Mind Control - What TV is doing to our Children

TV has come a long way since The Ed Sullivan Show refused to show Elvis Presley below the waist due to those madly swiveling hips.

But for as much as the television landscape has changed, the central concerns about its effects on a child's psyche and behavior have not changed at all.

And neither have the questions about what responsible parents can do to keep their children from being exposed to inappropriate programs.
"Large corporations are into the market of delivering sex and violence to kids, and it's amazing how passive parents have become due to busy schedules or just ignorance,"
"When we were children, I remember Tom and Jerry bopping each other over the head with a mallet, and we laughed.
Today's shows are much more overtly violent and profane."
Despite this increase in violence levels on television, it is important to resist the temptation to simply blame violent programs for violent behavior.
"Research does not suggest that watching violence increases violent behavior, but it does suggest that some kids are at risk of translating what they see into behavior,"
"Parents should monitor their children and become more involved in their viewing, too often, the TV is used as a babysitter.
Know what your child is watching and limit their time in front of the TV – there is so much more to do than sit around it all day".

Making a Plan

Aside from paying closer attention and making rules to regulate viewing,
what can parents do to get their children's attention when it comes to implementing a change in viewing habits?

First, parents must familiarize themselves with what their children are watching, once a parent has a better grasp on exactly what is being watched, it is easier to determine which shows should be prohibited and to decide how to limit the number of overall hours children are watching.
　
"One system to limit TV would be to give kids a certain number of tokens each week, each of which can be exchanged for watching a half-hour of TV,"
"Educational shows might not require any tokens, while shows with greater Adult or Supervisory content might require two or three tokens."



Any system of limiting viewership is more likely to be successful if the following steps are followed:

Parents or other adults must be around enough of the time to supervise television watching.
Parents should sit down with children, communicate understanding about why the children enjoy these shows and then provide an explanation as to why they want to reduce television viewing.
Parents can offer healthy rewards for cooperating with the plan, such as a weekend trip to the bowling alley or some other outdoor activity.
Parents should encourage alternate activities to television viewing to prevent boredom or sibling squabbles.

Television is not harmful, it's just entertainment!

But can the steady flow of images watched nightly from television screens across the country be so easily dismissed as simply entertainment?

If the sheer volume of absorbed images is considered, how can what is shown on television have no effect on one's own mental images?

And if new mental images are created, shouldn't it be logical to say that they can have an effect on behavior?

But the argument that television has a significant effect on children should not rely on studies alone, but on common sense.

 When a child is placed in front of the television his focus cannot be diverted and his gaze cannot be broken.
That child only has eyes for the video screen.
The bright colors, quick movements and sudden flashes capture the child's attention.
Only the rare child finds the television completely uninteresting.
Even if only cartoons are watched, most children find the images presented on the television set mesmerizing.

Television programs have the power to influence a child's entire daily schedule.

"They say they that they go to school "after Huckleberry Hound,"
eat a TV dinner "during Gilligan's Island," and
go to bed "after Charlie's Angels,"
Their whole day is controlled by what's on TV!

"Each year children read less and less and watch television more and more.
In fact, Americans of all ages watch more television each year,"
　

"The typical child sits in front of the television about four hours a day -- and for children in lower socioeconomic families the amount of time thus spent is even greater.
In either case, the child spends more time with TV than he or she spends talking to parents, playing with peers, attending school, or reading books.
TV time usurps family time, play time, and the reading time that could promote language development."
　

A highly active child will remain inactive while watching TV because that is what the medium requires.
In order to receive stimulation from the television, the child must be passive, and accept the predetermined flow rate of the images.
Both mind and body are passive (called an alpha state) allowing the child to concentrate on the vast, and often fast, array of bright pictures.


If the most recent survey is accurate, the odds are that what children are watching is probably violent.
Viewing large amounts of TV violence does not necessary cause a child to act more violently, but it can contribute to promoting a view that violence is commonplace in everyday life as well as creating a heightened fear of being assaulted on the street.

Most kids plug into the world of television long before they enter school, two-thirds of infants and toddlers watch a screen an average of 2 hours a day kids under age 6 watch an average of about 2 hours of screen media a day, primarily TV and videos or DVDs kids and teens 8 to 18 years spend nearly 4 hours a day in front of a TV screen and almost 2 additional hours on the computer (outside of schoolwork) and playing video games.

The first 2 years of life are considered a critical time for brain development.
TV and other electronic media can get in the way of exploring, playing, and interacting with parents and others, which encourages learning and healthy physical and social development.


