When television swallows kids and spits out zombies

By L.E. Nugroho

BANDUNG (JP): Television can be a child's best friend. Kids often spend more time with the television than with their parents. Many kids turn on the television because they're bored, tired or have nothing to do. They watch whatever program pops up on the screen, then continue with the next show and the next.

Some psychologists recommend restricting the time children spend watching television and playing computer games. They believe such passive activities promote short attention spans and require little initiative. We often hear about kids who spend hours watching television but seldom read or participate in outside activities. We've also been warned that television is a bad influence on children that can lower school grades and turn them into "zombies".

Instead of blaming the television, you can use it as a teaching tool for your kids -- if you know how to use it. Television can numb a child's mind -- or expand it. With the variety of programs now on television, it's difficult to control what kids are viewing, but it can be done. Here's how television can benefit your children.

Start monitoring early. A typical child begins watching television between two and four years old. These early years are when families pass on values such as honesty, kindness, generosity and so on.

Television, however, may introduce different values. Scrutinize programs to see what lessons are being taught. Avoid programs with anti-social content such as rude behavior, fighting, killing, stealing, bad language, etc. Children are likely to imitate what they see and values are an abstract concept for younger children, so teach them slowly and consistently. You can send a message around the world in a second, yet it may take years for a child to grasp it.

Set the rules. Parents are the final authority on what can and cannot be watched. Set time limits for TV watching. Two hours a day is right for young school kids. There should be a good reason to extend viewing beyond two hours in a single day, such as a children's special or a wonderful children's movie. Homework and family activities should always take priority over television. If studying for a test conflicts with a favorite program, the show can be videotaped. Once TV rules have been established, make sure they're understood by the whole family. Inform baby-sitters or relatives and others who may provide child care.

Accompany your kids. Many children watch television alone, especially children in families with two working parents. Side-by-side viewing is important. A parent's presence helps kids distinguish between quality and junk. Children absorb what their parents think is dumb and what's terrific. When a program ends, a discussion can be held to explore the children's comprehension of what they've just seen. Teaching children how to make sensible choices is just one responsibility of parenthood.

Negative effects

What are the negative effects of television on your kids? Here are the results of some studies which were conducted by American researchers. A study by Schramm, Lyle and Parker (1961) showed that television reduced children's playing, sleeping and studying time. Meanwhile, Comstock (1976) and Gebner (1978) showed that violence on television, animated or not, had been a driving force for criminal and aggressive behavior in young viewers.

Joyce Cremond (1976) wrote that television had a displacement effect, a psychiatric term for a defense mechanism through which an emotion or idea, usually repressed, is transferred to another, more acceptable object.

Barrow (1973) concluded that some television films were poisoning children's minds and contributing directly and indirectly to criminal conduct.

Robert Coles, a psychiatrist at Harvard University, says that family is the moderating variable between television and children's behavior. Children from less educated families will be more seriously affected by bad television programs.

In the end, society must be aware that the responsibility for screening out bad television programs is not that of the National Censor Board, but the job of a parent.