FAMILY MATTERS
DR CHANTIMA ONGKOSIT KRAIRIKSH
Studies have been done all over the world, including Thailand, to determine the various effects of television. One cannot deny the powerful impact television has on the lives and mindsets of the young.
A recent study revealed that Thai school children spent an average of more than two hours a day watching TV and about the same amount of time in front of the screens of videogames and computers.
This is more than double the maximum screen time recommended by the American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP).
According to AAP, children under the age of two should have no screen time. Children older than two should watch no more than one to two hours a day of quality programming.
Unfortunately, there has been no study of how long Thai children under the age of two are exposed to TV.
I shudder when I recall my friends telling me ages ago that TV was their best baby sitters. Little did we know the negative effects of this act.
The first two years of a child are a critical time for brain development. This is the time when children explore, learn, interact and play with parents and others. This time should not be replaced by a machine.
TV and peripherals can definitely interfere with these processes and hinder the development skills they need - socially, physically, emotionally and cognitively.
There seems to be an increasing number of children being diagnosed with developmental delay or autistic traits. It would be interesting to study the correlation between TV and delayed development.
For children older than two, TV could provide educational or entertainment if the programmes are chosen carefully. Parents do need to take responsibility for what children watch on TV but then how many parents actually watch, screen or monitor the programmes?
Interesting information provided by AAP:
- Children between the ages of two and seven are frightened by scary looking things like monsters and ghosts. The can be traumatised and vulnerable. Telling them that the images are not real will not help because at this age they cannot distinguish between fantasy and reality.
- Children between the ages of eight and 12 are frightened by violence, natural disasters and the victimisation of children. Reasoning does not help: Try to avoid viewing such frightening programmes.
- Children who consistently spend more than four hours a day watching TV are likely to be overweight.
- Children who view violent events are more likely to believe that the world is scary and something bad will happen to them.
Dr Chantima Ongkosit Krairiksh is chairwoman and co-founder of Manarom Hospital. She is also an assistant professor and guest lecturer of psychiatry, Mahidol University.
Prev
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Next
