Wednesday, January 12, 2000
Screening TV for kids
Content on shows - and commercials - has area parents monitoring what's on and for how long
BY CINDY KRANZ
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Just about the time media-conscious Tristate parents settle in to watch a family show with their children, along comes Pete Rose “urinating” on their television.
The controversial commercial, which aired last fall, showed Mr. Rose and two WEBN-FM radio personalities having a suggestive conversation while standing at urinals. So even if parents carefully choose family fare on television, they say commercials push the envelope.
“My No. 1 problem with media is commercials!” says Michele Beuerlien of Anderson Township. “I can exercise all the control I want about what shows, channels, hours, or movies my kids are seeing, but it doesn't do much good when commercials spew out the "juicy bits' at all hours, even in the middle of "safe' shows.
“Ads for teen soaps assault us with "glamorous' immorality, and some movie ads — American Pie in particular — border on pornographic. I am not a prude by any means, but I really resent my young teens being immersed in these images and messages, even if they are not watching the shows themselves.”
A recent Kaiser Family Foundation study revealed the typical American child spends nearly 51/2 hours a day consuming media outside of school, including television, computers, video games, music and reading material. What's more, 65 percent of kids 8 and older have a TV in their bedroom, and nearly that many say their parents have no set rules about TV watching.
We asked the Enquirer's Family Page Internet reader panel about media influence, what concerns them most and how they control use. Do they monitor what their child is watching on TV or doing on the computer?
Definitely, says Cheryl Ware of Kennedy Heights. She says she allows her 11-year-old daughter, Dorian, to watch TV about two to three hours total during weekdays, giving Dorian more time for homework. Dorian watches more on weekends.
“I don't let her watch hard rap videos, but Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys are OK. That's what she's into.”
When Dorian does watch TV, her mother gives her credit for choosing good programs.
“She has pretty good taste as far as what she watches,” Ms. Ware says. “She loves I Love Lucy reruns. She's in there cracking up. She loves The Brady Bunch. She can't believe those shows were on when I was a kid.”
Here's what a sampling of other parents had to say:
• Debbie Bailey, West Chester:
“How can a parent not be concerned is what concerns me. It seems there is a "What can I do' attitude that allows kids to do what they want. Who is in charge?
“I have two teen-agers (a boy, 16, and a girl, 13) and neither has a computer or TV in their room. They have to ask permission to use the family computer, which is isolated in a home office. Television is not allowed on school nights, even if they say their homework is done. If I cannot get them to read themselves, I still will read an interesting magazine article to them.
“They each have a stereo in their rooms, and I have concerns over the music my son listens to. I have found parental advisory CD's in his room and have taken them back to the store for a refund if new, and removed if I find one he has hidden from me. When they have overnights, I do not allow an R-rated movie unless I have seen it first ... If I do allow an R movie and my kids have a friend over, I call the parents and ask them if it's OK. I set the timer on the TV and do not allow "all-nighters.' I will stand at the doorway and wait for them to sleep if there is too much commotion, and I do not trust they will leave the TV off.
“If they go to someone's house and there will be videos, I call the parents to find out what videos will be shown and do not allow them to go if I do not approve. Obviously, I cannot protect them from everything.
“But my stance is clear to my teen-agers and to the families they associate with. Just by taking initiative, I hope other parents will notice and take similar control. How else can we send the right messages to our kids? The sexual, violent, mean-spirited characters on TV are extremely influential, and I still have the right to show and tell my kids it is not OK.”
• Tracey McCaffrey, Independence:
“My husband and I are extremely concerned about TV today and what we allow our 71/2 year old to watch. We have found that many shows are geared toward teen-agers or pre-teens, yet 6, 7, 8 and 9-year-olds are watching programs containing inappropriate material ... Seemingly harmless shows or cartoons may often repeat words “stupid,” “shut up” and “idiot. (from Rugrats).
“We feel these shows are simply a waste of a child's time, which could be spent doing something more constructive like reading, making crafts or drawing. We limit our daughter's TV time, and often she is searching for something to watch and nothing educational is on, we simply turn the TV off and get out a game or puzzle.It's that easy. She's always excited to spend time with mom or dad one-on-one doing these activities.
“She is allowed to watch one-half hour after school of an educational animal show she loves, Zaboomafoo, before she starts her homework. Only occasionally will she watch anything before her 8:30 bedtime. Sometimes she'll put on a video. We never assume that just because something is on the Disney Channel that it is appropriate for all ages. Many of the nighttime shows are PG.
