Is television beneficial or harmful to young children? There is not yet enough studies done on young children (ages 0-5yrs). The reason there is not adequate research is because children from ages 0 to 5, typically do not stay in one place long enough to get results. Some parents say their child will watch television for two hours non stop, but researchers find that even if a child appears to be watching television for such a long duration, they in fact are not. When a child is watching television he or she will play with toys, snack, drink juice, cry, all of which are activities that take the mind away from the television set. Researchers have also stated that young children do not have the attention span to watch TV for such a long time. There are instances when a child perks up and tunes in when they recognize a certain song or character, but their attention quickly changes to something else. If parents are worried that their child likes television to much, then the parent needs to simply turn off the TV, and not always use it as an option for the child.
Some families have the television on all day everyday. Having the TV on all day can actually be more harmful than watching a thirty minute show. Having the TV turned on all day is harmful because the child cannot hear each word spoken, cannot not hear pauses between words, or questions. This is harmful because the young child may end up having language issues. The environment the child is in, is like one huge run on sentence. This is true for having the radio on all the time as well. So if you are one of those families or knows a family who always has the TV or radio on, consider turning it off. This will allow for more communication between parent and child. The child will benefit greatly from more parent attention. "Take heart, as a parent, that your child will learn just what he needs by watching, listening to and interacting with you."
A child does not need TV, everything they learn can be taught by a parent or loving adult and other children. Do not rely on TV as the only source of educational material in the household. When TV is used, use it in moderation. It is the responsibility of the parent to control the amount and type of TV a child watches.
Yes, good recap of recommendations and dangers linked to young children exposed to TV: parents should always keep in mind the amount and quality of television viewed by their children, and avoid leaving the “TV turned on all day”. Looking forward to your next post!
ReplyDeleteWatching tv in moderation is important not only for young children ages 0-5 years but for older children as well. The problems with older children is they have longer attention spans to sit and watch TV for longer period of time. If left unsupervised by parents, older children can become so engrossed with what they are watching that they avoid or tune out any interaction with people. Not mention that it can also lead to health issues such as obesity, poor physical health, and my term my children have come to know as turn your brain to mush. I have seen it with my own children when they ask if they can watch something on TV. I tell them one episode of an appropriate show of their. I often get busy with a chore or homework and the next thing I know they are still sitting in front of the TV watching something else. I have to go in and turn it off to moans and groans. It's all about moderation and parent's being involved in their children's lives.
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