Guidelines for Family Television Viewing. ERIC Digest

Abstract

This ERIC digest addresses problems associated with children's excessive viewing of television programs and commercials and provides suggestions to help parents guide their children's television viewing. Children who watch television 3 to 5 hours a day have little time for other activities such as play, reading, and talking with others. Excessive television viewing may have a detrimental effect on children's learning and school performance. The amount of violence depicted on television is increasing. The average child views more than 20,000 commercials a year, and by doing so, may acquire a distorted picture of appropriate eating habits. A recent study found a direct relationship between amount of television viewing and children's risk of obesity. In this digest, parents who wish to address the problems associated with excessive television viewing are advised to: (1) know how much television their children watch and set limits on the amount of viewing; (2) encourage their children to plan their viewing; (3) watch television with their children and provide interpretations of excesses and distortions, such as violent actions; (4) encourage their children to watch programs that depict characters who cooperate and care for each other; (5) call their local stations and write or call networks or sponsors to express their feelings about programming; and (6) join with other concerned parents and public action groups. (RH)