4 smart TV tips for parents

Contrary to popular opinion, a lot of scientific research shows watching television might be good for children. And with the technological options available, parents have more control than ever over the types of programming their children view.

In most instances, parents can set content controls. With the CenturyLink Prism TV system, for example, a parent can block specified programs, unless the viewer enters a PIN number to override the block. Parents can block designated channels, restrict shows by rating or prohibit viewing during specified times.

That’s all great news. Instead of allowing children to view whatever programming happens to be on the tube, parents can choose the types of programs they want their children to watch and the times they can be in front of the television.

Here are some steps parents can take to make sure television viewing is productive:

Monitor the programming

Aletha Huston, a professor of child development at the University of Texas, researched the link between children and television for 25 years. Her conclusion is the content children view is far more influential than the amount of time they spend watching television.

Huston noted while research shows educational television can have a positive impact on young children, general audience programming had no measurable benefit to children in the same age groups.

Understand your child’s interests

Potsdam University psychology professor Ulrich Schiefele wrote, “For children to learn from television they must first be interested in the topic. When children are interested in what they are learning, the learning is more complete, meaningful and long term.” Schiefele’s research found interested learners spent more time and effort on the process, internalized the meaning more fully, and inevitably felt better about what they learned.

To make television time effective, parents need to study programs and schedules to make certain children have access to shows matching their interests. Having a child watch two hours of a congressional hearing on CSPAN is not likely to make him or her want to learn more about history or the political process.

Impose time limits

Just because children can learn from watching television does not mean they should have unlimited access. In fact, a study cited in an article for medscape.com found two hours a day is the maximum. Dr. Jean Wiecha, deputy director of the prevention research center on nutrition and physical activity at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, said, “More than two hours of viewing time may have health consequences for children, such as obesity.”

Make sure to communicate

No matter how closely parents supervise, television programming will expose children to negative imagery such as violence, inappropriate sexual messages, drug use, racism, stereotypes, etc. Healthychildren.org recommends using such exposure to provide teachable moments where parents talk with their children about the consequences of unacceptable behavior in a nonthreatening manner.

“​Much of the original research on the adverse effects of media exposure for children and adolescents focuses on television use,” the website states. “Commercial television gives a picture of the broader world that may shape young people’s norms. Advertising that highlights the pleasure of drinking beer and eating calorically dense foods without references to moderation or potential risks is designed to encourage their consumption.”

Television has changed dramatically from the days when each set had a dial limited to 13 channel settings and children’s programming was mostly confined to Saturday morning cartoons. With hundreds of television programs now available, it is good to know parents can have more control over what their children watch than at any previous time.