Whether we like it or not media is
an integral part of children's lives today. There is so much influence of media
in our everyday lives that it is hard to not have kids exposed to television,
internet and video games. It is believed that American children on an average
spend four to five hours every day on some form of electronic media which
includes watching TV, being on the internet and playing video games. Today
media unarguably plays a role in kid’s development; and its influence could be
both favorable and unfavorable. In comparison to the favorable influencing, it’s
the unfavorable part that concerns most parents today. Due to
the negative effects of exposure to violent TV programming and video
games; parents continue to express their disgust over its influence on
young minds.
While studies have proved that all
media including television, video games, computers and the Internet, especially
when the contents are violent is harmful. But at the same time it is
unimaginable to not have kids exposed to it at all. The analysts have divided
opinion on as to how many hours of TV watching is appropriate; many profess no
exposure while others assert only a few hours a week. In fact, in a fast paced
digital age today where new technology and gadgets come to market an on almost
daily basis, more than ever there is a need for constant research to understand
the impact of new technological innovations and their influence on young minds.
There could be numerous topics and categories of research which could and
should be done when it comes to children and electronic media. For example,
considering the popularity and easy accessibility of mobile devices such as
tablets and smart phones along with the numerous kids friendly apps available
on these devices; the question is, if the old school thought of not exposing
kids to electronic media until age 5 or later, still valid. It is important to
learn, how much exposure kids need to have in different age groups to
various different devices? And not just to device itself, but also exposure to
a specific type of content (games, apps, videos, etc.) also needs to be
researched as different type of content can have an entirely different impact.
Considering that kids today are exposed to every device which comes to market,
what is the right time for parents to allow kids to either have access or
ownership of these devices? What kind of parental control or restrictions are
good to have and/or are justified and what is not. When any company or
manufacturer comes up with new technology or electronic media, in most cases
they have already had spent time researching the target market, but they may
also need to spend time and resources on understanding the impact to children
and these studies be published; and thus society/parents need to be aware of it
to make an informed decisions.
