Children And Television

Did you know?

• 99% of American families have TV sets and the average household owns 2.83 television sets (Television Bureau of Advertising, 2008.)
  
  
• 68% of K-12 students have a screen (TV or video game or video player) in their rooms and 28% of babies under two (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2005)
  
  
• American children, ages 8-18, watch television on average 3-4 hours a day. TV-watching is highest among 8-10 year olds who watch over 4 hours a day (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2005).
  
  
• Television is the top after school activity chosen by children ages 8 to 18 (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2005).
  
  
• 69% of children’s programming contains violence. Children’s programs with violence contain an average of 14.1 violent acts per hour. (Wilson, 2002).
  
  
• Children and general programs contain similar amounts of indirect and verbal aggression, but neither are considered when creating ratings for children’s programs (Linder, 2009).
  
  
• 67% of children’s programs that contained physical aggression were not correctly rated, with one program containing 53 acts of aggression in 1 hour (Linder, 2009).
  
  
• Only 1 in 8 Children's Educational TV Programs Meet High Quality Standards (Children Now, 2008).
  
  
• Children’s Television Programming is limited to 10.5 minutes per hour of advertising on weekends and 12 minutes per hour on weekdays because of the Children’s Television Act of 1990 (Federal Communications Commission, 2009).
  
  
• 60% of kids ages 8-18 report that their parents do not know what they are watching on television (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2005).
  
  
• Over 50% of American Children have a television in their bedroom. Having a television in the bedroom can increase television viewing time 9 hours per week (Epstein, 2008).
  
  
• Children with bedroom TVs score lower on school tests, are more likely to have sleep problems, and are more likely to be overweight or start smoking (Parker-Pope, 2008).
  
  
• Adolescents who watch higher amounts of TV are more likely to develop symptoms of depression in adulthood (Primack, 2009).
  
  
• Television programming can be controlled on most TV’s, whether it is using V-chips, cable, or satellite controls. For more information regarding how to set up controls or to learn more about ratings see the National Institute on Media and the Family’s Parent Guides (Parent Ratings and MediaWise Parent Controls Guide).

Television remains a focal point for children's media entertainment. The FCC's (Federal Communication Commission) "Three Hour Rule" requires that broadcasters air a minimum of three hours a week of educational and informational (E/I) television for children. However, studies have shown that the amount of violence in children's shows remains high and that not all children's programming deserves the E/I label.

Some tips to foster healthy media use include:

• To prevent impulse watching, use the TV guide before turning on the set.
  
  
• Videotape TV shows for your child, so they have a backup when there is nothing appropriate on the television for them to watch.
  
  
• Children need active play to promote their developmental, physical and social skills. (American Academy of Pediatrics)
  
  
• Keep television sets out of children's bedrooms.
  
  
• Two hours of quality television programming per day is the maximum recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
  

• Children Now, (2008). Educationally/Insufficient?: An analysis of the availability & educational quality of children's E/I programming. Retrieved June 11, 2009, Web site: http://publications.childrennow.org/assets/pdf/cmp/eireport/eireport08_executivesummary.pdf
  
  
• Epstein, L.H., Roemmich, J.N., Robinson, J.L., Paluch, R.A., & Winiewicz, D.D. (2008). A Randomized Trial of the Effects of Reducing Television Viewing and Computer Use on Body Mass Index in Young Children. Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 162, Retrieved June 11, 2009, from http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/162/3/239.
  
  
• Federal Communications Commission, (2008, October 21). Children's Educational Television: FCC Consumer Facts. Retrieved June 11, 2009, Web site: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/childtv.html
  
  
• Kaiser Family Foundation (2005, March). Generation M: Media in the lives of eight to eighteen year olds. Available online at: http://www.kff.org/entmedia/entmedia030905pkg.cfm (last visited 06/18/09).
  
  
• Linder, J.R, & Gentile, D.A (2009). TV Ratings for Kids' Shows Don't Reflect Aggressive Content. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, Retrieved June 18, 2009, from http://www.drdouglas.org/page_resources_articles_2009lgabs.html.
  
  
• Parker-Pope, Tara (2008, March 4). New York Times: A One-Eyed Invader in the Bedroom. Available Online at: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/health/04well.html (last visited 06/01/09).
  
  
• Primack, B.A, Swanier, B, Georgiopoulos, A.M, Land, S.R, & Fine, M.J (2009). Association Between Media Use in Adolescence and Depression in Young Adulthood. Archives of General Psychiatry, 66, Retrieved June 18, 2009, from http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/66/2/181.
  
  
• Strasburger, V. C. & Donnerstein, E. (1999, January). Children, adolescents, and the media: Issues and solutions. Pediatrics, 10, 129.
  
  
• Television Bureau of Advertising (2008). Media trends track: TV basics: TV sets per household. Accessed at: http://www.tvb.org/rcentral/mediatrendstrack/tvbasics/07_5_TV_Per_HH.asp (last visited 05/28/09).
  
  
• Wilson, Barbara J., (March 2002). Violence in Children’s Television Programming: Assessing the Risks. Journal of Communication, March 2002. Available online at: http://www.sosparents.org/wilson%20article.pdf (last visited 06/01/09).

Last revised: June 2009