Toxic Childhood?
Thu 5 Oct 2006Do you have strong views on whether computer games, TV, junk food and academic pressure are impacting today’s children? The ABC’s 7:30 Report may want to hear from you.
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Back in March, my post Where does the TV your children watch sit on the ‘Redeeming Value vs Time Wasted’ curve? attracted a few comments and quite a few inbound links. Maybe it was the fancy chart, I drew? Maybe not. (Stop laughing, Andy)
Recently my post drew a comment from Lesley Robinson, a Producer at the 7.30 Report. Lesley writes…
The ABC’s 7.30 Report is working on a story looking at the impact of computer games, TV, junk food and academic pressure on child development. British author, Sue Palmer warns we’ve moved into an era of ‘toxic childhood’ where real food, real play and first hand interaction with the world are disappearing.
We’re looking for families to interview who have strong feelings about this issue - you might agree with Sue Palmer and try to ensure that your children aren’t exposed to ‘junk culture’.
Or you may think it’s all a bit of a beat up and think your kids are resilient enough to survive what the 21st century throws at them.
If you’d like to take part, please email Lesley Robinson, Producer at the 7.30 Report on: robinson.lesley@abc.net.au or phone 0408 970500
What about you and some of your Canberra mates, Mitch Denny? You started this discussion.
October 5th, 2006 at 22:44
I think it’s all a question of balance, parents deciding what works and what’s right for their family and then placing firm boundaries. Having said that, I can’t see any justification for kids watching TV for more than 4 hours a day, or playing on the computer for more than the same. I also don’t think kids should have their own TV/computer until the mid-teens (15′ish) and I think kids shouldn’t be allowed to play violent games until the same age. I also find the high level of scheduling that parents do to keep their kids busy a little disturbing. Less pressure and little more [non-TV/computer related] fun should be encouraged, especially with younger kids.
October 6th, 2006 at 18:12
Ms B has it in one. Balance is a good thing.
I’ve got kids that read, play game-boy, play computer games (Runescape is the current craze), run, swim, kick balls, play cricket, find stuff and make things, climb trees, watch TV. Somewhere in there they find time to go to school as well.
Too much of anything is not good - and I’m cracking down a bit on the Runescape because they’d do that to excess without the occasional harsh word. But they are out so much that they have destroyed the lawn and I’m trying to get them to stay off it for a while so it can grow back!
Two of my absolute pet hates:
- Pushing children to do well acedemically. Parents should push them to do their best, not to achieve a doctorate in post-prandial abstract mathematics before age 14. Doing ones best is important for self esteem, and who knows where it will lead. Pressure from a young age creates terrible personality problems in later life.
- Parents who schedule time for activities and act as a taxi service. This seems to be some kind of modern phenomenon, before cars parents COULD NOT do this. What is with this modern desire to have evenings and weekends filled with activities. Children NEED TO BE BORED.
More on this last point. From boredom comes creative thought. Boredom leads to children who think, make things, climb trees, look at stuff to see whats there, or how something works, or whats inside…. Children who are endlessly shepherded between activities never have a chance to do this. Children need to explore, and we have this strange modern desire to prevent them from doing this, and protect them from danger.
It’s creating a bunch of spolied, molly-coddled, high expectation, low self-esteem, unimaginative, social misfits. What a crap future, for them and for us.
October 7th, 2006 at 19:31
hehe yes. The only people who benefit from that future are the psychiatrists!
October 7th, 2006 at 21:51
The greed of today’s society is creeping into every aspect of life including the lives of young kids. We just need to look at what crap they advertise on TV when the kiddies shows are TV. Advertising crap food for kiddies all for the mighty dollar.
Not a great path to lead the young kiddies of today.
October 8th, 2006 at 12:25
MmeBoff: Good point about kids not having their own TVs too early. #1 Son bought his own TV by working at a part-time job, saving up and buying it himself. #2 Son had serious ADHD and, when he was young, literally could not sit down long enough to watch TV. He would rather click on the Wikipedia Random Article link 20 times before bed. #3 Son doesn’t seem particularly attracted to TV, but he does watch episodes of a sci-fi series called “Serenity” on his PC.
Ashleigh: We’ve had our Runescape period; there’s now something more sinister called “Eve Online“, an MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game). Still dealing with this one.
Huggies: We’ve been fortunate to avoid any infestation of Commercial TV watching. We’ve been able to do this by
a) not watching it ourselves, and
b) quietly disparaging it, hilighting its deficiencies and pointing out how the ads are designed to manipulate.
Now, if the TV is left on a commercial station by accident, eg when those bottom-of-the-barrel “current affairs” programs come on after the 6pm news, the kids tell us to turn the TV off! (Bwuh-ha-ha-ha! our brainwashing has worked.)
I think Beyond Tomorrow and The Simpsons are the only commercial TV programs that get watched at our place.
November 2nd, 2006 at 1:55
“The Glass House†Axed!…
Shattered Shards Scattered; Satirical Scripts Shredded!
Really angry tonight! At the end of tonight’s episode of The Glass House, Wil Anderson announced that the year’s final episode on November 29 would be the last Glass House ever. …