TV makes you stupid (What else is new?)
There’s a fantastic article over at Clean Cut Media about how TV makes you stupid, specifically children. Childrens’ minds are more malleable compared to adult minds, and what they see on TV dramatically shapes them. Children in between the ages of 8 and 18 spend an average of 6 hours 21 minutes interacting with TV’s and other media. More time than they spend with their parents. For the average American family with a busy life and not enough time to see the kids, television starts to fill the role of caretaker and teacher of morals and values. A couple highlights from the article.
“If children watch ‘edutainment’—shows that teach through song and dance—they begin to associate learning with an entertainment format and expect that format when they go to school,” he says. “But teachers aren’t going to sing and dance for them. So then children complain that school is boring. Compared to the fast-paced, exciting shows they’re used to on television, it is boring. Nothing will meet that standard. Television constantly ups the ante.
“Kids who watch the most television don’t do as well in school,” says Poussaint. “Television is not the best way to learn; it’s too passive and noninteractive.” A 2003 study found that toddlers and older children with screen media in their bedrooms learned to read later and read less than those with no screen media in their rooms
…many parents don’t know that the American Academy of Pediatrics has established guidelines that recommend no televisions, video games, or Internet access in children’s bedrooms; no screen media for children under two; and no more than two hours of educational television a day for children older than two.
“In the first 18 to 24 months of life, the brain is developing rapidly, primarily in response to environmental stimuli,” Strasburger says. “Stimuli that optimize the development of brain architecture include personal interactions, motor skills practice, and problem-solving activities. And the best way to teach these skills is not through screen media.”
Basically, by putting children in front of a TV not only are we harming their ability to live life outside of TV, but we’re actually hurting their brain development. And keep in mind the damage done to their minds is partially the result of individuals at television networks and video game companies looking to maximize a return on their investments by using the most explosive and horrific imagery. (I don’t don’t know what I think about the idea that video games make you more violent. I do think that unnecessary violence in media is just unnecessary).
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