Media safety for children

Television has been a part of our culture now for 75 years and video games have been available for the last 30 years. The media has had a huge influence on our children and finding options that are suitable for the whole family are sometimes difficult to obtain. Rating the different media options has helped parents monitor age appropriate materials that their children are exposed to. G-rated films generally are the most suitable for the whole family. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents continue to closely monitor what their children watch.

Influence of entertainment mediums

Entertainment mediums rarely show the consequences of unsafe behaviors. This can desensitize children to the real consequences of making unsafe choices. A study published in the February 2010 issue of Pediatrics reported that half the scenes in G-rated and PG-rated movies from 2003-2007 involved children in an unsafe predicament. The study noted the improvement movies have made with displaying the preventive safety practices of wearing seatbelts, using crosswalks, wearing helmets while riding bikes, and using flotation devices when swimming. Children often imitate what they see on television, movies and video games so this has been a positive influential change. The researchers concluded by stating parents should continue to discuss unsafe practices that their children watch and to practice safer behaviors.

Video games have also been known to influence children in making unsafe choices. Aggressive behaviors have been associated to the amount of time children are allowed to play video games. (Walsh 2000) The interactive quality of video games differs from passive viewing of television or a movie because it allows players to become active participants in the violent act. They are then rewarded by being allowed to move up to the next level which will reinforce the behavior. Knowing the ratings and monitoring the set time limits of how often and how long your children play the game can help decrease any potential negative effects.

Despite improvements there are still too many dangerous activities depicted in movies and video games. Injuries to children can be substantially reduced if proper safety recommendations are followed on all items purchased for children. Learning from the circumstances surrounding an accident and taking the opportunity to prevent them in the future will help to keep all children safe.