An Excerpt from The Survival Guide for Working Moms (and Other Stressed-Out Adults)

Kids, TV, and Video Games 

What does TV teach your children?

Would you let a stranger come into your house and spend a few hours a day with your children without supervision? Wouldn’t you want to carefully check this person out first? Letting your children watch TV programs you are not familiar with can have the same impact as letting a stranger into your house. TV programs shape children’s ideas, values, opinions about other people and activities, as well as their words and behavior. The standards for the content of daytime TV programs are much different than they used to be, and cable TV programs have even looser standards because the networks point out that people are paying for—and therefore choosing—them. Even the programs you love can influence how your child thinks and acts in ways you might not like. Desperate housewives and know-it-all kids may says things that are funny to you, but chances are you won’t be laughing when the same lines come out of your nine-year-old’s mouth.

To read more, get a FREE copy of our book, “The Survival Guide for Working Moms (and Other Stressed-Out Adults),” by Diana Zuckerman, Ph.D. and Brandel France de Bravo, M.P.H.

About the authors

Diana Zuckerman, Ph.D. is the President of the National Research Center for Women & Families, a research and education charity that provides free health and safety information and works to improve policies and programs that improve the health of women, children and families. Brandel France de Bravo is the Director of Public Affairs and Communications at the National Research Center for Women & Families. For useful information about health issues that affect your family and for more information about the National Research Center for Women & Families, visit http://www.center4research.org/