Why is television bad for children?

Question

I've heard a lot of people say that it is. I'm guessing movies would be bad too. Anyways, how much is too much? My girls get to watch about an hour of tv a day (not all at once), and we have a movie night once a week where my girls, their father and I watch some type of disney movie. I just want to know if this is too much.

Oh, and I want to know why television is bad for kids,

Answer 1

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under two watch none and that children over the age of two get no more than 1 or 2 per day of media time, including watching television, movies, playing on the computer, and playing video games. Pediatricians urge that children under 6 years should not have any media time: Half an hour daily for primary and one hour for others are considered a safe maximum. The less the better, none is best. The reason that it is so bad for them is because it has been shown scientifically that within minutes of beginning to watch TV, the brain changes from the alert brain waves (beta waves) to the hypnotic waves (alpha waves) where the judgment center of the brain is bypassed. So the violence and decadence that the child sees, bypasses the judgment center in the brain and is implanted in the child's brain without any ability on the child's part to decide whether what they are seeing is right or wrong. The violence and decadence are accepted by the brain without any moral judgment being applied to it. It then becomes part of the child's permanent subconscious. Also, one needs to defocus to take in the whole screen. This does not help eye development. Watching television is more visual than auditory causing auditory learning not to be developed. Television also dominates right-brain development seriously inhibiting the development of verbal-logical, left brain functions. Another bad thing about children watching television is the constant flickering screen. Have you ever seen a computer on a television program where is seems to be flashing? That is what computers and televisions do. We can’t see it, but it is continuous similar to sitting in front of a strobe light. This also is not good for vision or brain development. Studies are also finding that there is a link between children who spend lots of time using media and ADD and ADHD.

I teach preschool and kindergarten and see a great difference between the children who do watch television, videos, use the computer, play video games and those who don’t. The children, who spend very little time or no time using media are more focused, are better listeners, learn more easily, and can concentrate longer than those who spend longer times using media.

Based on the research and my experience, my thoughts are that an hour a day is too much but I don’t feel an occasional video would be too damaging. Here are some great articles that describe the disadvantages of watching television. Hope this helps!

http://www.labouroflove.org/tv-toys-&-technology/television/research-on-the-effects-of-television/

http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi...

Answer 2

It does not sound like they watch too much. I think you just need to monitor the type of shows they watch so they are not watching something inappropriate. Some children's shows are very educational so would be good for children to watch as they learn from them. If your children sat in front of the tv all day and didn't do any physical activity it would be a worry.

Answer 3

I dont believe television is bad for children, not by itself anyways.. I think its only bad if they watch too much, or something that is too violent or sexual in nature...
but now they have those rating systems and v chips...
it could also be bad if they watch too much... mainly because they dont get enough exercise (ONE REASON WE HAVE SO MANY OBESE CHILDREN)
otherwise i believe television can be very educational..
there is discovery channel, military channel, animal planet, lots of great things to choose from... just be an active parent and moniter what they are watching...

Answer 4

They say excessive television is bad b/c the kids just sit there and don't get exercise. I was raised in front of a TV and turned out just fine though.

Answer 5

my 2 year old has nick jr on all morning until naptime and during these 4-5 hrs he jump sings claps dances and is just plain silly..he loves the shows and "helping" find clues or whatever. He is very active and I don't have a problem with that...it's very educational...i guess it could be bad if he just laid on the couch and didn't "participate" in any way but that isnt the case and during the warmer months he isnt inside long enough to care about tv...

Answer 6

The only way television is bad for your kids is if they do nothing but sit in front of it all day and eat. If they become axe murders, its not because they saw it on tv or played one in a video game....its because you're a bad parent. No scientific evidence links TV specifically to harming children. There are always exceptions and other factors involved.

Answer 7

"Each hour in front of the TV increased a child's chances of attention deficit disorder by 10%, their research in the Pediatrics journal showed.

The study of 1,345 children showed three hours TV a day made children 30% more likely to have the disorder.

Dr Dimitri Christakis at the children's hospital led the study. He said: "The newborn brain develops very rapidly during the first two to three years of life. It's really being wired."

Children who were exposed to the unrealistic levels of stimulation at a young age continued to expect this in later life, leading to difficulty dealing with the slower pace of school and homework, he said.

"TV can cause the developing mind to experience unnatural levels of stimulation," he said. " -BBC


I counsel parents in my pre-school, that children under the age of 2 should never be exposed to TV.

Answer 8

It's not. People just need to get over themselves.
As a parent, you control what and how much your child watches. If you don't want your child to watch adult content and violence, don't let them. And if you don't want your child to like nothing but TV, get them involved in other activities and limit their TV watching, like you're currently doing.

Answer 9

television is bad for everybody not just children. if we did something active instead of sitting in front of the tube we might not have the obesity rate that we do in this country.

Answer 10

because they get addicted to it & they cant stop watching & it bad for there eye site