Media – it’s been around for ages, but what we experienced growing up is worlds away from what our children are growing up with today. Some kids’ lives are consumed by media, and there can be negative effects. How does the media affect your child, and how can you set healthy media guidelines?

While much of what we should or should not do as parents, is, well, pretty commonsensical, there are occasions when parents wonder just how much is “enough.” Commonsense Media is a great resource for any and every question you may have on the subject of Movies, Games, Internet, TV, and Music. The site is very comprehensive, and it does take some doing to navigate though all the information and tips they provide!

To make this easier on parents (and teachers), this article summarizes several salient research findings on the dangers of “media overexposure”, and also provides a useful set of guidelines to help you set boundaries for your kids (and students) and help them become savvy about messages in the media.

Research findings on the negative effects of media:

• Obesity linked to time spent watching TV, or playing video games or on the computer. There are many different factors that are contributing to the rising trend in obesity in kids, and one of them is the media. There are a couple of reasons for this -
  1. Kids need physical activity everyday. A child who watches more than two hours of TV every day has a higher chance of becoming obese than one who watches less TV. Help your child think of physical alternatives to sitting in front of the TV or computer for extended periods.
  2. Studies have shown that some of the most popular shows for kids ages 6 to 11 run commercials  for food 30 percent of the time. Most of these ads are for fast food, sugar cereals, candy, sodas and other foods that kids love but are not necessarily healthy for kids.
• Overexposure to the media is linked to poorer academic skills. A study by Common Sense Media shows that the more media kids are exposed to, the worse they perform in school. They have smaller vocabularies, and lack skills in reading. Not surprising at all.
• According to the RAND Corporation, teens that see sex in the media are twice as likely to engage in sexual acts themselves. This statistic does not have to apply to your child. If your (teenage) child does see movies or TV programs with some sexual content, you can use the opportunity to talk about what you consider appropriate in this regard. Capitalize on those “teachable moments.”
• Violence in the Media. Kids today are largely desensitized to violence in movies and TV shows (cartoons mostly). One does not have to look very hard to see an overbearing presence of violence in many of the things our kids are watching. The amount of violence in even popular kids’ movies and books like Harry Potter & Star Wars is pretty disturbing. Even though most kids know that violence is not the answer, it could get confusing for them since movies, TV shows and video games contradict this message. It would be futile to try to completely block these images, but children should be told – repeatedly, if necessary – that violence in the media is for entertainment and not a realistic way to solve problems.It is also a good idea to check the ratings on video games and movies to see whether they are appropriate for your child. For more on movie ratings, click here; and for details on video games, this official ESRB ratings guide will help.

What parents and teachers can do:

• Don’t have any media present during dinner time or other meal times. Don’t eat in front of the TV, and don’t have the TV on in the background. Encourage kids to focus on the people around them.
• Get rid of all media while your children are doing homework.
• Set aside a part of your child’s day for media, and keep the rest of your day separate. Do not let them go over an agreed limit. Common Sense Media suggests that children should not spend more than one or two hours in front of a screen—which includes TV, computer and video games—each day.
• Do not put media in your kids’ bedrooms. Keep it in common areas of the home where adults can monitor it.
• Even if your children will be home without you, make sure that they obey your rules and limits regarding media. This means telling a babysitter about the rules your children must follow or letting your older child be in charge of his or her younger siblings.
• Once your kids’ media limit is up, help them find something to do that exercises their body and/or brain. Common Sense Media suggests that kids should spend one minute doing something active – either mentally or physically – for each minute that they’re exposed to media. Encourage them to read or play outside.

• Teach kids to be critical consumers of media (Media Literacy). Or “Defense Against the Dark Arts”, as we like to call it!  There are several ideas in that SmartBean article on how to arm kids with the savvy to decode the messages that are cleverly couched in advertising and other media.

Sources:

• CommonSense Media
  
• Children’s TV habits linked to adult obesity, Daily Mail Online.
• TV ads market junk food to kids, American Journal of Public Health.
• Association of Television Viewing during Childhood with Poor Educational Achievement, Common Sense Media.
• TV in Bedroom Affects Test Scores, Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.
• Sex and Dating, Common Sense Media.
• Media Violence and Kids, Common Sense Media.

Some of the tips have been borrowed from a handout at a pediatrician’s office.