I must say all children grew up watching TV, myself included. It's a utility which everyone cannot live without. It has been for generations and yet TV easily emerges as a indispensable form of entertainment. Of cause, the Internet is fast catching up. Let us look at the positive effects and the negative effects of TV and how it can benefit or affect our children.
Benefits:
• The children can be exposed to positive content and be enriched with programs such as documentaries, educational variety shows and cartoons. Hey, I grew up watching Sesame Street, Discovery Channel and Transformers!
• Spending quality time together. Well, I remembered the days when my parents would watch the telly with me, and we will have endless laughter together. And I being the curious child, never fail to ask endless streams of questions. The bonding with the child will no doubt be better.
Drawbacks:
• Couch potato syndrome. Addiction to TV may cause the child to be withdrawn from the rest of the world, excessive eating while viewing programs can cause obesity problems.
• Emotional development. A child really needs to do more things than just watching TV. He needs constant interaction with the outside world and other kids. It is part and parcel of his development and bear that in mind, there is no substitute to that.
• Eyesight problems. Increasingly, many children these days are getting myopic. It's hard to deny that TV isn't one of the contributing factors.
• Violence. As we all know, children love to imitate. The imitations can range from wanting to fly like superman, acting like John Rambo and giving an uppercut like a Thai kick boxer. I was in that stage once, so I know. It's a fact and we have many case studies of violence by teens in recent years.
• Proper use of language. There was one point of time, the local sitcom Phua Chu Kang got so popular that children start using phrases like "Don't pray pray", and "I look you no up". It got into such frenzy that we had a Speak Good English Campaign, remember?
Of cause, it is about weighing the pros and cons. Some suggested methods include: 1. Limiting the viewing hours for your child. I was limited to 30mins a day during my time, but that was ages ago. I believe parents can do their estimation with their kids. 2. Allow selective viewing of TV programs. Family orientated sitcoms, cartoons and educational programs definitely. More exertion of control regarding programs rating PG. 3. Ban eating while watching TV. I was inculcated with this habit. My mum always say eat only when you are at the dining table, not in front of the TV. I thought that was pretty useful. 4. View TV shows with your kids. In addition, try not to let them have the luxury of a TV in their bedroom.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D64CRnVNkZ0
Justine Lee contributes to articles as part of the committee of a parenting website founded in Singapore. She writes for http://www.mylittlesunshine.sg/ on a regular basis and likes to share her parenting experiences with other online readers. She is happily married to her husband Jason and have a boy who is eight years old.
