Are your children watching too much television? This is undoubtedly a question that modern parents will ask themselves over the course of their child’s life. I would like to share my reaction to a staggering number that I came across in my statistics class this week, which will likely make you think twice about the content that your children are being exposed to on a daily basis. Here is the reflection that I wrote in reaction to what I have learned:

“While reading this article, many of the statistics stood out to me. However there was one statistic in particular that made my jaw drop, “the average child will watch 8,000 murders on TV before finishing elementary school.” While this should not surprise me, due to the fact that violence on television is much more common and graphic these days, I was still appalled by this number. This simply reinforces other findings that have shown children becoming desensitized to violence, due to their overexposure to it at young ages. I know that I would not want my future children to fall into this statistic, but I realize that it is probably inevitable unless I meticulously monitor their viewing or do not have a TV in the home. Perhaps I was just a very sheltered child or television was less violent in the '90s, because I honestly do not believe that I come anywhere close to this statistic. I know that the programming that I was watching was not graphic or violent until at least the last few years of elementary school, so I do not think that I would have had the time to add up to viewing those 8,000 murders. Either way, this statistic really saddens me because it seems that children are unknowingly being exposed to this kind of content on a regular basis, so it just becomes the norm for them. This is a scary thought. What if one day we become so desensitized to these scenes of violence, that we act upon what we have seen without a second thought? This statistic definitely gives us all something to think about.”

Did that make you think twice about television? It should. With children growing increasingly exposed to this kind of content, it is more important now than ever, to take the time to use that parental control function on the remote. While virtually nothing can guarantee that your child won’t see television violence at one point or another in their lives and I by no means claim to be an expert on this subject, I do believe that it is important to shelter them while you can and provide them with more educational programming.

Is T.V. toxic? What do you think?