Why screen time can hurt your child

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Parents who think their children are safe because they are watching television or playing computer games may be kidding themselves.

That is the message from United States adolescent medicine specialist Prof Vic Strasburger, who has written extensively on the effects of television on children and adolescents.

He is visiting the University of Otago.

"Parents think kids are safe if they are watching television.

"They are not out partying or in a dangerous neighbourhood where some pervert is going to abduct them from the playground, but they are not safe in front of the TV set unless you make them safe."

Parents needed to understand the media could have an impact on virtually every aspect of teenagers' lives which was of concern, such as sex, alcohol and other drug use, obesity, aggression, school achievement and suicide, he said.

The influence and pressure exerted by the media on adolescents at present made it more difficult to parent teenagers than at any other time - "other than wartime", he said.

Controlling exposure to media and ensuring young people were "media literate" should begin when children were young.

It was much easier to have an impact on children when they were 5, rather than waiting until they were 15.

Prof Strasburger cautioned against exposing babies under the age of 2 to "screen time".

There was no evidence screen time for children under the age of 2 resulted in babies who were smarter or who learned language faster, but there were six published studies showing it could result in language delays.

Prof Strasburger practises what he preaches.

His own children, a daughter aged 16 and son aged 19, were both media literate, he said.

He and his wife had limited the amount of television they watched when young .

The American Academy of Paediatrics advised no more than one hour or two hours' total screen time a day for young children, including such things as video games.

The average American child spent seven hours a day on all media combined, whereas New Zealand children spent around two or three hours on television, with another hour on videos or video games.

Research on the impact of the media was not new, with research on media violence dating back to the 1950s.

Up to 3500 studies had been done on the subject, with fewer than 30 showing there was no impact on children.

Children in the United States saw 20,000 murders, rapes or beatings a year, just from watching television.

The tolerance for violence and sex scenes had also changed in movie ratings over the years - "We have all been desensitised".

Prof Strasburger said he had not let his children watch any violent movies or television until they were aged 12 to 14.

Research suggested such exposure should not occur before the age of 8 and he had decided to be "safer".

To help their children use media wisely, parents needed to be aware of what children were watching and to use the opportunities which arose to talk about subjects such as violence, sex and drug use.

"Instead of having to give a big lecture about sex or drugs or smoking, it is much easier to be watching something with them and asking 'What do you think about that? 'Why is she doing that?'

One of the difficulties in getting people to address the issue was what is known as the "third person effect".

This meant that while most people could accept that media could affect people's behaviour, they were less inclined to think it affected them or their own families.

"The next door neighbours' kids might be influenced, but not theirs. Theirs are smarter."

If parents discussed with their children what was and was not acceptable in the media from an early age, if they later had the opportunity to access something unacceptable, "a little built-in button" would go off in their heads saying: "Mom wouldn't want you to do that".

Prof Strasburger said he did not see the issue as a "nanny state" one.

"It's a public health issue. It's not good or bad or right or wrong. It's public health 101. Your children are bathed in media."

There were some good television programmes and movies, but they were "few and far between".

He was critical of advertising geared towards children and adolescents.

"One of the things that bothers me most about the mainstream media is that it is still seen as funny to get drunk."

Alcohol advertisements were often very funny and aimed at adolescent males.

Public service advertisements needed to be as clever and funny if they were to compete with that.

If changes were to occur, it would involve more than input from parents.

"It's Hollywood and the entertainment industry. It's everybody. It's everybody putting the public health of children and teenagers above making tons of money, which is a difficult concept for a lot of people."

As well as writing more than 120 articles and eight books on adolescent medicine and the effects of television on children and adolescents, Prof Strasburger, of Albuquerque, is also a novelist.

He has one published novel Rounding Third and Heading Home, two unpublished novels and is "starting out" on what will be either another novel or a book of short stories.

"If you want to write fiction, you don't have a choice - you're compelled to do it."

• This week, Prof Strasburger gave the first of two public seminars during his Dunedin visit on public health and the media.

Next week, he will speak about adolescent medicine.

- elspeth.mclean@odt.co.nz


Parental tips
- Do not underestimate the possible influence of media on your children.
- Don't have television sets or computers in children's bedrooms.
- Limit the time and content of television and computer game exposure.
- Avoid television use for children under 2; concentrate instead on talking, playing, singing and reading.
- Discuss television programmes/advertisements with children from an early age.
- Make the most of opportunities which may arise when watching television or movies to discuss issues including attitudes to sex, alcohol and drug use, smoking and violence.
- Don't think that the influence of media is something which affects other people's children and not yours.

 

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