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Children and the Mass Media
How Setting Limits Will Benefit Your Children
By Greg Taillon
that the more television children watch, the fewer fruits and vegetables they eat, probably because the advertising they see leaves them craving junk food instead.
The good news is that parents can minimize the impact mass media has on their children by taking a few simple steps.
- Enforce studying before play. Pick a consistent "study time" each afternoon or evening where your kids must turn off all media and study. They should devote at least 20 minutes for each subject they have difficulty with, but as a bare minimum they should spend 20 minutes each on reading and math. If they don't have assigned homework, assign them some yourself. Set a kitchen timer, and when the timer goes off, switch subjects and reset the timer. This rule can be expanded to include music practice, practicing sport drills or studying a foreign language. After their study time is over, they can play.
- Limit video games. If you don't have a video game system in your home yet, don't buy one. If you have one and it breaks, don't fix it. While many parents believe that playing video games improves eye-hand coordination, no research proves it. Playing a game of ping-pong or playing the piano accomplishes the same thing. Instead of having a video game system in your home, limit video game playing to arcades only. Have your children save their allowance, or reward them with weekly trips for good behavior or extra time spent reading. You have the added benefit of controlling which games they play and setting a time limit.
Monior computer usage. Computers have been a blessing and a burden in most American homes. They've opened doors to knowledge, but the Internet can be a dangerous place for kids. If at all possible, have your home computer in a public space in your home. Children will be less likely to venture into dangerous online territory if they know you can look over their shoulder at any time. Also, take advantage of an ISP's protection package. Some programs can restrict access to questionable sites, and others can send parents monitoring reports of their children's Internet usage. You should monitor their usage yourself by checking your computer's history file.