I think it is easy for parents to use television as an excuse. Television shows over the past few years have become increasingly more violent and sexual. Children can and do have access to the television shows if their parents allow them to.

It’s important to keep in mind that you can not completely censor everything your child sees and or hears. Some children in school will often talk about this crazy new show that they saw - whether their parents allowed them to watch it or not. Some children feel the need in order to feel “popular” and to feel “cool” they need to watch these shows. In many instances, these shows are inappropriate for young children.

I am not a parent, but I have often heard the excuse that television is a reason for their child’s misbehavior. This may be true to an extent, but who is responsible for what their child watches on television? The parents. The parents should monitor what their child watches. Technology has allowed greater control over what our children watch but at the same time also allows parents to create excuses. Many television cable companies offer parental control settings which enable parents to censor out certain shows and show ratings that they do not want their child to watch. They could also set a time limit to how much television their children are watching. I think this has both positive and negative impacts on the child.

It’s important for the child to understand why the television show is inappropriate. Sure you can block the television show but you shouldn’t just rely on the parental control settings. If the child doesn’t understand why he or she can not do something, they are going to want to do it more. Not only are they going to want to do it more, but they are going to try to find a way behind your back to watch it. They may not be able to watch it at your house, but they may be able to watch it at a friends house. As humans, we are all curious about the things around us; that is how we learn. Children are even more curious and often ask questions like, “how does this work” and “why?” I know I did. Of course the amount of explaining will determine on the child’s age - you don’t want to tell a five year old that the reason he can not watch a show is because the people in the show are having sex. Briefly and ambiguously explain why he or she can’t watch the show and then offer a suggestion to an alternative show and watch it with them.

I think the key to this issue is explaining to the child why the can’t watch this particular show, offering alternatives, utilizing parental control settings and also monitoring what their child is watching are important steps to ensure your child is not seeing things they shouldn’t be seeing. Parents could also take this one step further and watch a television show with their child - not only will this help you see what your child is watching but also create a bond between you and your child.