As kids get older, too much screen time can interfere with activities such as being physically active, reading, doing homework, playing with friends, and spending time with family
Of course, television, in moderation, can be a good thing: Preschoolers can get help learning the alphabet on public television, grade schoolers can learn about wildlife on nature shows, and parents can keep up with current events on the evening news. No doubt about it — TV can be an excellent educator and entertainer.

But despite its advantages, too much television can be detrimental:
Children who consistently spend more than 4 hours per day watching TV are more likely to be overweight.
Kids who view violent acts are more likely to show aggressive behavior but also fear that the world is scary and that something bad will happen to them.
TV characters often depict risky behaviors, such as smoking and drinking, and also reinforce gender-role and racial stereotypes.

Violence

To give you perspective on just how much violence kids see on TV, consider this:

The average American child will witness 200,000 violent acts on television by age 18.
Kids may become desensitized to violence and more aggressive.
TV violence sometimes begs for imitation because violence is often promoted as a fun and effective way to get what you want.
Many violent acts are perpetrated by the "good guys," whom kids have been taught to emulate.
Even though kids are taught by their parents that it's not right to hit, television says it's OK to bite, hit, or kick if you're the good guy.
This can lead to confusion when kids try to understand the difference between right and wrong.
And even the "bad guys" on TV aren't always held responsible or punished for their actions.

Young kids are particularly frightened by scary and violent images.
Simply telling kids that those images aren't real won't console them, because they can't yet distinguish between fantasy and reality.
Behavior problems, nightmares and difficulty sleeping may be a consequence of exposure to media violence.

Risky BehaviorsTV is full of programs and commercials that depict risky behaviors such as sex and substance abuse as cool, fun, and exciting.
And often, there's no discussion about the consequences of drinking alcohol, doing drugs, smoking cigarettes, and having premarital sex.

For example, studies have shown that teens who watch lots of sexual content on TV are more likely to initiate intercourse or participate in other sexual activities earlier than peers who don't watch sexually explicit shows.

Alcohol ads on TV have actually increased over the last few years and more underage kids are being exposed to them than ever.
And although they've banned cigarette ads on television, kids and teens can still see plenty of people smoking on programs and movies airing on TV.

This kind of "product placement" makes behaviors like smoking and drinking alcohol seem acceptable.
In fact, kids who watch 5 or more hours of TV per day are far more likely to begin smoking cigarettes than those who watch less than the recommended 2 hours a day.

Obesity

Health experts have long linked excessive TV-watching to obesity — a significant health problem today. While watching TV, kids are inactive and tend to snack.

They're also bombarded with ads that encourage them to eat unhealthy foods such as potato chips and empty-calorie soft drinks that often become preferred snack foods.

Studies have shown that decreasing the amount of TV kids watched led to less weight gain and lower body mass index (BMI — a measurement derived from someone's weight and height).






Commercials

From the junk food and toy advertisements during Saturday morning cartoons to the appealing promos on the backs of cereal boxes, marketing messages inundate kids of all ages.
And to them, everything looks ideal — like something they simply have to have.
It all sounds so appealing — often, so much better than it really is.

Under the age of 8 years, most kids don't understand that commercials are for selling a product.
Children 6 years and under are unable to distinguish program content from commercials, especially if their favorite character is promoting the product.
Even older kids may need to be reminded of the purpose of advertising.
　
Here are some practical ways to make TV-viewing more productive in your home:

1. Limit the number of TV-watching hours:
2. Stock the room in which you have your TV with plenty of other non-screen entertainment (books, kids' magazines, toys, puzzles, board games, etc.) to encourage kids to do something other than watch the tube.
3. Keep TVs out of bedrooms.
4. Turn the TV off during meals.
5. Don't allow kids to watch TV while doing homework.
6. Treat TV as a privilege to be earned — not a right.
Establish and enforce family TV viewing rules, such as TV is allowed only after chores and homework are completed.

Try a weekday ban.

Schoolwork, sports activities, and job responsibilities make it tough to find extra family time during the week. Record weekday shows or save TV time for weekends and you'll have more family togetherness time to spend on meals, games, physical activity, and reading during the week.

Set a good example

Check the TV listings and program reviews ahead of time
Choose shows that foster interest and learning in hobbies and education (reading, science, etc.).

Preview programs

Come up with a family TV schedule
Then, post the schedule in a visible area (e.g., on the refrigerator) so that everyone knows which programs are OK to watch and when.
 And make sure to turn off the TV when the "scheduled" program is over instead of channel surfing.

Watch TV together.
If you can't sit through the whole program, at least watch the first few minutes to assess the tone and appropriateness, then check in throughout the show.

