Exposure to countless hours of mindless entertainment is particularly harmful during our children’s formative years. By assuming greater control of what we show in our own homes and increasing funding for after school programs, we can limit that negative exposure and offer positive alternatives with real benefits for our children’s wellbeing.
Parents are not without tools to help control the programming they allow their children to see, but the tools are insufficient compared to the flood of entertainment. Parents need help. They simply can’t do it alone. Unbundling cable channels so families can buy what they want to watch on their televisions and keep out what they don’t; setting a clear and consistent universal rating system for all forms of media; educating parents about how to use the technological controls available to them like the V-chip and lock-boxes; advocating that the FCC use its power to make sure content complies with the laws on the books and give better clarity about broadcasting standards; and working to ensure after school programs are funded and accessible are all important goals to work toward.
The violence, risky sexual behavior, and general bad modeling shown regularly on television come with a cost: Our youth are being taught life choices by stunt models and digital characters without any links to reality. The many channels of modern media have, to some degree, replaced the human community that used to nurture children. There is a fundamental need for mature adult guidance in an increasingly complex world. Investing in children now by giving their parents the tools they need to guide their children’s media consumption, and providing programs that connect youth to purposeful activities that inform their lives is something we as a society cannot afford to neglect.