations small children will not even understand. Being with your child as they watch these programs will not alleviate the anxiety they produce. Small child do not have the ability to synthesize the information appropriately and may feel that the war on television is happening on the next block - or even in the next room.

Sometimes parents think that because the news is real life the content is more worthwhile for children to watch then created programming. But violence is violence and until your child is old enough to have the ability to understand the content completely it's best to watch the news after bedtime.