Research shows that children spend more than 8 hours a day, on average, watching television. Yes, you read that right, more than 8 hours per day! In fact, some research has found that children report spending more time with media, in general, than with any other one person during their day. That means that our children are exposed to a lot of language, images, and messages that we aren’t controlling and might not agree with.
Thinking about the messages that your children get from media, which ones are most disturbing to you? Is it those that focus most on physical appearance as a source of value? Or, how about the consistent image of adults, specifically parents, as bumbling fools? Women’s value being linked to their sexuality? There are so many. I think that’s why it’s important for us to be thoughtful about this topic. To think about the messages that our kids may be getting and how best to help them respond to those messages.