Where Do We Draw The Line?

Television and its affects on children have been alarming parents since the 1950s. I think that it’s safe to say that most parents still like to have some control over what it is that their children are watching. In today’s society, not only do parents have to worry about monitoring the television shows that consume most of their children’s time, with the exception of sleep. Now they also have to worry about what affects other technological advancements like video games have on their kids. Are the issues American children face going to cause parents to have to put an end to television all together?

I don’t think that myself or anyone else will ever encounter an individual that has not watched TV before. I myself love television, I know exactly when it is that my favorite shows are playing and I make sure that if I don’t get to watch a show during its scheduled air time I record it and watch it later. I have never thought of television affecting my life directly, but I’m sure I could name a thousand reasons why parents have always been alarmed. I find it astounding that children at the age of 12 are watching up to four hours of television! When I was young I remember being outside most of the afternoon, after being in school all day the last thing I wanted to do was be indoors.

The media has put a spotlight on some of the negative affect technological advancements have had on this generation’s youth. I’m sure that most people are aware that America is one, if not the most obese country in the world. Why is that? I feel that a major contribution could be all of the play stations and game boys that encourage children to just sit in front of the television rather than be active and play outside. According to the website, Obesity in America, “Over the past 20 years, the proportion of overweight children ages six through 11 has more than doubled and the rate for adolescents ages 12 through 19 has tripled.” Ironically those numbers aren’t shocking, look at all of the ways fast food restaurants gear their ads on TV commercials toward children. Whether it be McDonalds with the characters or Dairy Queen with the funny lips, I think that it has become second nature for Americans to opt for fast food. Maybe it’s simply because fast food is easier, or maybe the amount of time we spend in front of the TV watching those ads over and over again real us in.

I think that another issue that television can expose children to is the concept of modeling in terms of violence. There are a lot of great movies and shows on TV that are fine for adults to watch, but not necessarily children. Take the new Batman movie, “The Dark Knight” for example. It was a great movie, but maybe not for a 13-year-old child. Some of the scenes even made me a little uneasy. Another classic example is the video game, Grand Theft Auto. Definitely too violent for children, my nephew has unfortunately gotten to play it before and now all he wants to do is shoot everyone.

I think that we will encounter problems like this one for many years to come, the question is, where do we draw the line?