Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Living Well with the Carrie Connection

Television has become a universal communication tool. It educates and informs, entertains, reduces stress and provides social companionship. It plays a central role in family life and particularly in the lives of children.

However, too much time is being spent watching TV, especially for young children.

U.S. children watch an average of four hours a day, 28 hours a week, 2,400 hours a year, which totals nearly 18,000 hours by the time they graduate from high school. In comparison, they spend a mere 13,000 hours in school, kindergarten through twelfth grade. American children spend more time watching TV than any other activity besides sleeping.

Excessive amounts of TV can have serious effects on children. Too much TV can interfere with the amount of time spent on homework, which can affect their performance at school. Children may be less active in engaging in sports, games, reading, drawing, pretending and interacting with others.

Researchers have also found a strong relationship between television viewing and obesity. The time spent in front of the TV increases between meal snacking and is time not spent on being physically active.

Another issue is that children have trouble recognizing the difference between make-believe and reality. Watching too much TV can cause children to stereotype about other racial, ethnic and cultural groups. Children often see television characters as role models, who provide attitudes and behaviors which children admire. Even more frightening is the fact that children learn a variety of aggressive behaviors simply from observing violent television programs.

We know children watch too much TV, and some programs are violent in nature. Viewing violent programs can make children afraid, worried or suspicious, and it may increase tendencies toward aggressive behavior.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents limit their children's viewing to one to two hours a day. Here are some tips to help you and your children develop good television viewing habits.

Reduce the amount of time your children devote to watching television.

Restrict or forbid certain types of programs.

Keep a record of how many hours of TV your children watch.

Plan a schedule of after-school activities where television has a specific block of time.

Plan with your children which programs to watch. Turn the TV on when these shows start and turn the set off when they are over. Don't change channels during commercials.

Watch TV with your children and talk about selected television programs so that family values can be instilled.

Plan after-school activities and activities for the family to replace some of the hours spent watching the television.

Make sure TV isn't regularly used as a babysitter.

Too much television can be damaging to children, but television can be a positive experience if monitored by a responsible adult. Taming the television will help children learn and develop best in a home environment which is stimulating enough to challenge their imagination.