Nov 7, 2006
How To Unglue Kids From The TV
7 Tips From Experts Who've Spent A Lot Of Time Researching Problems & Solutions
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The tips come from researchers including Amy Jordan, PhD, of the Annenberg Policy Center in Philadelphia. Jordan's team bases its advice on a study of 180 kids aged 6-13 and their parents in the Chicago, Philadelphia, and Richmond, Va., areas.
"Most of the children reported spending about three hours per day watching television," the researchers write. That's an hour more than the two-hours-per-day maximum recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) for children at least 2 years old. The AAP recommends no TV at all for kids under 2.
The families studied were diverse: 36 percent of the kids were white, 34 percent were black, 26 percent Hispanic, and 4 percent of other or mixed ethnic backgrounds. Half were boys; half girls.
The researchers interviewed the kids about their TV viewing habits. They separately interviewed one of the child's parents (usually the mother) or a guardian.
Parents in Jordan's study underestimated how much TV their kids watched; giving an average of almost two hours per day rather than the three hours cited by the kids. The families had on average four TV sets in their home.
"Nearly two-thirds had a television in the child's bedroom, and nearly half had a television set in the kitchen or dining room," Jordan's team writes.
These were among the things the researchers zeroed in on as they gave the parents advice on how to limit their children's TV time.
Most parents had rules about what their kids were allowed to watch on TV. For instance, some kids aged 6-7 reported being allowed to watch "no grown-up shows" and "no nasty talk" on TV.
Parents generally agreed that kids shouldn't watch more than two hours per day of TV. But they tended to see their child as the exception to the rule. "Many felt it did not apply to their child (unless he or she was doing poorly in school or had behavioral problems)," Jordan's team writes.
Parents also saw "numerous barriers" to heeding the recommendation, the researchers note.
Some parents said TV was a safe, fun distraction for their kids. Others weren't sure what their kids would do instead of watching TV, especially when bad weather kept them inside. Some parents also worried that without the TV on during meals the family would bicker.
Jordan's team had seven solutions to such dilemmas:
Some families may need time to adjust, but "we expect television time reduction to have mainly positive consequences for children's well-being and family relationships," the researchers write.
SOURCES: Jordan, A. Pediatrics, November 2006; Vol. 118: pp. e1303-e1310. News release, American Academy of Pediatrics.
By Miranda Hitti
Reviewed by Louise Chang
Copyright 2006, WebMD Inc. All rights reserved.
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- We have NO TV in our home, yeah not many of us out there, but we have found that we can fill our days with many more meaningful activites besides sitting in front of the tube. No kids jumping up and down begging for cereals and toys found advertised either. No rude or indecent images filling our kids mouths and minds. Most people wonder how we live without it, well people talk about TV programs so much you can get the jist of any popular program out there.
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- Remember the slogan "Reading is Fundamental." If you need to do some chores and can't sit down for one-on-one time, how about checking out books on CD or cassette from the local library? Children enjoy hearing a story, and they can play with blocks, legos - or even draw while listening. No "screen" necessary. Just the voices hold their attention. There are many children's audio cassettes or CDs that can be used in an inexpensive player. If the kids get antsy, get them to pitch in with the chores and activities of daily life. You can listen to the story together while folding clothes, for example, and then talk about the story together. Give audiobooks a try if you haven't already!
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- I try to follow these ideas and they work pretty well. TV should not be the only entertainment for kids but parents sholud set the example by choosing some programs with thier childeren and setting up a dialy schedule in which TV watching gets some time but wisely. If you let your kids make a weekly list of what they want to watch they will limit their options and then the rest of the time it is your duty to turn it off and not watch it all day yourself either.
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