Many parents, providers, and educators are expressing a concern about the amount of television and the type of programming to which children are being exposed. The Department of Education states that children in the United States watch an average of three to five hours of television every day. Studies show that too much television viewing can have adverse affects, such as more violent and aggressive behavior, poor school performance, obesity, early sexual activity, and drug or alcohol use. If you are concerned about your child watching to much TV then some rules will help.

Establishing TV rules up front with your children. Here are some suggestions.

• Set Limits. Know how much TV your child is watching. Set some basic rules such as no television before homework or chores are done or during meals.
  

• Participate. Watch TV with your child and discuss the program. Ask them questions and express your views. This will also let you know what your children are watching.
  

• Monitor. Avoid shows, movies, or video games that have violent or sexual content. Encourage children to watch programs about characters who show cooperation and caring.
  

• Analyze Commercials. Help children to critically evaluate advertisements. 
  

• Be a Good Role Model. This suggestion comes from the Parents as Teachers National Center. Because children model behavior, set a good example with your own television viewing habits. Avoid watching programs containing adult content when your child is in the room or nearby. 

• Setup and use V-Chip parental controls to only allow shows with ratings you approve of.

• No TV in their room. It's very hard to monitor what their watching if it's in their room.

Here are some more Resources:

American Psychological Association Help Center, Family and Relationships: Children and Television Violence. http://helping. apa.org/family/kidtvviol.html (referenced 12/22/00)

Family Education Network, Watching TV with Preschoolers. http://familyeducation.com/ article/0,1120,1-504,00.html (referenced 12/22/00)

C. Kalin, Television, Violence, and Children. (Master’s synthesis paper, Department of Educational Leadership, Technology, and Administration, College of Education, University of Oregon, 1997). http://interact.uoregon. edu/MediaLit/FA/MLArticleFolder/kalin.html (referenced 12/22/00)

Kidsource Online, What parents need to know about children’s television viewing. http://www. kidsource.com/kidsource/content/ tv.viewing.html (referenced 12/22/00)

M. Rupured, P. R. Smith, S. Quick, “Television: Friend or Foe,” Research for Families and Children Newsletter, 6(2) 1997, 10-13.

J. Van Evra, Television and Child Development. (NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., Publishers, 1998).