What about television? We’re all familiar with the statistics:

• the number of hours the average American child will have spent watching TV by the time he or she finishes high school (approximately 15,000)
• the number of commercials those hours will include (approximately 350,000)
• the number of murders that will have been watched during those hours (approximately 18,000)

Television is indeed a pervasive force in our society. How is this force contained in your home? Does your family monitor the amount of time spent watching television or the types of programs viewed? Does this powerful media influence have a positive or negative effect on your family? Both, in fact, could be possible.

When used thoughtfully television can:

• bring a family together to relax and enjoy specific programs
• expose children to new information and ideas and stimulate family conversations

When used without restraint television might:

• become an escape from reality and a substitute for companionship and active play inhibiting creativity and personal growth
• influence children to want and buy things that are not good for them, or for which they have no genuine need

Some critical questions for parents to consider are:

• How much TV watching is enough? or too much?
• Which types of programs should be avoided?
• How do parents help children develop discernment about what they see on TV?

Here are some widely acknowledged principles about the answers to these questions:

• No matter how much TV per day or week is allowed, it’s not mentally healthy for any child to watch more than two hours at a time. Watching is a passive activity; life is far more productive for those who live it rather than observe it.
• Timing is as important as the amount of viewing. Family viewing may disrupt meal times together or replace dinner conversation. It may also replace bedtime stories or opportunities for evening family walks, games or reading together

Some of the most powerful influences of television are embedded in commercials, violence and the unrealistic way in which TV often portrays life. Watching programs with children gives parents opportunities to discuss the fallacies and inconsistencies that appear. Talk about assumptions and values behind commercials. Point out violence and the seriousness of violent behavior in real life. Counter stereotypical images of men, women, families, ethnic groups.

Finally, parents who are TV addicts themselves cannot expect their children to control their viewing. As with everything in life, modeling behaviors and attitudes is the most powerful way to influence children.