By Gargi Pant; Illustration by Shinod AP
It is often felt that children are voracious and unselective viewers of television who spend a considerable part of their free time in front of television sets. Television has become an integral part of our day-to-day life. It is baby sitter, companion and an important agent of socialisation for children.
Television in these conditions is bound to have its tremendous impact on children, both in terms of how many hours and what s/he watches on television. You might say, oh that's ridiculous! Television is not harmful; it just entertains. You will get your answer if you observe a child watching television.
When children are glued to the small screen, it is virtually impossible to divert their attention away from television. Watching television is a highly passive activity, too.
There are several things a parent needs to keep in mind regarding the effects of television watching on children (and adults as well):
• Does the whole family watch television together, or does the child engage in a high degree of unregulated viewing?
• Does the television comprise a central piece of furniture in your house?
• Is the television set switched on the moment any member of the family enters an empty house?
• Is it on during the daytime?
• Are television sounds an integral part of your family landscape?
• Can your own television-watching habits be held up as a role model stressing the positive effects of selective viewing for the child?
The following suggestion for parents given by American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) offers suggestions to parents, which can help curtail the impact of the passive medium on the child:
• Know how much television your child watches, and don't be afraid to reduce it. The AAP recommends that parents limit their children's viewing to one or two hours per day. Make a firm weekly plan of what programmes will be watched and how much time may be spent on watching television.
• Any child's weekly schedule normally involves a certain amount of time for school, naps, outdoor and indoor play. There should not be a great amount of unfilled time when the child gravitates towards television.
• Try to watch television with your children, and discuss the programmes they watch. Especially talk about the difference between real life and life on the small screen.
• Be a role model because children often follow their parents' example. Examine your own viewing patterns to help children decide their own viewing schedule. The rules about television viewing are to be followed by everyone in the family.
• Parents can demonstrate to their children that television is a medium to be used selectively. They can quite literally point children in the direction of informative and educational programmes. There are remarkable things for children to see and enjoy on television.
• Do not use television as a baby-sitter. Instead, offer children alternative activities such as outdoor play, or household chores made interesting, or reading.
Since television is here to stay, we need to be fully aware of its possibilities and limits. And, in the final analysis, parents must realise that they have a choice not watching television. For, there is an 'Off' button on every set.
Target Child
By Gargi Pant; Illustration by Shiju George
Advertisers spend crores of rupees every year in creating a climate conducive to consumption. Children are particularly vulnerable to this sort of advertising as these companies are increasingly targeting them in a variety of ways. The reason: children are emerging as a major influencing factor when it comes to decision-making. Advertising and marketing companies are well aware of this trend. They also realise that a child's spending and preference pattern determines how and on what s/he will spend on when she grows up. A thought-provoking article in an issue of the US magazine, Week elaborates on how children represent three different markets. They are primary purchasers, they have a big influence on their parent/s spending pattern, and they represent the future market. Brand loyalties are formed when children are young and are carried through to adulthood. And this is something that market strategists are quick to capitalise on, for their ends. This reality is becoming more apparent even in the Indian context where children figure in an entire range of product ads ranging from shoes and fast foods to computer products and cars. For example, one car advertisement shows a child urging his father to go for a drive so that he is not questioned about his mark sheet. Studies have shown that nowadays children influence the preference for a car over a two-wheeler and a motorbike over buying a scooter. The Week gives a detailed break-up of the development of a consumer pattern in children according to what they see around them - in the lives of their parents and in the media. Development Of a Consumer
· From age one the child accompanies the parents on shopping sprees and observes all sorts of goodies.
· Between age two to three the child starts demanding things, and begins making connections between what s/he see on television and the products available in stores. The list of demands starts increasing.
· By age four to five children start selecting items with their parents' permission. They begin identifying brands.
· Simultaneously, the child is learning how to get parents to respond to demands. Whining and screaming are forms of this tactic - indeed tears are necessary. Almost all children learn to persuade their parents.
· From age six onwards the child can go to the store herself and make her own purchase. The final step in the development of a consumer is learning how to pay for a purchase.
As an advertising saying goes, 'If you own this child at an early age,… you can own this child for years to come'. As marketing strategies based themselves on these patterns, child psychologists are questioning the ethics of targeting children through advertisements. They reason that till the age of eight or nine, children are unable to understand the intention behind advertising, thus it is unethical to target them.
