This week's topic: Taming the TV and Video Games
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Taming the TV and Video Games
June 21, 2009 (Sunday)
Host: Every parent eventually asks themselves how much television and video games are too much. To help shed some light on this topic, we are fortunate to have with us again licensed social worker Jim Clark, who is also the President and CEO of daniel memorial, Florida’s oldest child-service agency. Welcome back Jim!
Jim: Thanks! It’s great to be here.
Host: Jim, we have often talked about how to be a responsible parent and I know that many parents struggle with the issues of TV and video games – how much are kids really watching/playing and is it a problem?
Jim: Actually, according to the National Institute on Media and the Family, children are spending more time in front of computer, television, and game screens than ANY other activity in their lives except sleeping.
Host: How can parents control and influence the TV shows that their children are watching?
Jim:
(1)SET SOME GUIDELINES ABOUT WHEN AND WHAT CHILDREN WATCH: Communicate with your kids about what they want to watch and why to get their perspective, keeping in mind the final call belongs to you the adult. Remember, the clearer the rules (i.e., no TV before school, or until homework is completed, etc.), the better. There are several ways to assure these rules are followed, such as learning how to use the parental controls on your TV, on gaming systems and on the Internet. A good site for information on this is:
For TV controls: TVBlanket.com
(2) KEEP TV OUT OF KIDS' BEDROOMS: It is difficult to monitor what your children are watching when they are watching TV in their own room. Having a TV in a child's room discourages participation in family activities and encourages them to watch TV when they could be studying, reading, or sleeping. Ideally, watching at least some of what your children are watching with them is best so you can ensure the show is appropriate and so it becomes something you can share together, joke or talk about.
(3) PUT THE FAMILY ON A TV DIET: Schedule some fun alternative activities, such as traditional board or cards games, even if it’s only one night per week. When you do watch television, watch it with your children.
Host: So many video games are full of violence. What do you suggest for parents wanting to monitor the content of the video games their child is playing?
Jim:
(1)RENT a game to preview before buying it for your child.
(2)PICK non-lethal games that require the player to come up with strategies, and make decisions in a game environment that is more complex than punch, run, and kill.
(3)PLAY AND ENJOY the game with your child; check in as your child moves into deeper levels in the game. (With some games the level of violence goes up the deeper into the game the player gets.)
(4) USE PARENTAL CONTROLS WHEN AND IF NECESSARY
Practically all the video games have parental controls that are easy to use. Check out
GetGame Smart.com under their family tools section – there’s a list of parental control
instructions for most popular games there. For internet controls, there are a number of parental control filters you can buy – so it’s likely best to just google “Parental Controls for the Internet” and analyze what’s best for your needs and budget.
Host: Thanks Jim, for more extensive information on this subject (including web sites that offer step by step instructions on using parental controls for video games and television) check danielkids.org or news4jax.com.
Note: Links:
Video Game Parental Control Instructions: http://www.esrb.org/about/news/downloads/ESRB_PTA_Brochure-web_version.pdf
TV Parental Control:
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