Article Link -- http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/11/28/daycare.children.tv/index.html
Most of us would say yes, but in truth, we don't really care that it's happening.
So what makes it so different then if we're dropping these kids at a daycare center versus leaving them at home to stair at the boob-tube?
Not a whole lot, really.
New research published in the December issue of the journal Pediatrics found that kids in child care settings could be watching as much as 2.4 hours of television on an average day.
What does that mean to the typical family? Not a good sign as far as personally interacting with children this generation.
"They really want to believe that they leave their children there, it's preparing them for school, it's a stimulating, enriching environment. And I don't know that they're aware that in fact, a lot of time is spent watching TV."
Meaning, kids aren't learning the basic values and responsibilities of society. We're letting television teach preschoolers what is right and wrong, good and bad, and even how to deal with the opposite sex!
And we wonder why kids even at the age of 12-16 are already have sex? It may very well be true.
Let's face it, television shows desensitize us from everything. Has anyone every noticed how Nickelodeon shows are now mostly about the teenage life? It used to show cartoons, things we laughed at, with no strings attached (comical kid humor)! Regardless that's not the issue at hand; the concern lies at how much time these toddlers/preschoolers/children are being exposed to television... Hours at a time.
In relation to the time spent, how much time is used in productive activities? Socializing with other kids or playing with educational games that would promote the use of logic and so forth.
"In terms of rapid brain development, TV is a relatively impoverished environment for stimulating optimal brain development," said Dr. Michael Rich, a pediatrician and director of Center on Media and Child Health at the Children's Hospital Boston, who is not associated with the latest study. "The kids are never forced to stimulate or use their own imaginations. They're used to pre-processed fictional worlds. They often don't develop the habit of imaginary play."
Especially at such a young age, we want kids to encourage the use of imaginary play, promoting creativity. By being predisposed to these 'fictional-worlds', kids are less likely to use a viable, practical approach to certain situations that would come up in every day life. Some people who work at day care centers even claimed to promote the use of televisions, thinking it would be a good tool for educational and entertaining purposes.
"We as a culture still believe that TV time is benign, that it's OK,"
When, we know it's NOT. All we're doing with these children is drowning their minds in impractical scenarios of a social situation. When was the last time we ever had a monkey companion that spoke Spanish that guides you through adventures?
While children could be watching educational programs like "Sesame Street," pediatricians say TV viewing takes time away from more critical and interactive abilities that are more conducive to development.
Conducive, such as a dad teaching his son how to apply logical thinking to something, or even teaching these children positive habits through reinforcements of rewards. Developmental stages are a key factor in how children will become in their later years... Do we want our children to be taught by a piece of electronic equipment about how harsh reality can be? Most likely, no.
We also have to worry about kids staying home, becoming fat from the lack of physical activity, and even the possibility of underdeveloped social skills.
Further reports also claimed that there's going to be an environmental difference between a home-based daycare and a central program-based daycare. With finance being an issue, the lack of staff members to take cares of these kids becomes a concern (specially in home-based day care centers), leading to the assumption that TV can keep them preoccupied while 'teaching' them certain aspects of culture, life, family, and so forth.
Simple solution(s) that we can further emphasize on:
- - Limit times specifically with television exposure.
- - Promote interaction with other kids rather than looking at the whole situation as an inconvenience.
- - Calculate expenditures of these daycares and redistribute the finances to where it needs to be, especially child development.
- - Notify parents about the lack of relationship development and parenting itself.
Even if I just skimmed the top of the issue, it most likely has been brought-up many times as a growing concern.
(Look at internet addiction, gaming addiction, family values, etc).
With that being said, children of the later generation are going to become mindless zombies if we keep this up. Authorities and specially parents need to focus as to what crap is being spoon-fed to your child in these daycare centers. For all we know, if could be pornography!
(Zombie-apocalypse coming to a neighborhood near you)? Picture relevant.
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