Taming the multimedia monster

By CAROLYN SANDLIN-SNIFFEN

© St. Petersburg Times, published January 11, 2001

Remember when Mom and Dad used those words to discipline their unruly youngsters? Parents knew that solitary confinement in a small, sparsely furnished room -- youth bed, secondhand dresser and a night stand that housed a dog-eared collection of comics -- served as both a punishment and a way to get their children to think about the error of their ways.

Times have changed.

For today's kids, being sent to their rooms is an unsupervised excursion into a multimedia arcade, with images from TV and computer graphics for entertainment and an Internet chat room buddy for companionship.

Kids have become media masters, but at a price. TVs, computers and video games take up a large chunk of our children's lives.

By the time 5-year-olds begin kindergarten, they have already watched between 1,500 and 3,000 hours of television, and nearly a third of those youngsters have a TV in their bedrooms.

Educators contend that today's students have fewer opportunities to think, reflect, use their imagination, solve problems and socialize.

Many pediatricians also harbor convictions that excessive TV viewing or computer time contributes to obesity in children.

According to a health and nutrition survey in 1995, 11 percent of kids between ages 6 and 17 are severely overweight. These youngsters watch, on average, more than 22 hours of TV per week.

Sadly, some kids are watching twice that much. They come home from school, plop down in front of a flickering screen and watch until bedtime.

The problem is further aggravated by two pastimes that go together like Kool-Aid and cookies: sitting in front of the TV (or computer screen) and snacking on junk food.

Any way we look at it, our children's high-tech habits are turning their brains and bodies to mush.

Why are parents so unwilling or unable to take charge? One reason may be the seductive pull of the glowing screen. TVs and computers serve as background noise, entertainers, babysitters and time-fillers.

Of course, there are people who do not own a TV (about 2 percent of the U.S. population), but most of us see technology as a useful, powerful tool in our lives.

The key is to strive for balance.

For parents who choose to cut back, here are some tips on how to control the multimedia monster.

Begin by deciding what TV programs and computer activities are acceptable, then help your kids make their own selections according to your guidelines and their ages. Be sure to include time limits for each activity.

One simple and sensible rule recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics is that children have no more than one to two hours of screen time each day, and no screen time at all for youngsters under age 2.

Toddlers need to develop their language skills, and watching TV doesn't help. They may hear language, but they will not hear it entirely because the visual stimuli is much stronger.

Move the TV, VCR, video games and computer out of the kids' rooms, preferably to a location where you can keep an eye on what they're watching.

If it's not possible to relocate everything, establish an open-door policy and diligently supervise.

Consider phasing out cable, which will eliminate scores of channels and save $30 to $40 a month. Use the money to buy music, books, board games, paint and craft sets, sports equipment, whatever.

We need to get real about technology. It is only harmful if we let it be.

We need to help our children learn how to manage both the positive and negative aspects of TV and computer learning. Then they will discover that the most action-packed reality-based show is real life.

-- Carolyn Sandlin-Sniffen teaches language arts and reading at Seminole Middle School in Pinellas County.

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