Increased screen time for kids in our media-saturated world is not necessarily a good thing.
Our society is a big fan of media. We sell millions of “learning” videos for babies, computer programs for schoolchildren, and video games for teens. Aside from school and sleep, “screen time” makes up the largest portion of most kids’ day. The kids love it. But what do we really know about how it impacts their development?
A Change in Expectations. A troubling observation: We allow children to view excessive amounts of media for long hours from increasingly early ages. These experiences seem to have led them to expect everything they see, hear, and need to learn to be embedded in increasingly exciting levels of entertainment. This expectation does not serve them well when they go to school, where they are expected, among other things, to sit still, write a report, or read a book.
Impact on Learning. Kids expect, erroneously, to be entertained, which they will not be at school (though unfortunately, pressures are on to change even that) or in the workplace. Academic learning becomes troublesome, because for many kids, schoolwork does not muster the level of excitement necessary to sustain their attention. It is too boring, too slow, too hard, too much. Their brains, raised on a diet of fast paced TV, video games, and other media in front of which they can easily “tune out”, just can’t adapt. Kids need to be able to develop the ability to be active rather than passive learners, to focus on and persist with tasks they might find dull or challenging, to delay gratification, and to occupy themselves independently to be successful. They need time, space, and quiet to develop creativity, which is an essential ingredient in problem solving. These skills are the complete opposite of what a media rich diet teaches.
Questionable Content. The availability of children’s programming 24 hours a day, even with more sophisticated shows than what was available even only a few years ago, is not necessarily a positive thing. There are many good shows, but much of children’s programming promotes values that are antithetical to what we teach in our homes, contain more mature content than what we think is appropriate, and are often little more than protracted commercials for soda and junk food aimed at kids. Research has repeatedly linked childhood obesity to excessive TV watching.
What Can You Do? Get kids away from the screens. Get them outside and moving. Get them involved in group activities, discussion, service projects. Challenge their minds and bodies with puzzles and games designed for their age group. Get their creativity flowing with crafts, construction, art and music.
The copyright of the article Effects of TV on Kids in Youth Development is owned by Susan Carney. Permission to republish Effects of TV on Kids in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
You (and I) are in the minority, but it doesn't make us wrong, that's for
sure. If it were entirely up to me, there would not even be a TV set in our
home, but I have to compromise with my husband, you know. My toddlers have
no screen time, but my older kids get one hour of total screen time each
day, and have to decide how to spend it. Therefore they make their choices
carefully, and obviously there are limits as to what type of shows or games
are permitted. It is a daily struggle, but one I am not willing to give up.
When I see them writing, reading, playing with playdough, etc., and see the
joy, the creativity, the imagination it brings out, I am reminded of why I
don't take "the easy way." As the author says, we'll see how it
goes when they are older, but I hope I'll stay strong!
Feb 25, 2007 4:41 AM
Susan Carney :
What a great idea! I love how you are teaching your kids to make shared
decisions, and to prioritize. It must be so reinforcing to see them engaged
in so many other positive activities instead of zoned out in front of the
tube. Yo go girl!
Mar 14, 2007 10:57 AM
Kristine Metz :
I really really try to keep my kids away from the TV as much as possible.
My oldest grew up watching a LOT of TV, as I was a kid too and loved TV.
Now I really try to restrict their TV time, and find that the older ones
play outside more, and the little ones are not so exposed to TV. And more
than anything else, I restrict the kids to either PBS (our public channel
which is all educational kids programming) or movies that we have. They do
not watch anything that I feel is innapropriate, and can play video games
(again, educational) for short periods. I find that I also set the
example, as I do not watch TV more than a few hours a week. I love
the idea of my kids playing playdoh or riding scooters in the yard rather
than in the house... K
Nov 4, 2007 7:58 PM
Ben Zeigler :
I'm writing a paper discussing parts of this issue, and I repeatedly find
in my research and first hand experience how bad excessive amounts of TV,
or even any entertainment device, can be on a child. My youngest step
brother has known no other entertainment than television, computer, and
video games. When he's not playing or watching, he's running around the
house screaming and pretending to be those characters. It's just a
detriment how much time is devoted to these simple forms of entertainment,
and how little we actually receive in return. Television is such an escape,
and sadly is used the most as entertainment, when perhaps it shouldn't be
