Television and exposure to violence: What you can do?

By the age of 18 most kids have been seen hundreds of thousands of acts of violence on television. And that is not all. Most, if not all, children's movies contain violence too. The fact that children see this much violence is very alarming. It is especially troubling for young children. For them the difference between reality and fantasy is blurred. Young children are prone to reenacting violence they see on TV. In fact, the link between media violence and aggression is very strong. It is as strong as the link between smoking and lung cancer! Children may also develop sleep problems or fears due to violence they see on TV or movies.

So you may be wondering what you can do to protect your child?

• Limit how much TV your child watches. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children watch no more than 1-2 hours of television per day. This includes television, videos/DVDs, computer time, and video games. Children younger than 1 year should not watch any television. Children 1-3 should watch no more than 1/2 hour of television.
• Monitor what your children watch. If your TV has a V-chip, use it. It can allow your children to only watch certain channels. Use the rating guides for movies and television programs. If you are not sure if something is appropriate, watch it yourself first.
• Don't allow a TV in your child's room.
• Put TV's and computers in rooms with a lot of traffic where you can easily monitor what is being viewed.
• Encourage your children to get active. Help them get involved in reading, sports and art activities instead of watching TV. Do this when they are young.
• When your children are older, discuss violent or disturbing things they may see on TV or in movies. This will help them understand what they have seen.