Tips For Parents
1. Turn the TV off! Get your children involved in other activities. Children are full of energy, so help them find ways to use it. Get them involved in sports, reading, hobbies, or even just playing with other children. The behaviors they learn now are the ones they will carry through life.
2. Set a good example. Children learn by observing. Are you active, or do you spend your time at home in front of the TV? What programs are you watching and how much TV do you watch? The rules you set for your children should be the same ones you follow yourself.
3. Set limits. Limit your children's viewing to less than 2 hours a day. Don't allow your children to watch TV until they have completed their homework and chores. Turn the TV off during meals and during family time.
4. Screen what your children watch and explain why banned shows are unacceptable. Explain to your children why you won't allow them to watch certain shows. Don't just say, "Because I said so." Help your child to understand why you dissaprove of violent programs.
5. Talk to your children about problem-solving.Explain to your children that violence is not an acceptable way to handle conflict. Let them talk about what they saw and how it made them feel. Research has shown that talking to children about television violence and teaching them alternative ways to deal with frustration, lessens the likelihood that the child will incorporate violence into their problem solving schemas. (Singer and Singer 1986)
6. Don't let the television be the babysitter. When you are busy, it's easy to sit your children in front of the TV. The problem with this is that when you are busy, it will be difficult to keep track of what your children are watching. Get them involved in other activities, i.e., reading, board games, etc.
7. Keep TV sets out of your children's rooms. Letting your children keep televisions in their rooms diminishes your ability to control how much TV they are watching, and what kind of programs they are watching.
8. Get involved. If you don't like what is on TV, let your local stations know. Express your disapproval of violence on television, and especially violence in children's programming. Let your Congressman and Senators know, too. Make them aware that this is a problem that needs to be addressed.