Talk to kids about what they see on TV
"Do you think it was OK when those men got in that fight?
What else could they have done?
What would you have done?" Or,
"What do you think about how those teenagers were acting at that party?
 Do you think what they were doing was wrong?"
 If certain people or characters are mistreated or discriminated against, talk about why it's important to treat everyone fairly, despite their differences.
 You can use TV to explain confusing situations and express your feelings about difficult topics (sex, love, drugs, alcohol, smoking, work, behavior, family life).

Talk to other parents, your doctor, and teachers

Offer fun alternatives to television.
The possibilities for fun without the tube are endless — so turn off the TV and enjoy the quality time together.

How does Excessive Viewing of TV Affect Children?

Watching television does not increase attention, promote social skills, or foster creative play.
For older children, it is important to play, read, do homework, and talk with other children and adults for healthy development.
Language skills are best developed through reading and interaction with others.

The problem of obesity has risen.
Watching TV consumes only a few more calories than sleeping.

Becoming desensitized to real world violence.
Children imitate what they see on TV.

Recently, I read in the paper where a five year girl found her daddy's gun.
She walked into the kitchen and shot her mommy.
She couldn't understand why her mommy didn't get up like they do on TV.

Of course we cannot dismiss the power of advertising on our youth.
I cannot tell you the number of times I purchased something my seven year old daughter begged me to buy. Noticing weeks later it was tucked away never to be used again.

A perfect example was the Beanie Baby craze.
Between my wife and I we would run across town to pick the latest Beanie Baby.
Unbelievable how hypnotized we were by advertising to put a smile on our child's face.
Today, we have a bag full and they are stuffed in the attic.


And Finally!

I'll leave you with a video which includes an extract of a movie we all remember well 'NETWORK'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iEq00R1nK4

Respect for Authority - or to be exact - The lack of it!

If you take a look at our youth of today you can’t help but notice that they are the most disrespectful group of children this world has ever seen ...... Why?

Let's think about it for a while!
There's a lot of truth in the old saying 'The Devil makes work for idle hands'

Today's youth, don't get involved with scouting, sport or adventure clubs.
Today's recreation is Play Station etc, cell phone, chat forums, blaring music, junk food, Soda, ice-cream (no wonder our kids are Hyper-active)

Boredom leads to Apathy, Apathy leads to Contempt, Comtempt leads to Rebellion and Rebellion leads to Destructfulness.
ie. Boredom invariably leads to Distructive tendencies.

But it's not just boredom, we ourselves are partly to blame.

Before you start pointing fingers or making excuses as to why children are this way I want you to stop and look in the mirror.
What are you doing to teach your child/children respect?

I watch the way people interact with one another and towards one another. This includes children and adults.
I believe one of the problems is that parents do not respect their children and therefore children not only don’t respect their parents, they have no respect for anyone including themselves.

I am not saying that you don’t love your children or that you are a bad parent.
I'm simply saying that maybe as parents we aren’t paying attention to the way we interact with our children.

The best way to teach respect is show respect, not just to other adults but to your children.
Don’t confuse obedience with respect, fear also instills obedience.

If a child is not respectful at home, they are not going to be respectful outside of the home
When your child talks to you are you listening? or are you busy doing five other things
Listen to what they are saying. Pay attention to what they are doing.
Make eye contact with them, how many times have you said "Look at me when I am talking to you,"

If you let them know they are important enough to pay attention to, then they will do the same to you and others.
If you make a mistake, admit it and apologise, it may change a child's perception of you, that (in fact) you're not perfect, but it will show that everyone makes mistakes and when they do they are truthful about it and admit it.

Once parents have captured the hearts of their children through love and discipline they are ready to accept their instruction.
Children of parents who have won their hearts will learn, more or less by osmosis, the character of their parents.
If the parents have not won their hearts, they will absorb the character of the peer group with which they identify and the leaders whom they admire.

It is difficult for a rebellious parent to teach a child not to be rebellious or to teach qualities that the parents themselves don't have.

Use the acronym READ as a basis for our character instruction

Respect for authority,
Esteem others as better than yourself,
Admit when you are wrong, and
Diligence in all things

A child shows lack of respect for adults by interrupting adult conversations, this is often done by pulling continuously on Mother's arm while saying, "Mommie, Mommie, Mommie, Mommie, Mommie," repeatedly until Mommie gives the child her undivided attention.

The tragedy is that most parents are oblivious to this very prevalent way of showing disrespect to adults, and they will generally acknowledge the child immediately, even doing so when their adult friend is in mid-sentence.
　
A child who has something to say to a parent who is engaged in conversation should be trained to come and stand quietly beside his parent, making sure that his parent sees them.
At an appropriate time after the other party has completed a thought, the parent can say, "Excuse me one moment," and turn and acknowledge the child, who has been waiting patiently. After answering the child's question, the adult conversation can be resumed. The child's concern has been addressed, but at the parents discretion, not the child's.

