TV | Grammy's Corner

Kid’s Development: Influence of TV on Children

Kids Watching TV

As I watch my grandchildren growing up, I observe the influence TV has on their lives. Whether what they observe, copy, learn or follow create good or bad influences, leaves many questions on my mind. As a retired elementary teacher, I believe a large majority of young children play unsupervised in front of the television. Many times the parent is totally unaware that the child has stopped playing, listening to something he/she hears on the TV, left on by the parent. (A study in the Journal of Pediatrics finds that the average preschool-age child is exposed to double the recommended amount of TV viewing time, an average of 4 hours a day.) Our television shows portray content not recommended for children with the amount of bullying, sex, nudity, death, serial killers, and extreme natural disasters represented within the shows. Our children see and hear about these situations at younger ages than ever before, no matter how hard a parent tries to block the material.

As parents, one way to work against the negative impact these situations may have on our young children today requires us to turn the situation into an opportunity to teach our children valuable lessons about life. News of the Japan earthquake and the resulting tsunami and nuclear danger were all over the news stations and radio. Our children could not help but hear it, see the pictures possibly, and wonder about their own safety. My grandson, 8 years old, listen to the news with us and ask about the children, where were they, what happen to them, etc. Shielding him from this terrible tragedy was impossible, besides it wouldn’t protect him. This was a natural disaster beyond our control. Rachel Tayse in her article “Guiding Children Through Tragedy” states:

To find another way, I sought out the wisdom of the late Mr. Fred Rogers. He advises parents to explain disasters in an age-appropriate fashion, focusing on the helpers like rescue and hospital workers. Being naturally self-centered, children need to be reassured that they are safe and their feelings are accepted.

Sit and watch TV with your child, then talk to them about what they see and observe how they interact with it. If your child has a question, you quickly can answer appropriately to relieve any fears or inquisitiveness they may have. Remember that your answers need to be age appropriate. Usually, the child’s concern centers around how the tragedy affects his own safety. Discuss with your child the rescue operation, the workers involved, the support personnel, etc. Discuss the child’s feelings of compassion, empathy, sorrrow, fear, etc. with him. Young children do not need an in depth explanation, keep it simple. Remember, you are the child’s first teacher.

Family Watching TV and Talking

Parenting is all about preparing our kids for that big world out there. Some of us will go through life and not experience anything too terribly tragic. But others will not be so lucky. Children learn best from real life situations; therefore, turning something we wish our child had not seen or heard on TV into a learning situation might be to our advantage. Especially, since we don’t seem to have much control over what goes across our TV screen other than turning it off. Through these tragic events, teaching our children about compassion and the importance of helping others in their time of need helps them grow into responsible adults. If we reared our children with these values now, perhaps the world might be much brighter in the future.