Turn off the TV (and electonics!)
Parents! It’s time to unplug! Our electronic-obsessed world is creating people who cannot communicate beyond a button push.
Statistics show children and adolescents spend between 4 and 7 hours per day using electronics, TV, music, phones, video games and computers.
The same statistics show children under 6 years old who spend a lot of time with electronics are at increased risk for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity disorder
It is time to unplug. The electronic culture is very encroaching and all-encompassing. There is no “down” time any more. Constant stimulation is always available. If a person can’t talk on the phone, he can text.
Even if a teen doesn’t e-mail, they can sit and face a constant flow of info at the open window of their computer. It’s getting harder and harder to close that window.
Help your children discern good from evil. Help them understand, via God's Word, that not all things are worthwhile or worthy of their time.
As always - YOU set the tone. As they say, values are better CAUGHT than TAUGHT.
Here's a good verse to "check" out:
“I will set no worthless
thing before my eyes"
-- Psalm 101:3
Recommended Book:
365 TV-Free Things you Can Do with Your Child
Use of electronics is usually sedentary. Obesity continues to grow in America as people clamor around TVs, video games, computers and i-pods.
Cyberbullying via computer or texting is on the rise. Studies show this bullying increases the risk of depression in teens
Parents need to discuss this with their children and encourage them not to post negative, threatening remarks on social network sites or texts. Parents should also open the door for communication about instances they’ve been a victim of or observed cyberbullying.
Parents – we have to get a handle on this situation and not become hooked ourselves! Electronics are robbing us of relationship and communication skills. The impact is subtle, but disturbing.
Not all electronic media is evil, but we must learn to limit our exposure. As the Bible says,
"All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify." -- 1 Corin 10:23
Electronics often disrupt sleep. Those who get less than five hours of sleep are more likely to experience mental illness within the next year. Children should not go to sleep with TV or or computer. This is artificial and often too stimulating.
Parents may consider having an electronic bed-time, in which computers, phones, ipods are turned in to parents. Any items after 10 p.m. on a school night can be dangerous.
Parents should monitor tv, video games, and internet use. Video games are often violent, and those exposed to them are more likely to be aggressive and defiant. Parents must make sure the games are age appropriate, and parents should not be playing or viewing violent games or TV in presence of kids.
Parents may consider having their own facebook (or other social network) page in order to be able to see what types of messages /communication there is for their kids.
Parents: Be good role models! Don't sit in front of the TV or computer too much! Try to engage kids in outdoor activities, playing with toys or games together, and outings.
No comments:
Post a Comment