Lesson Plan
Topic: Kids and the Media
Instructor: Helen Greenbergs
Age Range: parents of toddlers and two-year-olds (could be used for parents of older and
younger children as well)
Time: 30-45 minutes
I. Anticipatory Set
Whip around: Share one benefit and one potential problem of media exposure for our children.
II. Instruction
Media is a growing part of our environment. Electronic media includes television, computers, smart phones, video games, and so on.
Current recommendations for media exposure from the American Academy of Pediatrics are:
ZERO exposure for children under age 2
Less than 2 hours per day (on average) for children ages 2+
Why these recommendations:
- brain development – best stimulated by real life – play, face-to-face social interaction
- obesity – media activities are typically sedentary
- sleep disturbance – research suggests media especially at bedtime leads to problems with falling asleep, staying asleep, and anxiety around sleep (see PEDIATRICS Vol. 104 No. 3 September 1999, p. e27)
- fear/anxiety about the world
- aggression - > 3000 studies confirm the link between violence games/movies and aggression in children
- social development – much of the programming/entertainment for children undermines parents and other authority through “humor”, sarcasm, language/profanity
- exposure to advertising/marketing - Media Awareness Network reports that the marketing industry
spends $2 billion dollars per year on advertisements targeting children (doubled since 1990), and
that child psychologists are specifically employed by marketers to tailor their message to children
- children don’t recognize the persuasive intent of advertising – don’t filter the information
- socialization by this industry may be associated with more materialism and unhealthy models for body size and shape.
Bottom line: the more children are hooked into media, the less they do of everything else (read, exercise, interact socially (face-to-face), volunteer, study, engage in creative play or activity, etc.); and the more likely they are to be exposed to aggressive or socially inappropriate models.
Some recent research (American Academy of Pediatrics website)
32% of children ages 2-7 have tv in their bedroom
2/3 of infants and toddlers spend an average of 2 hours/day in front of a screen
Kids 8-18 spend an average 4 hours/day watching tv + 2 hours on computer/games
(CSU Northridge researcher) Regarding television
Number of minutes per week that parents spend in meaningful conversation with
their children: 3.5
Number of minutes per week that the average child watches television: 1,680
Percentage of 4-6 year-olds who, when asked to choose between watching TV
and spending time with their fathers, preferred television: 54
Hours per year the average American youth spends in school: 900 hours
Hours per year the average American youth watches television: 1500
Number of murders seen on TV by the time an average child finishes elementary
school: 8,000
Number of 30-second TV commercials seen in a year by an average child: 20,000
Regarding Video Games
Studies suggest a large minority of school age children (23%) report feeling they are addicted to video games.
Suggestions
Model responsible media use
Limit media time and programs/games (some recommend up to 2 hours per day for kids age
2+ unless they are struggling in school and then 1 hour
Remove televisions and computers/electronics from children’s bedrooms especially at bedtime
Avoid watching tv/using electronics at bedtime – research suggests it interferes with sleep
Avoid watching tv/using electronics during meals – discourages conversation
Watch/play with kids to use as springboard for conversation (and to evaluate what is good or not)
Directly educate re: advertising
Turn off the tv when a program ends – kids don’t filter “background” and studies show significantly less
parental interaction in homes with “background television”
Avoid violent programs/commercials/games
III. Guided Practice
What is difficult about limiting media use (spouse, habit, etc.). How can we be more effective?
Start slow (e.g. one night per week turn off electronics)
Have a calm conversation about long term goals and concerns
Take televisions and computers out of bedrooms
Unplug televisions
Cancel cable
Plan incompatible activities – family game night, family walks, etc.
IV. Closure
Learning to use media effectively and appropriately is a life skill. Habits are easiest to set and/or change when children are young.
V. Independent Practice
In the next week, pay attention to how your family uses electronic media. Make a date to discuss this issue with your spouse and make a plan for your family.