Children and Television
Although nearly 90 years have passed since the invention of television, which is one of the most important communication tools, research on the effects of watching television on children has begun to intensify in recent years. Today, watching television is one of the greatest pursuits of children and adolescents. Studies show that a child watches an average of 3-4 hours of television a day; therefore, by the time he graduates from high school, he will have spent more time watching television than he spent in the classroom during his education life.
Should babies watch TV?
The effects of television programs on the development of the child are closely related to the age of the child. It is known that watching television in early childhood, when brain development is quite rapid, has negative effects on language development and social development. Watching television in this period means that the time to be devoted to play activities, mutual interaction and sharing with the caregiver, which is very important for the child’s learning, is reduced.
According to studies, children under the age of 2 cannot comprehend most of the content in television programs. For them, television is quite confusing with its complex sound, color and images. Since a scene takes about 5-8 seconds in programs, this time is not enough for them to understand what is happening on the screen.
Today, besides a large number of television programs for young children, there are also television channels where only such programs are broadcast. These programs and channels are becoming more and more popular and are being watched by more children. In a study investigating the contents of DVDs for children aged 0-3, which are stated to be educational by their manufacturers, it was determined that many products did not contain the said educational elements at a sufficient level and that they lacked content suitable for the mental structures of children of this age. In another study, it was reported that these products, which appeal to early childhood, which is a very sensitive period for language development, contain only 24% of speech and expression elements that support language development.
In a study conducted in the United States, it was reported that children aged 0-2 watch television for an average of 1-2 hours a day. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend the use of television and other media before the age of 2 and warns parents about the negative effects of media use on children and conscious media use. As a result, it is stated that watching all kinds of television programs for children and parents in this age group has potential negative effects, and the possible positive effects have not been proven yet.
Children who spend time in a room where the television is on all day are also exposed to programs for parents. It is known that even if these children are playing games, they are distracted by a sound or image from the television, so their game activities take a shorter time.
Cartoons, which are watched fondly by children and most of them contain violent elements, almost resemble the animated derivatives of adult action films. It has been reported that children who watch programs containing violent elements become desensitized to violence and have an increased risk of displaying aggressive behavior. Dr. Atalay Yörükoğlu states that children who grow up with love in a peaceful environment do not carry the aggressive behaviors they see on television to real life, even though they watch programs containing the element of violence, while children who grow up in families where violent behaviors are considered normal try the methods they watch on television in daily life, and emphasizes the importance of family structure in the child’s mental development. .
There is a risk of obesity in children who watch television from early childhood. In addition, it has been reported that these children often have problems in adapting to the nursery or kindergarten. In one study, it was reported that children who watch too much television are less willing to learn, less cooperative, less daydreaming, and more unhappy than those who watch little or no television. Watching television for a long time causes the child to become a more passive individual, to have attention problems, to decrease in school success and to blunt his creativity. Family relationships are also negatively affected by the decrease in the time spent by family members together.
Why do children like advertisements? What are the effects of advertisements on children?
Advertisements are extremely interesting and entertaining for children of all ages, with their colorful, animated, short-lived and melodic nature, and sometimes featuring child characters as lead roles or as part of the plot. It is stated that a child watches about 40,000 advertisements in a year.
It is a well-known fact that nowadays advertising and marketing companies include children in their target audience. Especially children in the age group of 4-12 are considered important by advertisers; because, besides affecting the consumption habits of their families, children are also under the influence of advertisements in their own consumption habits.
Young children can distinguish between television programs and commercials in terms of length and brevity. After about 7 years of age, they begin to better understand the relationship and persuasiveness of advertisements with product sales. As the child gets older, their interest in advertisements decreases and they begin to approach advertisements more skeptically.
In a study conducted in our country, it was found that the advertisements were watched fondly by the vast majority of children, and it was reported that the most popular advertisements were food and beverage advertisements, followed by cleaning material advertisements and ice cream-confectionery advertisements. In particular, food advertisements such as chocolate, hamburger, candy, and soda advertisements can adversely affect children’s eating habits.
Which programs should your child watch? How long is it healthier for him to watch television for his age?
Advice to families:
* Do not leave the television on all the time.
* Introduce rules about watching television. For example, when you are eating, doing homework, and turning off the TV when you are not in the room. It’s never too late to rule.
* Set an example for your child by limiting the time you watch television and by choosing programs and developing the habit of watching. Turn off the TV when the program you are watching is finished.
* Keep the television set in a shared room. Take care to place the items in this room so that they do not center the television.
* Avoid having a television in the children’s room. Children who have a television in their room watch television for longer periods of time, have more sleep problems, show lower success in their classes, and have a higher risk of obesity. Also, when the television is in the nursery, it becomes difficult for you to control the programs your child is watching and the viewing time.
* Do not allow your child to watch television until they are 2 years old.
* Do not watch television more than 20-30 minutes a day for 2-3 years old, and 1-1.5 hours a day for 4-6 year olds.
* You can limit the time spent watching television for schoolchildren to 1 hour per day on school days and 2-3 hours per day on weekends. If your child’s school success is low, he can limit the time to half an hour a day or prevent him from watching it completely; On weekends, you can let them watch for a limited time.
* Inform your child about watching television consciously, give them critical thinking skills.
* Talk to your child about smart beacons.
* Pay attention to which programs your child is interested in and check them. Watch television programs with him as much as possible and talk to him about what you watch (eg violence, moral values, etc.).
* Encourage him to exercise while watching his favorite TV show. You can have mini-races (for example, “Who will jump higher?”) among yourself during commercial breaks.
* Support watching educational programs such as documentaries, concerts, and sports events.
* Prevent him/her from watching programs containing alcohol and substance abuse, violent and sexual items (eg music videos etc.) as they set negative examples.
* Indicate that not everything seen on television may be true or good (for example, fast food commercials). You can also discuss ads with your child to help them assess whether the messages in those ads are true.
* Children may not be able to distinguish between reality and fiction. So talk to your child about the differences between news and entertainment, and the differences between reality and fantasy.
* Do not use the television as a “babysitter” for your preschooler. For example, while you are cooking in the kitchen, he can play with plastic containers or toys with you (Don’t forget to pay attention to safety). Older children can help you cook and help set the table. In short, try to involve your child in your work.
* Do not allow watching TV before bedtime. In a study, it was reported that children who watch television before bedtime take longer to fall asleep.
* Encourage your child to spend time with friends, participate in activities such as sports and playing musical instruments, and acquire the habit of reading books.
* Turn off electronic devices such as televisions and computers and organize various activities for parents and children to spend time together.
