I think that the most shocking statement I read during this
chapter that really evoked a lot of thought and contemplation was something
that was said during Leah’s lecture. She states, and the book touched on, that
adolescence spends the majority of the time watching TV just behind sleeping.
Frankly, that terrifies me! Most of the television that is on air now is
reality TV that glorifies especially consumerism and drama. Not to mention from
the book the study by Baudura in 1986 clearly found that children who watch
violent television could cause that child to be more aggressive. I think that
television is used too much as an easy fix for a parent to get out of playtime.
This is also disturbing when you look at the studies discussed in the previous
chapters about the importance for a parents bond with their child and how
television can affect that. I have not watched much of the new children’s
television but the book did say that children who watched Sesame Street are
able to learn academic skills and useful social skills. My question would be if
the same time and attention from a parent would elicit just as much positive
social skills and academic skills. I believe (though I have no proof) that if
you spent just as much time with your child making creative learning games
instead of the television should that you would see better results. Again, I do
not know. My question for the authors would be if I am accurate with that
statement or if watching these shows does give a skill that can only be taught
from watch the program.
I share your feelings of shock and fear at the idea of kids watching so much TV. The TED talk seemed to take the position that *any* TV, if watched enough, could reduce kids' attention spans and hurt their development. The textbook stated that the content is what's important--if they're watching Sesame Street, they're fine; if they're watching Breaking Bad, they will have negative effects. I don't buy it. I said in my own reflection blog the same thing you said: what about what they're missing out on while they're glued to the TV? Even if it's somewhat educational, wouldn't real, face-to-face human interaction, or even interaction with the natural world, be better for their development than a flashing screen? Your last question is very interesting as well. Is it possible that some screen time is actually good for kids? Is there something they can learn from TV or video games that they can't get elsewhere? I would have a hard time believing that, because both are so addictive and make people so passive, but I'm sure the opinion exists out there and maybe someone has backed it up with evidence.
ReplyDelete