Children and Watching TV

Television viewing is a major activity and influence on children and adolescents. Children in the United States watch an average of three to four hours of television a day. By the time of high school graduation, they will have spent more time watching television than they have in the classroom. While television can entertain, inform, and keep our children company, it may also influence them in undesirable ways.

Time spent watching television takes away from important activities such as reading, school work, playing, exercise, family interaction, and social development. Children also learn information from television that may be inappropriate or incorrect. They often cannot tell the difference between the fantasy presented on television versus reality. They are influenced by the thousands of commercials seen each year, many of which are for alcohol, junk food, fast foods, and toys.

Children who watch a lot of television are likely to: have lower grades in school, read fewer books, exercise less, be overweight.

Parents can help by doing the following: don't allow children to watch long blocks of TV, but help them select individual programs. Choose shows that meet the developmental needs of your child. Children's shows on public TV are appropriate, but soap operas, adult sitcoms, and adult talk shows are not. Set certain periods when the television will be off. Study times are for learning, not for sitting in front of the TV doing homework. Meal times are a good time for family members to talk with each other, not for watching television.

Make TV viewing an active process for child and parent!

http://www.aacap.org/galleries/FactsForFamilies/54_children_and_watching_tv.pdf ( abridged)

1. Match each word / phrase with its equivalent in the context of the text.

		A. marks B. don´t let C. probable or expected D. choose E. too heavy and fat
		1. likely (l.21) 2. grades ( l.21) 3. overweight (l.22) 4. don´t allow ( l.23) 5. select (l.24)
	1. _____ 2. _____ 3. _____ 4. _____ 5. _____