The influence of TV/films on children’s learning

Dear Editor – A personal opinion.
Television should come with a health warning and parents with children (at least up to primary level) should ban them.
Cathy Wylie, an educational research analyst involved in the “competent children at 10” report, found major deficiencies in mathematics and literacy with scores of children who daily watch more than two hours of television.
Like all things associated with people and their learning, the whole issue of television and its negative (or positive) influence is complex and one must be careful of over generalisation, because there will always be exceptions to rules and conclusions.
That being said, however, the following I hold to be true for the majority.
Television is used as a surrogate babysitter, it’s largely uncensored (as far as stereotyping is concerned), it’s easy because it demands little discipline from the viewer, the viewer gets pretty much instant gratification, and its impact on boys, especially, can be shattering.
Let me deal with these points one by one.
Parenting is difficult, indeed it’s one of the most difficult tasks demanded of humans.
Most families have both parents working and, at the end of the day, adult fatigue. The need to cook for the family, and a host of other demands, make television an easy answer to the question of what to do with young people, who are easily bored and need things to do.
This issue is even more significant in solo parent families where (usually) mothers have to cope with the logistics of raising children by themselves.
The TV as a baby sitter would not be a problem if what came out of television was positive and wholesome. This, unfortunately, is mostly not the case.
Television stereotyping of males and females is not censored, yet the result of this is very damaging, especially for boys.
The sort of role models for males for example are usually shallow thinking and action orientated. Life is described as occurring in short action filled bursts, emotions are usually put into one category – anger – and if there are two categories the other is lust.
The result is two of the most important learning activities, reading and reflection on action with another human being (or people) are not shown to be worth (especially of males). Flowing from this is the result that boys academically are lagging well behind females of similar age,
Much of what we need to do in this world demands discipline from us, with others in order to identify personal need and meet it.
These things television is singularly ill equipped to provide and in many cases it actively pushes boys in the opposite direction, showing reading is for ‘geeks’ and girls and sharing feeling and ideas is for girls or ‘nerds’.
This brings me to an interesting conclusion and one which may be unpalatable for modern society.
We need a government which, in the interest of human need, sees censorship as a necessity, and further research possibly be adopted with members of the public involving education, churches, health etc, if a positive environment is to be created which is conducive to people’s individual growth.
Such a government would limit the entry of overseas television programmes, films, dvds, video takes, music that adds little but takes much from people, that they need to grow into healthy adults.
The great irony is that great wrong is done in the interests of democracy and capitalistic profit.
Perhaps then the whole issue of television accessibility needs to be attacked at this level. Just what are we prepared to give up now, so that future generations (upon which our future depends) may grow up positively and well. Coupled with what’s show on television?
It is my intention to try to eliminate all violence, bad language, sex scenes, discrimination of all by the year 2010. That’s if I am still the chief censor.
I ask the public to help me in this field. We need to watch less television/films and complain more.

- Alfred Morris
Chief censor

Headlines : Times 173
- Money supply explanation still not clear
- Boxers ready to fire
- Censor wants film feedback
- Cutting through the budget spin
- Manihiki work slowed by lack of plane fuel
-Trader Jack praised for support
- Letter to the Editor: The influence of TV/films on children’s learning

Headlines : Times 172
- NEW LA FLIGHTS SET TO TAKE OFF
- Warning for local pirates
- More women sought in House
- Petition names not allowed out
- Don’t come here: Outer islands target dengue
- Avatiu charter boat in big scientific project
- HERE COMES THE JUDGE
- Kawerau calling here: Raro just like home
- YOUR REGION: IN BRIEF
- YOUR BUSINESS: IN BRIEF