Does TV Affect Kids' Schoolwork?
Television plays a big role in the lives of most children. They start watching TV in the morning when they wake up, rush home from school to view a favorite program and often go to sleep with the TV playing. According to the University of Michigan Health System, kids between the ages of 6 and 11 spend approximately 28 hours each week watching TV, and 71 percent of children aged 8 to 18 have a TV in their bedroom. Children that are consumed with media are distracted from other activities such as schoolwork and may suffer academically.
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Language Skills
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Children need physical interaction with others to develop their verbal skills and comprehension. Too much TV time replaces activities such as reading, conversations, board games and sports. Television does not help develop language skills in the same way that reading or being read to does. Too much TV viewing can distract kids from homework and lead to a short attention span. Children who watch TV excessively may have difficulty paying attention in school because they are conditioned by the fast-paced visual stimulation of the television, notes RaiseSmartKid.com.
Social Skills
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Children who spend a lot of time in front of the TV often lack social skills, which can affect their ability to interact in school. The lack of social skills can also carry over into adulthood. The types of programing children watch can affect behavior and attitude, and may be a contributing factor to bullying in school, according to the University of Michigan Health System. Excessive television viewing can also contribute to childhood obesity. Overweight children often have lower self-esteem, which can affect social interactions, grades and performance in school.
Homework and Test Scores
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If children are permitted to watch TV while doing homework, they are often distracted, and do not complete their homework. If they do finish the work, some of it may be incorrect because the child is not paying full attention to the task at hand. Test scores may be poor and grades may drop due to insufficient time studying and the distraction of television programs. Doctor of Psychology John M. Grohol, CEO and founder of the PsychCentral.com, states in an article on the site that television can have a negative effect on school achievement. He cites a study done by researchers at Columbia's College of Physicians and Surgeons that indicated 14-year-olds who watched one hour or more of TV per day were at an elevated risk of poor grades, poor homework completion, negative attitudes toward school and long-term academic failure.
How You Can Help
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Encourage your child's academic success by giving the TV a rest. Limit viewing time and monitor the programs your child wants to watch. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than one to two hours of quality programming per day. Enjoy meals at the dinner table, not in front of the TV. Engage your children in conversation by asking them questions. Encourage them to interact with others, by playing indoor and outdoor games with friends and siblings. Save TV time until after homework is completed. Don't allow children to fall asleep watching television. Insufficient sleep can also affect school performance. Make sure the TV is off when the lights go out.
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