My aiding partner and I discussed this article with our supervising teacher. Although it seems like a no brainer, that kids who watch more tv are less active, it is surprising to see an actual study done on it and the direct correlation in test scores based on hours of television. Many people believe that it's just that the amount of time spent watching tv is just less time the child spends doing homework or being active, but the fact is is that television can affect the way the brain works.
It seemed that our PE teacher believed that not only will it affect their scores in the classroom, but watching tv highly affects how active a student is. It seems obvious to say that if a child is watching tv, they are spending less time going outside and being active but the truth of the matter is that by watching tv, they are stunting their development in other ways that can lead to lack of physical activity as well. Our supervising teacher also believes that some tv is alright, as long as it's educational, but the best thing to do is to be active and be involved with other children because social interaction is an important part of growing up too. He also felt the if parents limit the amount of tv their child watches at any age, it could help the obesity rates. He also felt that students that participate in other clubs and in other aspects of school are more likely to participate in PE. He says that being active should be part of a lifestyle, not just a class, and when students are doing well in other aspects of their lives, then they will be more comfortable with themselves and will be more likely to be healthy mentally, physically, and emotionally.
The problem is, with so many different tv shows on now, kids are more likely to be sitting in front of the tv rather than getting out there and doing something. If this happens at young ages, then it can stunt their development and be a problem later on in life.
Why aren't parents more concerned with this finding?
I can definitely agree a lot with what you have to say! I remember early in middle school I watched several tv shows and often centered my schedule around school, sports, and lost. However, when I got into high school, I found my schedule got so busy that I decided there was better things go occupy my time than laying alone in front of the tv. And you know what? I filled my spare time with more activities and involving friends. I turned out to be much happier. But I will no discourage the History and Discovery Channel=)
ReplyDeleteOne reason I believe that parents are not concerned with this finding is that when children are younger, placing them in front of the tv makes doing other things much easier. Place little jane in front of a movie and she is occupied for two hours. And maybe they are concerned when when the kids get older, but by that time it may be too late when the child enters the "I do what I want" stage. How did your parents feel about tv?
I think parents are stretched to thin, especially in this economy. The more a parent has to work, the more the TV might become the baby sitter/the parent not having any time for there kid. Although I never was allowed to watch very much tv growing, if my parents were ever stressed and needed the kids to have a good distraction so they could get work done, they would put in a movie. Maybe Television isn't the problem, maybe it is what is playing on the television that is the problem. There are some pretty violent shows out there. I truly believe that a child shouldn't watch any tv really, but tv may not be the direct problem, the media and the show very well could be.
ReplyDelete