Television sets have been a fixture in American households for over half a century. During that time, TV has garnered a mix of praise and criticism from parents, educators and pediatricians for its power to pacify and entertain young minds. Whether this electronic medium is a helpmate or a hindrance, however, depends on the age of the child, the amount of daily exposure and whether viewing is in the context of a family activity or a solo diversion.
Brain Development
In the first two years of a child's life, she's learning to explore her world through sight, sound, touch, taste and vocalizing. Parent-child interaction is especially crucial during the bonding process, and it involves much more than the passive experience that looking at a TV screen provides, says Lisa Guernsey, author of "Into the Minds of Babes: How Screen Time Affects Children from Birth to Age Five." Although pediatricians are still divided on the extent to which television affects vision, hearing, motor skills and the ability to concentrate, they do concur that holding, singing, reading and playing with your baby should take precedence over TV viewing.
Social Development
The more time your child spends in front of the television set, the less socializing he's doing with friends, classmates and family members. According to Marie Winn, author of "The Plug-In Drug: Television, Computers, and Family Life," less interaction translates to poor communication skills that can subsequently impact his ability to do well in school or on a job. Watching television is also a sedentary activity, which means he's not playing outdoors in the fresh air, getting healthy exercise or doing chores around the house that make him feel socially responsible. This lack of physical movement can, in turn, lead to obesity and adversely affect self-esteem.
Learning Skills
As an educational tool, television has helped prepare preschoolers for their first classroom experience through programs that teach letters, numbers, colors, names of objects and even how to play well with others. These shows impart the message that learning is lots of fun through music, games, action and lovable, funny characters. On the flip side, however, children hooked on TV are not as likely to engage in imaginative play, develop hobbies or discover the joy of independently reading books outside of those assigned in school as homework, Winn points out. The less exposure to reading, the smaller the vocabulary, leading to greater challenges in being a competent writer.
Stereotyping
Children learn at an early age about gender roles, prejudice, tolerance and ethics by imitating the behaviors of others. In an earlier era, their perceptions were primarily reinforced by observing how their parents and other family members acted in different situations. Today, the role models they're emulating are more likely to be sitcom families in which the father is henpecked, the mother is a shrew, the offspring are sarcastic, older people are worthless and individuals from different races occupy lower-rung jobs. Television further reinforces that it's acceptable to pick fights and treat people badly if you're one of the good guys, a message that runs counter to real-life lessons about respecting the rights and property of others.
Reality Checks
Distinguishing between what's real and what's fantasy isn't something that comes naturally to young children, says Winn. When they see TV characters engage in risky behaviors involving violence or substance abuse, while paying no negative consequences, the idea advanced is that these things must not be all that dangerous. The media supplies us with no shortage of tragic stories in which young children fire a gun at a playmate or push a sibling down a flight of stairs because it was something funny they saw on TV. Desensitization to violence has been shown to have a correlation with increased aggression in youth, as well as less compassion toward others.
Commercials
Until they're old enough to understand why commercials keep interrupting whatever they're watching, children assume the eye-popping advertising is part of the show. This is especially true if characters they know and love are hawking featured products, according to George A. Comstock and Erica Scharrer, authors of "Media and the American Child." When kids are bombarded with imagery and messages about the latest toys, games, bikes and clothes, it's little wonder they feel as if their lives are incomplete unless Mom and Dad rush out to buy these things for them. If Mom and Dad indeed cave in just to quell the whining, the learned behavior revolves around demand and entitlement, with no thought as to actual value, a mindset that carries over into adulthood.
References
- "Media and the American Child"; George A. Comstock, Erica Scharrer; 2007
- "The Plug-In Drug: Television, Computers, and Family Life"; Marie Winn; 2002
- "Into the Minds of Babes: How Screen Time Affects Children from Birth to Age Five"; Lisa Guernsey; 2007
