Television in the Lives of Children
The following suggestions are based on our experiences with children and our
research on media literacy, and also include information from several published
sources concerning the effects of television on children. A list of these and
other excellent readings is given at the end of this handout, and if you are
interested in reading more about this topic, we highly recommend them.
In general, the effects of television on viewers can be divided into two different
types: 1) direct effects due to the content of what is seen (in the programs
or commercials); and 2) indirect effects due to the activity of watching
TV, regardless of what is being watched. This second type of effect is very
important, because it usually means that the more time children spend watching
TV, the less time they are spending doing other important activities (like reading,
talking with others, getting exercise, playing games, being outdoors, etc.).
A lot of the negative effects of TV, like lower reading scores, obesity, and
poor physical fitness, seem to be due to these indirect effects. Because of
that, it's probably important to set some limits on the amount of time your
child spends watching TV, regardless of what shows you allow them to watch.
Remember, four hours of Sesame Street is still four hours of television.
We've found that most parents are concerned about violence on TV and its effects
on their children. Television does include a lot of violence, not only on adult
crime dramas, but also on cartoons, on slapstick comedies, and on the nightly
news. The psychological research that has been done in this area over the last
20 years has shown three general effects of watching TV violence:
- Children may become less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others,
both on television and in real life.
- Children may be more fearful of the world around them.
- Children may be more likely to behave in aggressive or harmful ways toward
others.
The impact of TV violence on aggression seems to be partly due to imitation of
the aggressive actions that children see (particularly if they are done by the
"good guys") and partly due to the messages that aggression works to get what
you want and it's OK to use aggression if you are justified in doing so (a message
we get a lot in adult crime shows). Because of these findings, you may want to
set limits on the TV violence your child sees (see the specific guidelines below).
While children can learn aggressive behavior from television, parents and other
adults have tremendous power in moderating television's effect.
We would like to make it clear that our suggestions do not include specific
programs or types of programs that are good or bad for children to watch, nor
suggested time limits for viewing. We feel that those judgments should be made
by parents and children together, reflecting your own beliefs, attitudes and
values, as well as your lifestyle and the realities concerning how well you
can enforce the guidelines that you want to make. The most important things,
we feel, are talking with your children about what they see on TV and why you
have made the guidelines that you did, letting your children take an active
role in choosing what programs they watch, and making TV only one part of your
children's leisure activities.
With all that in mind, here are some specific suggestions:
- Develop good viewing habits early in the child's life. Most children begin
watching television regularly before the age of 2, and it is easier to become
more flexible as the child gets older than it is to become more restrictive.
- Set some limits on how much television your child can watch per day or per
week, with enough flexibility to change the limits under special circumstances.
Keep in mind that the average child (or adult) watches about 4 hours a day,
which is probably too much TV. Many parents set a limit of no more than 2
hours of TV a day, but you may feel more comfortable with a limit that is
higher or lower. One parent we know gives each child a certain number of "TV
chips" for the week, and the children turn in one chip for every half hour
of TV they watch.
- Encourage planned viewing of specific programs rather than random viewing.
If children have a limited number of hours that they can watch TV, with some
choice over which programs they can watch, they will probably become more
selective consumers of television.
- Make sure that television is not used as a substitute for participating
in other activities. It's awfully tempting to use TV as a "babysitter" because
it works so well as one, but try to do that only in emergencies and not as
an ongoing practice.
- As much as possible, watch television with your child and discuss
the things that you see. Encourage your child to think about the characters
and the content of the programs and commercials viewed, and explain your own
feelings and interpretations. If there are programs that you don't want your
child to watch, explain your reasons to your child; you might want to watch
the program once with your child, pointing out the things you object to and
why. Even if you can't always watch TV with your child, talk with your child
about things he/she might have seen without you, or about television in general.
Explain your own beliefs and values concerning television, but allow your
child to express his/her own opinions which might not be the same as yours.
This is especially true for older children.
- Encourage your child to watch programs that demonstrate helping, caring,
and cooperation. Studies show these types of programs can influence children
to behave in more socially acceptable ways. But make sure that you still talk
about those aspects of the program with your child; our studies have shown
that children may not pay attention to or understand all of the prosocial
messages they see, especially if they don't really like the program itself.
- Balance reading and television activities. Children can "follow up" interesting
television programs by checking out the library book from which some programs
are adapted and by pursuing additional stories by the authors of those books.
They can also read about a topic before it is shown on television, which will
make the TV viewing experience a more active one.
- Help children to develop a balanced viewing schedule of different types
of TV programs (education, action, comedy, fine arts, fantasy, sports, and
so on). Try to watch at least one episode of a new program that your child
wants to watch; don't assume that if a program is non-violent or on PBS that
it will necessarily be consistent with your values.
- Point out positive examples that show how various ethnic and cultural groups
all contributing to making a better society. Also point out positive examples
of females performing competently both in professions and at home, and elderly
people who are active and intelligent. These three groups (females, elderly
and people of color) are still often portrayed in negative and stereotypical
ways.
- When violent actions occur in a program, discuss them with your child. Focus
especially on what motivated the character's actions, whether your child thinks
the action was right or wrong, and whether your child thinks the same thing
would happen in the real world. Again, be sure to find out what your child
understands first, before you make your own comments; children may not get
the same things out of the television content they see as adults do.
- Be a good role model yourself. If you don't want your children to watch
more than a few hours of television, then it's not really fair for you to
do so. If you don't like your children to watch violence, then you might want
to limit the amount of violence you watch too. Your children will learn much
more from you than they will from TV, so be careful not to show them examples
of TV viewing that you'd rather they didn't learn.
- You can buy locks for certain TV channels (e.g. cable channels) rather inexpensively.
Check with your local cable TV station. If you are serious about not letting
your child watch certain things on TV, then make sure that you carry through
on your restrictions as best you can.
For more information, we recommend the following:
Book and Articles
Bryant, J. (1990). Television and the American Family. Hillsdale, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Chen, M. (1994). The Smart Parents Guide to Kids' TV. Emoryville, CA:
Publishers Group West.
Comstock, G. & Paik, L. (1991). Television and the American Child.
New York: Academic Press.
Condry, J. (1989). The Psychology of Television. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence
Erlbaum Associates.
Liebert, R. M. & Sprafkin, J. (1988). The Early Window (3rd Ed.)
New York: Pergamon Press.
Singer, D.G. & Singer, J.L. (1987). "Practical Suggestions for Controlling
Television." Journal of Early Adolescence, 7, pp. 365-369.
Taking Chart of Your TV, A Guide to Critical Viewing for Parents and
Children. Booklet, available free from Time-Warner in Ithaca (by request).
Videotapes
"Buy Me That" (and its two sequels). Available from HBO through
your local TV affiliate station, cable company or library.
For Children
Berenstain, Stan & Jan (1984). The Berenstain Bears
and Too Much TV. New York: Random House.
West, Dan (1988). The Day the TV Blew Up. Morton Grove, IL: Whitman.
