Moderating Your Children's Media Habits

When it comes to children and the media the wise old adage ‘everything in moderation’ still holds true. Unfortunately parents who want to moderate their children’s media use have their work cut out. Nowadays advertisers use all kinds of media to persuade children about the benefits of their products. For wary parents it’s no longer just as easy as turning the TV channel over when the commercial breaks come on.

Moderation In A Connected Culture

The real problem for parents is that in our 24/7 ‘connected’ culture it’s difficult to achieve any kind of moderation. Today’s parents must be aware that kids may be receiving marketing messages through console games, mobile phones and the internet. All of which can be accessed in a child’s room, away from parents’ watchful gaze.

Simple Tips For Successful Moderation

Despite the challenges involved in getting media-savvy children to ‘switch off’, it’s still possible to regain control. These tips will help you strike the right balance:

Set sensible time limits on children’s media use. While this is simple for media such as TV and DVDs – it can be difficult to set limits with the internet and mobile phones. When dealing with new media empower older children by letting them manage their own time. For example, give them a certain amount of hours per week to use the internet (or have a weekly limit for mobile phone credit) and make sure they stick to it.
Introduce children to a club or hobby. While this may sound old fashioned, groups such as the Scouts, or even sports clubs, provide a fun, healthy, ad-free environment for kids, well away from the computer or TV screen. Importantly, they give kids a chance to be sociable in the real world, rather than in a virtual version of life.
Try a media-free afternoon. This might sound scary at first, but it really can work. Switch off your family mobiles, unplug the computer and try a family activity instead. This could include going for a picnic, playing a board game, or putting photos into a family album. To make the activity sound like less of a ‘punishment’, make sure your kids have a say in what the activity consists of.
Be aware of the way you use the media. If you spend hours on a laptop at the kitchen table, or are glued to a Blackberry while watching TV, it’s natural that your kids might want to follow suit. Try and disconnect as much as possible in the family home. Instead go to a coffee shop to log on to the internet, or try to get your emails out of the way on the train home from work.

With more and more of daily life being played out on the computer, or through the TV screen, it’s vital to make sure kids don’t become too immersed in a virtual world which makes them prey to advertisers. Modern media has definite educational benefits – but first kids need to understand its limitations.