Television Time: How TV Affects Children

As a parent of two, I completely understand how hard it is to get everyday things accomplished when you have children that need your undivided attention. More often than not, we have to find ways to keep our kids entertained so that we can get things done without interruption. For many parents this may be to give their child a toy, book, or other item that requires creative thinking or use of their imagination. For other parents, a quick and easy solution is turning on the television to keep their child entertained. Television is not always a bad idea, but a child's time spent watching TV should certainly be limited.

There are many educational programs available for children to watch and learn from and I am an advocate for programs of that sort, as long as they are viewed in moderation. "The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages television or video viewing before the age of 2 because this is a critical point in infant language development, which is fostered by interacting with adults," (webMD.com). Personally, I don't feel that TV viewing should be completely unacceptable before the age of two, but it should not be taken advantage of either. I feel it is extremely important for parents to interact with their children as much as possible, so for the parents who allow their children to watch TV all throughout the day when they are there and capable of interacting and socializing with them, I couldn't disagree more.

"A new study shows that for every hour spent within earshot of a television, fewer words are spoken by parents to their young children and fewer vocalizations are made by children in response," (webMD.com). Aside from language development issues, according to kidshealth.org, "children who consistently spend more than 4 hours per day watching television are more likely to be overweight." The site also says that "kids who view violent acts are more likely to show aggressive behavior and that TV characters often depict risky behaviors, such as smoking and drinking, and also reinforce gender role and racial stereotypes." Instead of spending 4 hours a day watching television, children should learn to use their imaginations, explore new things, make crafts, color, and play outside.

Childhood obesity has become a huge issue in the United States and many feel that television is a big factor. "While watching TV, kids are inactive and tend to snack. They're also bombarded with ads that encourage them to eat unhealthy foods such as potato chips and empty-calorie soft drinks that often become preferred snack foods. Studies have shown that decreasing the amount of TV kids watched led to less weight gain and lower body mass index," (kidshealth.org) Children need to get outside and play as opposed to being inside watching TV. We parents can even take advantage of this because kids will burn off more energy outside playing than they will sitting in front of a TV, helping with an earlier night to bed and a good night's sleep

There is nothing wrong with children watching TV now and then, especially when parents have work that needs to be done. However, if the time is available to spend with your children, don't just let them sit on a sofa watching TV. Playing with our kids can be just as fun for us as it is for them, it gives us an excuse to relive our childhoods For happier and healthier children and parents, we should all limit the time our children spend in front of the TV. After all, our kids are only little once, so why let a television set take that precious time away?