When Baby Boomers think back to the influence TV had on their childhoods, they probably recall an ugly, rabbit-eared set perched in the corner of the living room that picked up a handful of channels. If their parents heard anything objectionable on the “boob tube,” they’d turn the channel or hit the off button.
Things have changed, and not necessarily for the better. Today’s mass media penetrate deeply and quietly, inflicting real damage on young children, an increasing body of research shows. Moms and dads today are less likely to witness what their children are watching and hearing, and less able to monitor it.
More than 170 studies going back over 28 years have concluded that heavy media exposure ”” everything from TV to cellphones to computer games ”” increases the risk of adolescent obesity, smoking, sex, drug and alcohol use, attention problems and poor grades, according to a report released this week by Common Sense Media (CSM), a non-profit child advocacy group.