Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Limiting Children's Media Diet
I found and read this article in the text muet (Longman), this article tell us about the influence of media on children and preventive measures that can be taken. The media has a big influence on children. Watching TV and videos for hours and playing aggressive computer games have a harmful effect on children as they tend to model the violent behaviour from these programmes. In addition, children tend to become obese because of lack of exercise, have frequent nightmares, get poor grades, and eat unhealthy foods. Two hours of quality TV and video viewing are recommended for older children and none for children below two. Parents should play an important role by spending more time with their children, supervising their viewing habits and setting a good example themselves.
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Limiting computer time is often very difficult for parents because when kids are on the TV/computer the house is quiet and the parents can get a break and do their own thing. I think it works best if the parent has to take explicit action to add time rather than limit it. I use a simple timer program that I built to enforce computer time limits (like 1 hour/day on weekdays but not after 7pm), and it has ended the fights over computer time in my home with my boys. It gives kids audible reminders like "5 minutes left". You can download it and give it a try from www.TimesUpKidz.com The program is not overloaded with features - it's meant to be very simple and do what most parents need. Try it and let me know what you think.
TV, interactive video games, and the Internet can be excellent sources of education and entertainment for kids. But too much screen time can have unhealthy side effects. I think that one of the main reasons of childhood obesity in USA is that practically all children spend their leisure time surfing the internet or gaming. Moreover, sitting for a long time in positions that aren't natural for their body can strain their hands, wrists, back, and eyes. My child would spend all his leisure time on the Internet if I would let him. But I use simple Internet filter Ez Internet Timer. It lets me set limits on how much time my child spends online.
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