Posted in Miscellaneous Matters

...or let our boys play video games.

An article in the Washington Post today (follow this link to read the article) shows the results of 30 years' research on the effect of media on children.  Here is an excerpt from the article:

The report found strong connections between media exposure and problems of childhood obesity and tobacco use. Nearly as strong was the link to early sexual behavior.

. . . .

The average modern child spends nearly 45 hours a week with television, movies, magazines, music, the Internet, cellphones and video games, the study reported. By comparison, children spend 17 hours a week with their parents on average and 30 hours a week in school, the study said.

"Our kids are sponges, and we really need to remember they learn from their environment," said coauthor Cary P. Gross, professor at Yale School of Medicine. He said researchers found it notable how much content mattered; it was not only the sheer number of hours of screen time. Children "pick up character traits and behaviors" from those they watch or hear, he said.

The average child spends 45 hours a week using some form of media!  And there might be a link to the childhood obesity problem? 

Interesting, isn't it?  Watching a lot of TV might actually be bad for children?  Who would have imagined?  You mean playing outside in the fresh air, using their God-given imaginations, might actually be better for children than sitting in a dark room in utter inactivity for hours on end?  Amazing!

(Please excuse my sarcasm--this is a pet peeve of mine.)

It is rather sad that the average child spends so much more time being influenced by media sources than by their own parents.  Heartbreaking, isn't it?