Children and TV: benefit or harm? Tips for parents

According to 2018 statistics, 72% of children regularly watch TV, and this is the highest figure among all electronic media. Television occupies far from the last place in the life of the younger generation. Moreover, it is a powerful factor affecting the development of the child. Children and TV, positive or negative influence — we will consider in the article.

How children react to TV

Each age is characterized by its own peculiarities of perception of what is happening on the screen:

• 0-24 months — the baby does not really understand what he sees on TV, does not distinguish between characters, does not remember the course of events. All that attracts his attention is the change of bright colors and sound.

• 2-3 years old — the child enthusiastically watches what is happening on the screen, but does not quite understand whether these events are real or imaginary. At this age, children are actively interested in cartoons, they can spend several hours watching them.

• 4-6 years old — television images acquire real outlines, children remember cartoon characters and programs well, identify themselves with them, get involved in the plot and learn their favorite songs / dialogues with pleasure. TV begins to occupy an important place in leisure.

• 6-8 years old — children develop the makings of critical thinking, and with them — the ability to filter content, choose channels and individual programs for viewing, draw logical conclusions based on what they have viewed.

• After 9 years — a period when TV is most often watched in the background, switching attention only to individual moments / programs. The interests of this age segment are completely captured by the Internet.

Read also: What to do if a child is lying: psychologist's advice

Is television good or bad?

Let's talk about the advantages of TV:

✓ With the help of cartoons and children's programs, you can learn mathematics, foreign languages, spelling. This knowledge is presented unobtrusively, in a playful way, so it is naturally fixed in the child's memory. For example, in each episode of the cartoon "Fixies", against the background of the vicissitudes of the main characters, one of the capacious applied topics is revealed: what is electricity, alarm, traffic light, etc. Despite the fact that the cartoon has a clear technical bias, both boys and girls are crazy about it.

✓ TV is a vivid illustration of the environment. Watching vivid videos on channels like National Geographic or Animal Planet enriches a child's knowledge of the diversity of the world. The beauty of nature and its inhabitants form a desire to learn more, to travel, to explore unknown topics for themselves. Thus, the stimulating function of television is manifested.

✓ If a child is overexcited after a noisy game or sports, watching TV will calm him down, distract him, prepare him for bed. Remember how in childhood we quickly fell asleep after "Good night, kids".

Why do scientists all over the world not get tired of scaring parents with sad statistics:The longer a child watches TV, the more his development slows down.

Such studies are conducted annually, the samples are getting larger, and the results are predictable: watching TV definitely affects the child, his development at the moment and the formation of certain qualities in the future. And the more time is devoted to watching TV programs every day, the stronger this influence is. 

Other negative consequences of long-term TV viewing:

• Overwork. Frequent frame changes, energetic soundtrack, the vicissitudes of the characters on the screen are very tiring for the child. According to the load on the psyche, an hour of watching TV is equal to two hours of intensive play in a children's company. And if the child sits in front of the TV for 2-3 hours, then the degree of overwork will be several times higher. This is manifested by an apathetic state, tearfulness, nervous tension or, conversely, overexcitation.

• Passivity. The child perceives the TV as a source of entertainment. At the same time, he does not need to make the slightest effort to enjoy watching. If we compare this activity with cycling, playing chess or ball, then the degree of effort is incomparable. Therefore, in most cases, the baby will give preference to TV. Regular leisure time in front of the TV negatively affects the socialization of the child, his physical and mental activity.

• Distortion of reality. Children under 4-5 years old do not perceive what is happening on the screen as a fictional action. It genuinely surprises them, makes them laugh, scares them, just like real life events. Therefore, hypertrophied TV images become part of the kids' perception of the world: they can sincerely believe that you can jump out of a cliff and not hurt yourself, easily lift a refrigerator with one hand, eat a bag of sweets without consequences and do other seemingly absurd things.

There are also physiological consequences of sitting in front of the TV for many hours: impaired speech development, decreased visual acuity, deterioration of posture and fine motor skills, underdevelopment of muscle mass.

Banning TV cannot be allowedWhere should I put a comma?

This question probably worries many parents. Block children's access to TV completely or is it still not worth it?  How long can a child watch TV? When can a child watch TV? The answers to these questions will be given in a list of 8 tips.

1. Follow WHO recommendations. They determine how long children can watch TV and the maximum time they can be in front of the screen per day: up to 3 years — a complete ban, 3-7 years — 30 minutes, 7-10 years — 50 minutes, 11-18 years — 3 hours. 
2. Filter the content. News blocks, programs in which aggression, negative and stressful events/situations, mystical stories, sex scenes, fights, etc. should be banned. Use the technical capabilities to select TV content - set parental control. 
3. Offer an alternative. Expand the intellectual space of the child, teach him to read books, family gatherings, board games, organize interesting leisure. Work on it, otherwise the TV and gadgets will take their toll. French theater critic Georges Elgozy wrote: "Two of the greatest inventions in history: printing, which made us sit down to books, and television, which tore us away from them." Try to make the book beat the TV in the fight for your child's attention. 
4. Control the distance. Optimally — 2 meters. The larger the diagonal of the screen, the further the child should sit. This will allow you to cover the entire screen with your eyes, without throwing your head back. It's better not to watch TV lying down. 
5. Teach children critical thinking. Tell us how the television industry works, how movies and cartoons are made, why advertising is needed. Explain why you can't blindly trust everything that happens on the screen and transfer it to real life. Motivate yourself to look for pitfalls and inconsistencies, discuss them and draw logical conclusions. 
6. Stay close. This is especially true for watching movies, educational programs. Fill in the plot and information gaps, if they remain after viewing. Show your child that TV is not just a source of entertainment, but also a means for self—education. 
7. Set an example. As you know, it is best to educate children by your own example. If the TV in your room does not turn off for days, is it any wonder that the child will watch it all day long? 
8. Give up TV channels. Many families refuse to buy a TV at all or use it only to watch movies, documentaries, training programs, that is, without connecting to cable networks.

*****

Basically, television can be compared to sweets or fun food. If they are used dosed, infrequently and monitor the quality — why not? The main thing is to observe the measure and not let the situation take its course. And then any achievements of civilization will only benefit us and our children.  September 2, 2019 2022-11-27 2020-03-26 Rate the article on a 5-point scale Did you like the article?