For good and obvious reasons, parents have spent a great deal of their time in identifying and removing things that pollute the lives of their children

Recently, I was reading The New York Times and came across a report on the issue of children and watching too much TV. The report claimed that the mere presence of a television set in a child’s bedroom is a direct threat to the child’s health.

The report said that, "Children who spend much time on TVs score lower on school tests and are more likely to have sleep problems. Much TV is strongly associated with being overweight and a higher risk for smoking.”

The report also says that parents who watch too much television set bad examples for their children and teenagers. Then, adding insult to injury, some then facilitate more viewing by putting a private television set in the child’s room.

Another French study also showed that boys and girls who spend a lot of time watching TV, spend less time reading than those who don’t.

Interesting to note is the fact that middle-school children with televisions in their bedrooms were twice as likely to start smoking, even with all other variables taken into account.

In several homes, parents try to limit how much television and what type of shows their children watch but, that is difficult to follow through. 

Point to ponder

Television, like all other forms of mass media, represents great potential for good and great potential for evil. It’s humanely known that eyes are attracted to TV, moving pictures and sound, but the brain gets tired when exposed to long hours of television.

Parents need to understand that they cannot use television as a substitute for their time with children. Children need the guidance of people they trust and not the views expressed through all sorts of mass media.