Television- A Wider View

Television: I could write about its impact on kids and families for days! The issue of how much, when, what kind and how often has been high on my personal agenda for the past two decades. I have achieved “expert” status in this arena, having run a non-profit called FACT (Focusing Awareness on Children and Television) for over four years, spoken to parents, programmers and medical personnel around the world and kept Mr. Rogers on air.

I definitely have a perspective. I am here to tell you that young children do not need to watch TV at all. They need to move, to develop their eye-hand coordination, to communicate, to fall down and get up, to feel, to express themselves. Putting a child in front of a TV is limiting their development, their human potential, their quality of life and can lead to other addictions. While kids watch the tube, they do not use their eye muscles which go from right to left, the very muscles they need to exercise to read!

My youngest son was first a television addict, for which I now assume full responsibility; I often asked him to go to see what was on TV, when I was involved with his two older brothers.

Watch a small child watching TV and you’ll see a child zoned out, in an alpha state, unavailable to respond to others around. TV is build to attract, to keep the viewer connected, to impact him. That is exactly why advertisers spend millions of dollars on their commercials, telling kids they will be happier when they eat a certain cereal or buy a certain toy. Adults have been learning that owning stuff does not make them happy. But our kids are being taught continuously that buying and owning is good for them, will give them more friends, make them smell and look better, and be happier.

There are reams and reams of research available about the effects of TV viewing. Harvard’s Baker Children’s Center shows that corporations are marketing to infants: it’s called “cradle to grave loyalty.” Have you ever heard of the drool factor? Corporations have found that babies can be imprinted with brands by six months leading to their nagging for parental purchasing!

I honestly believe that drastic measures are called for, as we’re all living in drastic times. You’ve got too much on your plates and not enough time to do it all! Put the old play pen back in operation, if you need some time outs. Give yourself permission and make arrangements to exchange times for “personal needs” with other parents, conscious family members, neighbors. Give your kids “open-ended” toys which can give them some stretch and personal imagination opportunities. Ration any kind of screen time. Choose special programs to watch on PBS, cable stations and DVDs. If you decide to be a commercial TV watching family, sit with your kids, be available to explain certain actions and behaviors to them. Answer their questions. Watch for their emotions: fear, anger, aggressiveness, hyper-ness after they watch.

Three bottom line rules:

1. Do not put TV sets in children’s rooms.
2. Choose programs wisely.
3. Do not permit endless TV watching; be aware of what your kids are not doing, while they’re watching TV.

The biggest gift we can give our kids is our attention. This comes out of documented research also! Our kids want it and need it. Consciously determine what kinds of attention each of your children wants. Try asking an older child what kind of attention he/she wants from you. Every child has different needs; some kids are visual, others are auditory or physical. The same kind of attention does not satisfy each one of your children.

Parenting is labor intensive and sometimes not very easy. But, when you know that your kids want and need your attention more than toys, TV, special clothes, other stuff, you become positive and conscious parents, providing the environment which your kids need to grow into their potentially creative, healthy, actualized adult selves.

Alice Aspen March founded and became Executive Director of the non-profit organization FACT, (Focusing Awareness on Children and Television) playing a key role in keeping Mr. Rogers Neighborhood on the air and on PBS. She also created and produced the Emmy nominated documentary, Latch-Key Kids. This show was responsible for the development of extended after-school programs funded by The California State Senate. She has served on the board of directors for KCET-TV Public Broadcasting in So. CA, the Center for the Improvement of Child Caring, and the International Institute of Los Angeles. Her latest book Secrets to Making it Through College and Beyond is due out soon. Read more