More than ever, children witness lots of, sometimes traumatizing,
information events on TV. That seems that chaotic crime and poor news is unabating.
Foreign wars, healthy disasters, terrorism, murders, incidents of child abuse,
and medical epidemics flood our newscasts daily. Not forgetting the grim
wave involving recent school shootings.
All of this kind of intrudes on the innocent regarding youngsters. If, as specialists
say, kids are generally like sponges and even absorb everything of which moves on around all of them,
how profoundly does watching TV media actually affect all of them? How careful carry out
parents need to be able to be in watching the flow associated with news into the home, and how can
they look for an approach functions?
To answer these questions, we converted to a panel of seasoned anchors, Peter
Jennings, Maria Shriver, Linda Ellerbee, and Jane Pauley–each having faced typically the
complexities of rearing their own vulnerable children in the news-saturated
world.
Picture this: 6: 25 p. m. After an exhausting day time at the office, Mom is busy
producing dinner. She theme parks her 9-year-old girl and 5-year-old kid in front
of the TV.
“Play Designers until dinner’s prepared, ” she instructs the little ones, who,
instead, begin flipping channels.
Ben Brokaw on “NBC News Tonight, inch announces that a good Atlanta gunman
offers killed his partner, daughter and son, all three with a hammer, before proceeding in
a shooting rampage that results in nine dead.
Upon “World News Tonight, ” Peter Jennings reports that a jumbo jetliner using
more than 310 passengers crashed in the spinning metal ball of fire at a Hong Kong
airport.
In CNN, there’s a statement about the earthquake in Turkey, together with 2, 000
folks killed.
On the particular Discovery channel, there’s a timely special on hurricanes plus the
terror they will create in youngsters. Hurricane Dennis has struck, Floyd is definitely
coming.
Finally, they will see a community news report about a journey accident from a Brand new
Jersey enjoyment park that kills a mother and even her eight-year-old girl.
Nintendo was by no means this riveting.
“Dinner’s ready! ” shouts Mom, unaware that will her children may possibly be terrified
by this menacing potpourri of TV reports.
What’s wrong with this picture?
“There’s a LOT wrong with that, but it’s not really that easily repairable, ” notes Hermosa
Ellerbee, the founder and host associated with “Nick News, very well the award-winning news
program geared intended for kids ages 8-13, airing on Nickelodeon.
“Watching blood and even gore on TV SET is not really good regarding kids plus it will not do
much to be able to enhance the lives of adults possibly, ” says typically the anchor, who aims to be able to
inform youngsters about world activities without terrorizing these people. “We’re into
extending kids’ brains and irritating we more than likely cover, ” which includes
recent programs in euthanasia, the Kosovo crisis, prayer in schools, book-
banning, the death fees, and Sudan slaves.
But Ellerbee focuses on the necessity for parental oversight, shielding
children coming from unfounded fears. “During the Oklahoma City bombing, there were horrible images of children being hurt plus killed, ” Ellerbee recalls. “Kids
wanted to know if they were safe inside their bedrooms. In studies carried out by
Nickelodeon, many of us found out that will kids find typically the news the the majority of frightening factor
upon TV.
“Whether it is the Gulf War, the particular Clinton scandal, a new downed jetliner, or what
happened inside Littleton, you need to reassure your current children, over and even over again,
maybe going to end up being OK–that the reason this story is news is that IT
RARELY HAPPENS. News is the exception… nobody moves on the atmosphere
happily and studies how many airplanes landed safely!
“My job is to put the information in to an age-appropriate context and lower
worries. Then Education News ‘s genuinely up to the particular parents to monitor what their children watch
and discuss it with them”