We expose you some advantages and disadvantages of television in children, as well as some guidelines to make a correct use of this means of communication. Minors spend a lot of time sitting in front of a television in their daily life.
Some do it accompanied by their parents and others, on the contrary, alone. This habit is usually very normal in most families, but did you know that television can influence your child? Do you know if it is put to good use at home??
Many parents are unaware that television can influence their children both negatively and positively. Therefore, it is important that we are informed to take full advantage of its benefits and avoid the possible negative effects that it may have for the child..
Adolescents and children in most countries spend a lot of time in front of a television, while they spend very little of their day to day doing other activities. The second activity they spend more hours on is sleeping, and they even spend more hours watching television than at school.
The minors not only watch the children's programs that exist on television that are entirely dedicated to them, but also others that take place at times other than those for children. According to the AAVV (2001) cited in del Valle (2006), 40% of minors spend two hours a day in front of the computer, while 18% see it up to four hours every day.
Other studies such as the one presented in COMFER (2004) cited in del Valle (2006), based on both the social and economic pyramid, indicate that it is not only two hours a day but three.
According to this study, only 23% of children watch television for two hours a day, while 47% watch it for more than two hours and less than four. On the other hand, 23% are sitting in front of this device for more than four hours and less than eight every day, while 7% see it for more than eight hours a day.
Based on the data that we have exposed previously, it is therefore undoubted to ask ourselves the following question: does television influence our children? and if so, how is it able to affect them?.
The television system offers us a multitude of possibilities that can and should be exploited by society. Next we are going to see some of the advantages that exist of television in children:
Television can be considered as a means of socialization, since it is capable of compensating for social inequalities. It is also a transmitter of norms, values and concepts that makes it the third socializing agent behind the family and the school since it provides children with role models.
There are many educational programs for children, both formal and non-formal, such as: Dora the Explorer, Mickey Mouse's House, Pepa Pig, Caillou ...
There are also channels specifically dedicated to children such as ClanTV, BabyTV among others. That is, there are endless programs that can help us entertain our children while they have fun and learn..
Television allows people to express their points of view regarding a specific topic, so that our children can also learn in a subtle way thanks to television.
That is, it can influence the formation of beliefs, languages and concepts of a person, these are the tools that we usually use to interpret the world around us..
Given its programming dedicated to minors, television is also capable of developing positive values in them such as: friendship, solidarity, work, effort ... Therefore, it can be considered an educational medium that helps shape the personality of the minor.
Thanks to television series or programs for children, sometimes it can be easy for us to relax them as some incorporate songs that calm them, or even allow them to distract themselves and sit still..
It can be made a rule that television is watched at a time where all family members can, so that we can control what our child sees, this encourages bonds of union and communication within the bosom. family.
However, not everything that surrounds television has a positive effect on our children, because as you may already know, if they are not properly educated in its use, it can harm them. Here are some disadvantages of television use in children:
According to the data that we presented in the first section, there are many children who spend many hours in front of the television, either in the presence of their parents or alone. This can affect their development and create a feeling of addiction, which when it is to television is called tele-addiction
On television there are not only educational programs or children's channels dedicated entirely to minors. There is a wide range of channels, programs and movies that, among other characteristics, are known to be violent or have a high degree of aggressiveness in their content..
Minors not only watch programs according to their age, they also watch this type of content that is not highly recommended and this can influence their behavior.
Previously, we have stated that television is a source of learning for minors, however, the training it transmits is not always adequate.
This can transmit to children values such as: machismo, selfishness, that they can achieve what they want with little effort or even take as role models people or characters who are not recommended for their age.
Some children's programs are also made up of violent and sexist scenes that can harm or negatively affect minors. Therefore, we must know the programs that exist as well as the content that our children watch..
Children are at risk for developmental disturbances in attention as well as delays due to long exposure to television. Therefore, it is important that they have a daily schedule that controls the time they spend watching television.
As parents we have to control the time our child spends in front of television, as it can negatively affect their school performance.
It is very common for children to spend many hours unsupervised and forget that they have to do homework, or do not get adequate rest because they stay up late watching programs.
Due to the great time we spend in front of television, we can present physical problems. According to the study by Gómez Alonso (2002), 17.8% of children who are usually active viewers had much higher spinal deviation than children who do not have the habit of watching television so much. This is due to the sedentary life that minors can have because of television.
Here are some recommendations that you can follow at home to improve the proper use of television:
-As parents it is important that we are informed and know the offer of programs that exist for our children and thus know which is the most recommended for their age.
-Watching television with our children is a good activity to take advantage of different programs you watch and thus get an idea of whether it is appropriate or not. This action can also help you to have a good time with him and get to know his television tastes.
-We have to put limits on the time they spend in front of television both daily and per week, since excessive use can negatively affect them both physically and mentally, as we have previously explained..
-You have to turn off the television when you are eating and / or studying. If we eat with the television on, we will not favor family communication. Nor will we let our child study properly if he listens to television in the background (Muñoz, 2004).
-Do not watch programs that are not suitable for the minor at home. Whenever possible, it is important that the minor is prevented from watching programs that are not appropriate for their age. We have to remember that television transmits negative values and models of inappropriate behavior that the minor can internalize.
-Do not use television to entertain the child while we are busy. Sometimes it is very common to use the television to distract the child while we are doing other things, it is very important that we do not do this and we get used to watching it with him / her.
-Arouse interest in educational programs. Our children will watch the programs that we watch, so we have to encourage them to watch educational programs or to teach age-appropriate values..
-Explaining the difference between what is reality and what is not is a good way to make the child aware that not everything he sees on the screen is true. This will make the child realize that in real life and unlike fictitious, all actions have consequences (Silva, 2002).
-Finally, it is recommended that we discuss with our children about the advertisements they see on television in order for them to know how to identify the exaggerations that exist and the appropriate values or not that they transmit (Muñoz, 2004).
How can we verify in our daily life, television is the means of communication that is most accessible to minors at home and therefore to society in general. For this reason, it must be considered together with the new technologies that have currently been developed as one of the main agents that influence the lives of children..
We must bear in mind that it can influence both negatively and positively in children, that is, this means of communication has advantages and disadvantages in minors.
However, on many occasions we may not realize the disadvantages that exist with the use of this medium or the effects it can cause on the physical and mental development of our children..
As parents we must be aware of this information in order to educate our children to make good use of television and can enrich themselves from the many benefits it provides by creating or following, for example, some simple guidelines at home..
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