Excessive Exposure to TV and Video Games
We strongly urge clients, and particularly children, to reduce their exposure to rapid electronic stimulation, such as TV and video games. Recent studies show an increased risk for attentional problems from watching any television early in life. While research shows some benefit for video games, they should be monitored carefully and not relied upon, at the expense of socializing and more complex board and card games.
Is the increasing amount of information that bombards our society through electronic means creating a society of children that need to be entertained by teachers? Are our schools graduating students that can sustain concentration levels sufficient to meet the demands of higher education or complex work? Researchers do not totally agree on the answers to these questions, but do seem to agree that children before the age of two should not watch any TV, and excessive exposure to electronic media comes at the expense of insufficient time on more productive tasks. kSero professionals believe that television–watching for prolonged periods reduces children’s self-control.
Researchers appear to agree that excessive use of video games can re-wire the brain. Some would say that it increases eye-hand coordination or problem-solving skills. Others think that those gains are offset by losses in other areas, such as short and long term memory development, critical thinking skills, concentration ability and executive functioning.
Researchers have compared brain scans of children playing video games against those that were adding strings of single digit numbers. The areas of the brain that were utilized in playing the video games were those areas that affect vision and movement. The scans of those that were adding numbers showed activity in both sides of the frontal lobe — the areas connected with emotions and learning. Some researchers are concerned that an excessive use of video games will result in a poorly developed frontal lobe area, weak academic achievement and a propensity towards violence or aggression.