Worried your kid forgets everything they've learnt when not at school? Here's how to keep their brain sharp. more
The pitfalls of kids and television
TV Advertising and kids:
There's no nice way to say it - advertising influences children and advertisers spend big dollars buying your child's attention. They also understand that pester power will get many parents to buy things they have no desire to purchase. Children are particularly vulnerable to food advertising, which, more than toys and games, they view as something that you may be likely to buy them.
- Children under the age of 8 years believe advertising.
- Between 8 and 10 years, children become aware that some ads don't tell the truth, but they haven't yet developed any way of judging what is and isn't truth in advertising.
- Many children believe that fast food tastes better - just because it is fast food! Children are more easily persuaded by advertising if a recognisable celebrity is doing the selling.
TV Violence and kids:
Depending on their age, sensitivities and level of exposure, violence on TV can affect children in different ways:
- Many children's cartoons are violent despite the lack of realistic elements. From watching violence in cartoons, children can believe that violence has few consequences - physical or emotional.
- Children who mimic action heroes from movies are often involved in 'fights' with the bad guys, which can lead them to believe that being aggressive and using violence to sort out problems is acceptable behaviour.
- Some children who are exposed to high levels of TV violence believe that danger is always just around the corner, and develop an anxiety about their personal safety and the safety of those they love.
- With repeated exposure to violence on TV, some children become desensitised to violence and accept it as part of everyday life.
Kids and frightening content on TV:
What you consider scary and what your child considers scary can be two very different things. While you may avoid letting him see the latest movie on TV for fear of nightmares later, he may find the informative nightly TV news more frightening than anything.
The effects of viewing frightening content on TV can be short term - extreme fear or crying - or it can have longer term effects such as nightmares, fear of being left alone, or anxiety about personal safety.
TV news reports the day's events, and this means an overview of the worst, entertaining or unusual moments of the day around the globe. And all of this is usually communicated through images that can seem very graphic to children.
When children watch the evening news, they can get a skewed image of the world and see it only as a place where war, famine, murder and mayhem take place. It can make them feel anxious about their own safety and fearful about the safety of those they love. However, it's important kids also learn about the world they live in, so watch the news together and answer any questions to help allay their fears.