| | | | From Information to Addiction |
By Glenn A. Hascall
There are families that disapprove of many things they see on television. They may go so far as to remove or disconnect the television. The same can hold true for the internet. You don't need anyone to tell you there are many things on the net that should never greet the eyes.
Whether it's the television or the internet you should remember that both are simply tools that can be used or viewed for good purposes or bad. The internet can provide answers to many subjects that may connect with your questioning child. The television may have things to view that are not appropriate for your child, yet another channel may provide entertainment or education that can play a valuable role in the home.
Your family might subscribe to an online interactive encyclopedia, or an educational forum board that can help you find answers to your child's questions that you may have struggled to answer before.
The issues related to the internet are not exclusive to your children. As with any good thing it is entirely possible to allow the internet to get out of hand on a personal level. If you're a parent who spends lots of time alone with your children an online parenting support forum will get you connected with others who are also going through the exact same things you are experiencing. Much time can be spent developing friendships with people you have never personally met. In doing so, you may be spending less time with your own family.
Television and the internet are strongly geared toward a consumer driven society. They both allow so many on-demand features. Cable companies can provide movies on demand - some may even provide the immediate availability of both free and fee based programming choices. The internet provides instantaneous access to information, individuals and entertainment. You can visit a chat room and talk to people in the middle of the night if you want to. That is both the beauty as well as the curse of consumer oriented media.
Consider logging the amount of time your child spends watching television, then log information regarding their internet usage. Once you have a clear picture of the media habits of your child, take a self assessment.
Then, together, figure out if there might be a more balanced approach to using various forms of media without that same media moving from informative to addictive.
Post a comment
FamilyLobby.com Articles is your source for family-related articles. Talk about this article in the FamilyLobby Community.
|
|
|
|
|
StumbleUpon
