What's in store,
media-wise, for our kids in 2007? My guess: high-quality,
kid-friendly entertainment from the movie theater to the
TV screen, to the computer, to the video game console. What
else? Probably innovative gadgets that make it easier to
keep in touch with their friends and, of course, their parents.
Shall I go on? How about new kid-centered Web sites and
educational electronic toys? This year, like every year
in the electronic age, technology will continue to evolve,
often to the benefit of families and kids.
Unfortunately, my predictions aren't all rosy, because as
surely as 2007 will yield amazing new opportunities for
kids, it will pose new dangers as well. I would also venture
to guess that the new year will bring even more graphic
killographic video games, rising child obesity statistics,
a growing number of video game addicts, and TV programs
that push the boundaries of good taste, not to mention a
continuing decay of the media rating systems and a higher
number of hours the average kid spends in front of a screen.
Even if we don't know for sure what's coming, we do understand
the impact of media on kids, thanks to a dedicated group
of scientists working on these issues. For instance, we
now know for sure that kids who spend a lot of time in front
of screens to do worse in school. A new study published
in the journal Pediatrics surveyed over 4,500 kids and found
that school performance dropped with an increase of weekday
television screen time and access to cable movie channels.
Kids did better in school when parents restricted the content
kids watched. And the kids who were allowed to watch R-rated
movies did worse than the kids whose parents didn't let
them watch movies rated R.
The new year brings even more evidence that the media can
be detrimental to kids' health. Another new study has found
the average kid watches one and a half hours of TV per day.
The authors of the study pointed out nearly a third of that
TV programming wasn't kid-friendly. Even more alarming,
other new research as found almost half of all "heavy
gamers," are six- to 17-years-old. As other research
has shown, heavy video game use can lead to serious addiction,
not to mention issues such as aggression, obesity and other
health problems.
Perhaps the most alarming new finding comes from a researcher
at Cornell University. The study suggests that TV viewing
by children three and under may lead to autism later in
life. This study, the first of its kind, underscores exactly
how critical media can be in the brain development of kids.
The lesson here? Whether you want your kids to have a good
chance in school, or if you want to protect them from health
risks, or if you want them to have the opportunity undergo
the brain development they need, my advice is the same:
watch what your kids watch. Make a New Year's Resolution.
Make 2007 a MediaWise year.
David Walsh, Ph.D. is the founder of the
MediaWise Movement, a program of the National Institute
on Media and the Family (www.mediawise.org).
His latest book, Why Do They Act That Way? A Survival
Guide to the Adolescent Brain for You and Your Teen,
is a national bestseller.
