The Blog: ministry, music, media
How Much Media for Kids? posted on January 30, 2010
The latest Kaiser Family Foundation research on children and media was released and it is an eye-opener. 
It appears that children in our American households are spending a whopping 11+ hours per day with media. Check it out: http://slides.kff.org/chart.aspx?ch=1351
If your children are engaged in music while playing a game online, it might be considered average media consumption in your family. If you watch a movie together on Friday nights or a favorite TV show mid-week as a family, or music in the car while driving somewhere - it is all pretty typical usage in our media saturated culture.
The question I would pose is: Are you actually aware of the number of hours in a day where your children are using media - just like you are aware of the nutritional value of the meals you prepare them to consume as meets the needs of growing young bodies? For example, you know you put vegetables on the plate at dinner, fruits in the lunchbox and protein shows up next to carbs etc…because you spend time shopping, planning and hoping you are providing healthy, nutritious meals they will actually eat. How are you intentional about the media they consume as feeds growing hearts and minds where you want to see them live into the compassionate, kind and loving people you know them to be?
Think of it another way: if your lovely son or daughter did nothing but read 11 hours a day - what would you have them reading? Would you monitor the reading material - or just let them loose in the store and take from the shelves that which attracted them - for whatever reason? Is there a thing as age-appropriate reading material (pictures included)?
I love media, as you know. I love that we can communicate through this amazing tool of digital technology. I respect that with all the choices you have online, you are paying attention to http://www.commongoodradio.org and inviting the kids to listen with you; I hope you know that we are very intentional about the programming with respect to age-appropriate content that speaks to hope, peace, compassion, kindness and curiosity in the lives of children and families. It is our mission to be a part of the media in the world so when the kids are learning to participate in media culture, they can have something that supports the expectation that not all media is trying to sell them something or undermine your parental authority by inviting the ‘nag’ factor, and, that media can be a valid expression of faith where children’s voices matter.
I also hope that you will share how you understand media consumption in your household here in blog responses so we can all benefit from real life experience.
blessings for the common good,
Pastor Robin
There are 4 comments “How Much Media for Kids?” was posted by Pastor Robin
Comments
Great comment, thanks.
It sounds like your family is intentional about media usage, that is to say time spent and what programming is consumed?
By Pastor Robin on January 31, 2010
3
hats really cool, I’m an Arts camp counsellor this summer! maybe I can help you…
um maybe have them decorate a picture frame and then spend time taking a picture of something to fill the frame with, then you could have them explain to the group what the message of their picture choice is and why they took it.
(sorry we do more art projects because we’re outside all day hope I could help a little)
By Infant Baby Bedding on February 16, 2010
4
Thanks for participating! I love art projects. blessings, Pastor Robin
1
I imagine these figures are averaged over the week, but I’m not certain that there’s anything so terrible about it? We have NPR on from the time I start making breakfast in the morning, until the last dishes are put away late at night. Does that mean I count 18 hours of radio on top of the time I’m online? Our son has a 90 screen time limit on weekdays, and 3 hour limit on weekends but homework time does not count towards that limit, and certainly listening to this mp3 player while on the bus doesn’t count. I think there’s rather too much alarm being raised about amounts, and not enough attention being paid to the differences between simply receiving media and creating media.
By Mary Hess on January 30, 2010