A growing lack of adult authority has bred a 'spoilt generation' of children who believe grown-ups must earn their respect.
The rise of the 'little emperor' spans the class divide and is fuelling ills from childhood obesity to teenage pregnancy
Attempts to 'empower' children and a lack of discipline in the classroom have also fostered rising levels of violence, at home, at school and in the street.
Children are becoming increasingly violent and disrespectful towards their teachers, 'parent battering' is on the rise and
the number of policemen attacked by children is soaring.


Children of the spoilt generation are used to having their demands met by their parents and others in authority this has consequences in every area of society,
from the classroom to the workplace, the streets to the criminal courts and rehabilitation clinics.
These consequences are measurable - Britain now has the highest rates of child depression, child-on-child murder, underage pregnancy, obesity, violent and antisocial behaviour and pre-teen alcoholism since records began.

Some children thought to have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder might simply have never learnt how to behave?

Parents sometimes cannot invest the time in their kids that they should, when parents are out at work all the time their children are turning to peer groups to provide them with the family they need.

Have we been more concerned with becoming an affluent, successful country at the expense of investing in our family and our children?
　
Probably one of the most widespread social problems of our day is the lack of respect for authority.
This is blatantly evident in the youth culture of today and is often being re-enforced by TV programs and music lyrics.
We should not be surprised at this, as we are now the 2nd generation since the 60's sexual and drug revolution across the world, and we are reaping the harvest that our parents sowed.

In the 60's and 70's there was a massive shift in society values and core beliefs were thrown out and replaced by the philosophy of  'If it feels good do it'
There is little doubt that these actions were inspired by evil forces that are at work in the earth today.
Forces that are hell-bent on throwing out all God-ordained authority figures and replacing them with their own rule.

This is simply a continuation of the age old battle between good and evil that has been waged since the begining of time.
When chaos rules it becomes the 'law of the jungle' and only the strong survive.
Personal rights and liberties are lost and the person who has the biggest gun tells you how to live your life.

Respect for authority begins in the home, if your children are not taught to show respect for their parents then they will certainly not show respect for the authorities within government or the church etc.
It is easier for children to show respect to their parents if their parents are loving, fair and compassionate toward them.
The parents also need to practise what they preach if they are to have credibility in the children's eyes.

Teach your children to honour and respect the authorities in their lives, whether it be teachers, government, police or church authorities. Children do not always accept or understand logical reasoning.


Parents always wonder what kind of adults their children will grow up to be. Ultimately the person your child will become depends a lot on how you raise them.
If you discipline your child and teach him what is right and wrong then your child will grow up to respect authority, rules, and the like.


However, if you do not discipline your child he will grow up with no real respect for authority or what is right and wrong.
There are many other things that can happen to your children as a result of not being disciplined.
They may begin using alcohol and drugs at an earlier age, start hanging out with the wrong crowd, and exhibit all around poor behavior and bad choices.


So, discipline your children to give them the best chance in life.

What Is Respect:
  　
Respect means a lot of different things.
On a practical level it includes taking someone's feelings, needs, thoughts, ideas, wishes and preferences into consideration.

We might also say it means taking all of these seriously and giving them worth and value.
In fact, giving someone respect is similar to valuing them and their thoughts, feelings, etc.
It also includes acknowledging them, listening to them, being truthful with them, and accepting their individuality and idiosyncrasies.

Respect is like a boomerang in the sense that you must send it out before it will come back to you.

Showing and Earning Respect:
For this process to work efficiently several things are required.
For example:

1. Each person must be aware of their own feelings; i.e. know how they feel.
2. They must be able to express their feelings.
3. They must know how to listen non-judgmentally & non-defensively.
4. They must know how to validate feelings.
5. They must believe that feelings have value.
6. They must believe that feelings matter.
　
Give your children the opportunity to solve their own problems without underestimating them,
in particular:

1. Avoid telling them what to do
2. Avoid telling them what they 'need' to or 'should do
3. Avoid giving them unsolicited advice, sermons and lectures
　
Remember that the most effective way of finding out how well your efforts are working is to simply ask, "On a scale of 1 -10, how do you feel that I respect you?"

If you have created a safe environment, you are likely to get an honest answer.
Then if it is lower than 10, you can ask,

"What would help you feel more respected?"

Then you have the specific information you need to improve your 'rating.'
people are more than willing to express themselves when asked such a question.
And the answers are typically articulate, and more than often very surprising.
　
Teach respect - Start today!