Show mens When Parents Should msm Turn 1 mm blue Off the TV Set an allotted time for homework and then a regular time for TV on the V condition that all homely work has been finished Are cartoons good or bad foe children? We find in our research that heavy viewing of cartoons leads to ina- I know k Just what I read fn " cracked humorist Will Rogers back in the 1920k Todays some things that you don't read in newspapers or see on network TV news are what about energy a field you ought to where reporters too often go tilting at windmifls Wei as a top journalist put it “bod netwseSi better" Good "AS thepapers know-especi- ally Silent knights For much of the media “covering" the oil industry means heavy stience that putting a wet blanket on good cheer A recent exampie-t- hc Greene's In Labor Depart the Richard economist greeted government report mentis May Monthly Labor Review Rising energy costs mean move additional sources of energy he said more gas and oil weds completed in six months last year than in all of 1973 more jobs created in the ULS oil and 50 percent mow after rigid price controls began to natural gas Industiy-ahno- st soften Quite a contrast to the crusading criticd charges that the od industry squanders money on "deportment stores end circuses” ppropriate and disruptive EdD PhD and Jerome Singer Diana Zuckerman Ph-By Dorothy Singer D the past 10 years have become concerned about effects of television on children They have raised questions on the scheduling of appropriate programs for children the influence of violence and agression the effects of cartoons and stereotypes and the effects of TV on imagination and language Hoe we offer answers to some of the questions parents ask most often about TV Over Wnd that's the opinion of the management of this station" Surprise! Sometimes good news is so astounding that the media may be too dazed to report it lake the recent revelation from Harvard's Energy and Environmental Robey Center Seems U S oil companies undercharged customers by $5 billion during the supply crisis folowing the Iranian revolution “We were surprised ourselves" said one of the report's authors But "the data is dear major oil company prices fell behind the rest" The reason for the big companies’ lagging prices? Pressure from the media and threats from politicians going “after the most visible and thus the largest targets So who's tipping off whom? If the media had little learning property covered either of these studies (and admitted that some past stories about oil industry “ wrongdoing' were inaccurate! you and the rert of the public would have benefited Some media-watche- rs have suggested that the fairy tales con-codby “energy expert? could be eliminated if reporters go to school to bone up on energy Not a bad idea especially now when kids are hitting the books again After all as the poet Alexander Pope said: “A little learning is a A ed dangerous ' thing" Irt a fact: Oil industry profits are big news in the media but both publishing and broadcasting have been more profitable than oil over the past five years based on return on stockholders' equity OH Corporation ISO E— 42 SMf NwVbrkNV revolve around and time limits Generally speaking children can accept family rules if they are consistently enforced by parents and if the children are given constructive alternatives For young children the pressure of school friends should not override parents’ better judgment When a prefers to watch Sesame Street and his brother wants to watch his favorite show a problem is bound to arise as to who's “boss” Parents can make clear that there are certain times each child can watch TV and regularly limit Arose times so young children wfll grow up expecting such restrictions families program-scheduli- ng Should children do homewwk while theyVe watching TV? Most educators believe that the division of attention prevents children from learning as effectively as when the television is turned off Parents should establish a regular schedule to follow: From Teaching Ttkvhton by Dorothy Singtr Joronw Singe eid Diana Zuckerman Copyright & 1961 by VW Univontfy Reprinted with pen-- ton of The Dial Pree The Smgei are founder! of die Famdy Tdeviiion Retearch and ConullaDofl Center at Yrie Mobil OttwwMom BoiA MoM Can parents successfully restrict their children In watching television? Quarrels in many 10017 1 INI MoM Corporation M FAMILY WEEKLY Kapttmbar tj mi behavior among children in nursery school Among our elechildren mentary school-age- d the heavy cartoon viewers were rated as “unenthusiastic about school" by their teacher Some parents have claimed that their children are quiet only when they watch TV Thus the parents particularly like Saturday morning when the programs are geared to children Most research however suggests that Am very active child or Aie child who gets into fights becomes even more agitated by frkquent especially when material involves cartoons action detective or noisy game shows What effect does TV violence have on chddrea? Some programs children that elementary school-agewatch contain violent acts fairly explicit sex and sometimes even tape We feel that a parent should try to ex plain Arat sometimes some people behave In this fashion Use explanations Arat your children can grasp in terms of Areir age and ability to understand it is difficult to always shield a child from exposure to some antisocial act Arat he may see on TV Let Aie child know you are available to talk about it It is always better to deal wiAi Are farts maturely than to deny Ate existence of aggression and sex One of the major concerns parents express about television is the effect of violent programs on Areir children Research over Are past decade has demonstrated Arat television programs Arat have violent content lead to aggressive behavior in children especially those who are heavy television viewers and who have little else in the way of a social fife We have also found Arat such noisy programs as game shows cartoons and some variety shows can arouse a child to aggression or jumpiness Parents are often sensitive about programs Arat deal with special problems such as adoption alcohol drugs and Ate handicapped child yet often such programming can be used by parents to discuss these important and delicate Issues with their ran Uhl children -- d fast-pac- ed pro-ga- |