CHILDREN spend a lot of time in front of the television and with electronic gadgets, interrupting their lingual and social growth and producing a generation that suffers from a series of problems, according to an educational sociology expert. Sheikha Al-Owdah told Al-Madinah daily that young people are currently detached from society and do not have an extensive vocabulary because of their addiction to technology. She said: “Through their studies and research, scientists are generally in agreement about the hazards of television programs and commercials on children aged 2 to 7, particularly the negative effect on the brain and concentration, mental and physical health. “TV can also kill creativity, and develop an inability among children to engage in dialogue and build healthy social relations.” She said the television is an attractive appliance for children because of its visual nature. “At a pre-school age, young children depend on the picture only to understand the content of the program because the child's sight is one of his most important senses. “He gains many of the concepts of the world around him in their forms and colors through the picture.” Parents might leave their children for long periods watching TV because they are preoccupied or the child insists on watching such programs, she said. “If the child spends a long time watching TV without someone selecting appropriate channels and programs for him, then it can be a problem, especially due to their age. This is because it is the period for the formation of nerve cells for cognition. “The images children see might stick in their mind for life. “The same applies to the words he hears, because they might not be good words.” Al-Owdah added that the German Medical Journal recently claimed TV has a harmful effect on the brains of young children. The journal also said that programs and shows that target children also carry negative effects. They are harmful to children because their brains cannot deal with and follow the pictures and noise emanating from the TV set, the journal said. She said: “A young child cannot comprehend what is right and wrong and cannot discern what is imaginary and what is real. “The child considers many of the events and personalities he sees on TV to be real. He does not believe them to be imaginary, like Superman and Batman, among others.” She suggested there are many channels that broadcast shows round the clock and their content leaves a lot to be desired. “These shows are responsible for turning children from being spontaneous and innocent into ones who see scenes of violence and hear violent language, and all of this content is something many children try to mimic.” Foreign studies conducted on 500 movies revealed that love, crime and sex form 72 percent of the content. Another study on crime and violence said scenes of crimes or attempts to kill comprise 68 percent of the total content. Al-Owdah believed criminal gangs formed of juveniles are often influenced by the films they watch. The effect of commercials is even more serious because they are repeated, concentrated and attract the viewer's attention. They do not take into consideration that children may be watching. Cartoons and videogames also expose children to violence. Al-Owdah said: “Children watching TV programs for unspecified periods and without supervision and selectivity are plagued by negative behavior problems, the most prominent of which are negativity, selfishness, uncooperativeness, not sympathizing with other's feelings and blindly imitating others when it comes to clothing, food, drink, social conduct and developing a consumer lifestyle. “Leaving a child in front of the TV for long hours might lead to obesity and laziness. “Children who watch TV without any form of parental supervision are often unable to restrain themselves, quickly resort to violence, lack feelings of empathy and are in a constant state of fear and anxiety. “They lack the impetus to be productive and creative.” Al-Owdah suggested parents should try harder to set an example for them to follow at home and outside. They should read, play sports and converse with their children so they develop interests outside of technology.