“If kids are involved in extracurricular activities, such as sports, Girl/Boy Scouts, choir, etc. they don't have the time to sit around and watch endless television. Physical activity, team sports and volunteering are an excellent way for your child to feel "involved' and often increase their self-esteem and self-image.
“Our main goal as parents is to raise a bright, articulate, well-rounded "involved' child. Too much TV has just the opposite effect.”
• Bob Coffey, College Hill:
“Two things disturbed me about the TV. First is the content. My family and I could be watching a wonderful show that was entertaining and delightful but then the commercials would come on advertising another show that was foul. Of course the commercial would show the ugliest parts of the show to shock people into watching it. But worse than that was that the TV robbed our family of time. We could watch two hours of TV with no family interaction.
“I have 10 children and would rather they were fussing at each other than staring passively at the tube. We did our best to control it for time and content but that was almost a full-time job.
“Finally we pitched the TV. Our children read more books for entertainment, but more importantly, while I am writing this my wife and three of the children are in the living room talking to each other, telling stories about their day. That is priceless and would be less likely to happen with the temptation of the TV present.”
• Elaine Olund, Clifton:
“I'm very concerned about the effect of the media on my two children (ages 4 and 7)! While I have not banned television completely, we have rules about how much TV, and what can be watched. The average amount they watch in a week is about 3-5 hours. That's total, not per day. No TV at all is allowed on school days.
“One area of great concern to me is the ever-increasing number of videos, software and TV show targeting very, very young children, even infants. I think that if respected sources such as PBS are endorsing shows such as Teletubbies, it puts a stamp of approval on media-use by very young children.
“Widely circulated magazines, such as Parents and Parenting routinely review and applaud videos and software for the 3-and-under set as well. That all flies in the face of recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics, which recently suggested no TV or videos at all for very young children.
“I think all this early viewing saps imaginations and shortens attention spans. In the best-case scenario, it takes away from valuable time that could be spent doing what children have always done, which is to interact with the world around them. In the worst case scenario it exposes very impressionable young minds to horrible acts of violence and terrible moral influences. It is physically damaging as well. Obesity rates in children are rising, and many studies (and common sense) point at the sedentary culture of ours as a primary cause.
“After reading that the majority of school-age kids have TVs and no rules about what and how much they watch, I'd say that my greatest concern about children and the media is this: Why aren't more parents worried about this?”
• Marc Morgan, White Oak:
“I can hardly believe that 65 percent of kids over 8 years old have a TV in their bedroom. That is just incredible! There is no way that will happen in our house. We have two daughters, ages 9 and 7, and we closely monitor what they watch. Some of their favorite programs are re-runs of The Brady Bunch, I Love Lucy, Happy Days, Growing Pains and other family suitable shows.
“I don't think there's any excuse for parents not being involved in what their children watch on TV. We have cable and have blocked out anything rated PG-13 or worse. Yes, once in a while they see something we object to while at a friend's house, but that's a little hard to control.
“As far as video games, we have Nintendo 64, but the most violent thing they've played is a couple of car-race type games. No Street Fighter or Mortal Combat type of garbage.
Also, they don't even know the password to log on to the Internet, so if the need arises for them to look something up, my wife or myself are right there with them. With so many ways and options for kids to be exposed to objectionable material these days, yes, we have to work harder than our parents did to keep them from the garbage, but it is definitely worth it.”
• Teresa B. Kraimer, Liberty Township:
“There are many things about the influence of media that disturb me. Basically, I'm concerned that the media robs our children of the innocence of childhood. They are viewing, hearing and having to process events, situations and language that is, at best, meant for adults. At worst, it assaults us all with lowered cultural standards in the name of entertainment or information.
“That doesn'ts even touch on the hours of advertising bombarding and influencing children as they watch. I recommend Michael and Diane Medved's book, Saving Childhood, to all parents. It is excellent on this subject.
“In our family, we don't make TV an important part of our lives. It is not on during the day. My 5 and 4 year olds watch one or two half-hour shows on PBS a day. As a treat, they may sometimes watch a video. In the evenings, we play or make music, read books, play games, do crafts or take walks, and the TV is rarely on.
“Making relationships with God, family and others a priority doesn't leave a lot of time for TV. Protecting the innocence of my children (and myself) from media has become paramount to me.”
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