By Judith S. Duque
Q: Everyone talks about the need for supervision of computer use
by children and young adults. My question is about the influence of TV. Is TV still an influence that needs supervision? If so, can you give me a few statistics to bolster my argument with our children?
A. Good questions and good thinking! Yes to both questions. TV is still a major influence and viewing it needs supervision.
Donald Roberts, professor of communication at Stanford University, surveyed 2,032 children, ages 8 to 18. A record 68 percent of them had TVs in their bedrooms. He found that children spend more than six hours a day on average watching TV, using computers, downloading music and instant messaging. Think about an average day. Six hours out of a 12-, 14- or 16-hour day is a huge amount of time to be sitting and watching a screen indoors. Is it a surprise to anyone that obesity is a problem with our young if 68 percent of them sit for six hours a day?
Students who had TV-free bedrooms did much better on standardized tests than their peers. Significantly lower test scores were seen in a survey where students had a TV in their bedrooms. Thomas Robinson of Stanford University School of Medicine was the senior author of the study.
KEY: Put the TV, like the computer, in a trafficked area.
KEY: Using a TV as a babysitter has merit in emergencies, such as the hour before dinner when everyone needs some down time, and the important phone call that absolutely has to be made. Otherwise, limit the time; use a kitchen timer.
KEY: Talk to your kids about what they watch, and watch with them.
KEY: Have a TV night with your kids in the family area. Let them choose the show or video. Doing activities with children takes the sting out of sharing your “wise” views about questionable material. When kids feel valued, they don’t want to be alone in their rooms with a TV or computer. They want companionship - that’s time with you!
TRAVEL TIP: Each person in the family gets to be queen or king for a day while on vacation. While queen or king, he or she gets to make some decisions for the day’s activities. It could be a fun project with the right ground rules, in case there’s a budding dictator in the crowd. Actually, this could be a fun at-home day.
Judith S. Duque is a licensed marriage, family and child counselor in private practice in Mountain View. She can be reached at jsduque@pacbell.net or 941-1000.
