Is television a boon or bane to society, especially to children? Within the media world, television is arguably the most powerful socialising influence out there even in the age of social media. The news media is there to inform, educate and entertain and can thus exercise immense influence on societies.
It is for this reason that it is referred to as the Fourth Estate, which has its origins in the traditional European concept of the three estates of the realm, the clergy, nobility and the commoners. This has evolved to denote a government’s separation of powers into legislative, executive and judicial branches.
Continuing surveys indicate that television is on in most houses for 35 to 45 hours a week which equates to what many people spend at work. The powerful influence it holds over people’s lives can never be underestimated. There is general concern that TV does more harm than good.
According to health experts, excessive watching of TV can affect brain development and behaviour that can cause language delays, poor reading and mathematics skills, and short-term memory in children between two and five years.
The other gripe with TV is that it may subject children to early exposure to content that contains sex, alcohol, and drugs and which can distort their views on issues such as violence, which they might regard as acceptable.
On the other hand, educational TV has been shown to boost intellect. The trick in this regard is for parents to monitor their children’s viewing to ensure that this becomes a positive experience. Children are meant to watch edifying programmes and not just watch TV per se. For example the TV teachers are mostly highly experienced and can therefore reinforce what is taught at school.
Television can also maximise learning as it caters for both the audio and visual senses. It also provides technical advantage as children can get close-up images of various items.
The TV classroom can also serve as a model for class teachers to emulate. Much as education TV can be beneficial for teaching and learning, the broadcast cannot provide instant feedback as is the case with classroom interaction. The other limitation of education TV is that it cannot capture the pupil’s reactions or views about the programmes.
The broadcast also does not offer differentiated learning as the programmes are aimed at the average pupil, and may therefore not be effective for those with special needs, the below and above average.
The passive technology of the broadcast also limits its pedagogical effectiveness and necessitates sophisticated technology to make it more interactive and effective. The media in general is meant to inform, educate and entertain, and in this regard television ticks all the boxes and to minimise its inimical effects on children in particular, parents need to be alert at all times on what programmes their children watch. They must choose the right shows for them guided by, among others, the duration, tone and pace and most importantly, they need to watch with them.
Television time should be regulated so it does not interfere with school work and supplant the love for reading. The TV set should be removed completely from the bedroom so that it does not disturb sleeping patterns. Children should be encouraged to participate in physical activity and not watch television all the time.
Watching different kinds of sports can also encourage children to participate in these sports. It should be impressed upon them that being a participant is always better than being a spectator. Children can be encouraged to watch shows such as Khumbul’ekhaya on SABC1, which celebrates healing in South African families through forgiveness and reconciliation. The Soul City series is also worth watching with its approach of learning through social theory learning and uncovering the social determinants of health.
The same cannot be said about shows such as Uyajola 9 9 and Will you marry me on Moja Love channel 157 as they do not teach anything. Children should definitely not watch such unedifying shows.
As to whether television is a boon or bane to the socialisation of children, it depends on the intervention of the parents through the monitoring of their children’s television habits and ensuring they are not left to their own devices.
NATHANIEL LEE | Parents must keep tabs on their children’s TV viewing habits
Excessive screen-time can cause harm
Image: 123RF
Is television a boon or bane to society, especially to children? Within the media world, television is arguably the most powerful socialising influence out there even in the age of social media. The news media is there to inform, educate and entertain and can thus exercise immense influence on societies.
It is for this reason that it is referred to as the Fourth Estate, which has its origins in the traditional European concept of the three estates of the realm, the clergy, nobility and the commoners. This has evolved to denote a government’s separation of powers into legislative, executive and judicial branches.
Continuing surveys indicate that television is on in most houses for 35 to 45 hours a week which equates to what many people spend at work. The powerful influence it holds over people’s lives can never be underestimated. There is general concern that TV does more harm than good.
According to health experts, excessive watching of TV can affect brain development and behaviour that can cause language delays, poor reading and mathematics skills, and short-term memory in children between two and five years.
The other gripe with TV is that it may subject children to early exposure to content that contains sex, alcohol, and drugs and which can distort their views on issues such as violence, which they might regard as acceptable.
On the other hand, educational TV has been shown to boost intellect. The trick in this regard is for parents to monitor their children’s viewing to ensure that this becomes a positive experience. Children are meant to watch edifying programmes and not just watch TV per se. For example the TV teachers are mostly highly experienced and can therefore reinforce what is taught at school.
Television can also maximise learning as it caters for both the audio and visual senses. It also provides technical advantage as children can get close-up images of various items.
The TV classroom can also serve as a model for class teachers to emulate. Much as education TV can be beneficial for teaching and learning, the broadcast cannot provide instant feedback as is the case with classroom interaction. The other limitation of education TV is that it cannot capture the pupil’s reactions or views about the programmes.
The broadcast also does not offer differentiated learning as the programmes are aimed at the average pupil, and may therefore not be effective for those with special needs, the below and above average.
The passive technology of the broadcast also limits its pedagogical effectiveness and necessitates sophisticated technology to make it more interactive and effective. The media in general is meant to inform, educate and entertain, and in this regard television ticks all the boxes and to minimise its inimical effects on children in particular, parents need to be alert at all times on what programmes their children watch. They must choose the right shows for them guided by, among others, the duration, tone and pace and most importantly, they need to watch with them.
Television time should be regulated so it does not interfere with school work and supplant the love for reading. The TV set should be removed completely from the bedroom so that it does not disturb sleeping patterns. Children should be encouraged to participate in physical activity and not watch television all the time.
Watching different kinds of sports can also encourage children to participate in these sports. It should be impressed upon them that being a participant is always better than being a spectator. Children can be encouraged to watch shows such as Khumbul’ekhaya on SABC1, which celebrates healing in South African families through forgiveness and reconciliation. The Soul City series is also worth watching with its approach of learning through social theory learning and uncovering the social determinants of health.
The same cannot be said about shows such as Uyajola 9 9 and Will you marry me on Moja Love channel 157 as they do not teach anything. Children should definitely not watch such unedifying shows.
As to whether television is a boon or bane to the socialisation of children, it depends on the intervention of the parents through the monitoring of their children’s television habits and ensuring they are not left to their own devices.
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