TV Choices Are Yours, Parents Told Cable Company Holds Workshop On Children And Television

Across the country, children sit wide-eyed in front of television sets, watching in rapt attention as cartoon characters punch each other in the face and push each other off cliffs.

Advertisements flicker across the screen telling kids they, too, can be beautiful, popular and happy if they chew a certain type of gum or eat a certain type of cereal.

According to a national survey, 54 percent of children have TVs in their bedrooms. Yet 58 percent of parents are uncomfortable with what their children watch.

On Saturday, a group of Northwest teachers, parents and cable officials were encouraged to take charge of their television sets - and what their children see on the tube.

“I have so many kids in my classroom who are acting out these programs,” said Diane Neils-Johnson, a fifth-grade teacher from Libby, Mont. Her students often punch and kick each other like they see characters on TV do. “And the language!”

At Saturday’s workshop, sponsored by cable company Century Communications, participants were given tips on how to help families make better choices regarding the TV programs they watch.

“It’s not about massive changes, it’s about doing one or two things differently,” said speaker Tom Leonhardt, of the Cable Telecommunications Association.

“The number-one question I get is ‘Why did you let that program on?”’ said Donna O’Connell of Century Communications. “It’s time to educate the public instead of letting them float around in the dark. You are in control of your TV, not me.”

Leonhardt encouraged adults to teach children to watch TV with a critical eye. To do so, he outlined four points adults should be aware of.

TV programs and their messages are created to achieve specific results.

Each person interprets TV programs and their messages differently.

Television violence takes many forms.

All TV programs have an underlying economic purpose.

Children often have a hard time telling reality from fantasy, Leonhardt said. Reality based programs such as “Rescue 911” or “Cops” can be especially difficult for young viewers.

Parents should help children learn to tell the difference. They can play a game called “Real or Make Believe” in which the child watches a show and tells the adult what he thinks is real and what isn’t.

Leonhardt encouraged adults to teach children to seek out the purpose of the show. Ask them how the lighting or camera angles change the way they look at a certain character. Have children use a video camera and make their own “TV show” so they see how it’s done.

“We need to begin figuring out how these television shows are interpreted by our children,” Leonhardt said, adding that children of different ages will see the same television segment very differently.

Leonhardt showed a clip from the children’s movie “Home Alone.” In it, two bad guys undergo repeated violence that ranges from being slammed in the head with an iron to being set aflame by a torch. He also showed a clip from The Three Stooges and from “America’s Funniest Home Videos” in which a woman falls off a table and lands on her back.

Leonhardt encourages parents to talk about how such violence could really hurt people. Explain to children how stunt people are used, how they have protective gear to keep them safe.

“The danger is, the more you see the less sensitive you become to the hurt and violence,” Leonhardt said.

“I think we have to constantly ask our kids how they would feel if that happened to them,” said Carol Ziegler, of Spirit Lake Elementary School.

The National Parent Teacher Association, in conjunction with the cable industry, is sponsoring only 10 such workshops around the country.

Those who participated in Saturday’s workshop in Coeur d’Alene will take the information they learned and present it to local groups.

Anyone interested in attending or hosting a presentation can call Century Communications at (208) 664-1003.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: TELEVISION TIPS Here are some tips to teach children to think about and understand what they see on television: Help sensitize children to violence by talking about real-life encounters with violence that someone they know may have gone through. Watch programs that show how certain movies or television shows are made. They often explain the special effects and stunts and help children determine the difference between reality and fantasy. When a child sees their favorite sports hero telling them to try a food, or shoe or other product, ask them if they think the star gets paid to say those things. Ask young children why they think certain commercials are placed in certain programs. For example, toy ads during the cartoons. When children are watching their favorite TV show, ask them to talk about who is telling the story. How would it be different if someone else had told the story? Ask children to think about who is being stereotyped in a program. Are people made to act or talk a certain way because of their age, gender, race or religion? Talk back to your TV. Question out loud what you see and hear while watching with your children. Challenge or support the ideas presented.