TV and DVD's

With all the choices of electronic devices that we have today television is still the most popular form of media entertainment with six out of 10 Australians preferring to sit down at home and watch TV. TV has a very big impact on our lives and we can learn a lot from TV, some really good things and some not so good.

 

What are the issues?

  • A lot of television programmes have sponsors or advertisers who pay for the programme to go to air. Adverts use cool images, sounds and words to persuade us to buy things we don’t really need.
  • Watching violence on the TV and in DVD’s can make you think it’s ok to act in an aggressive way.
  • Watching scary programmes and movies can make you feel frightened or insecure for quite some time.
  • Watching too much TV means you’re not getting enough exercise which is bad for your health.

 Did you know?

  • 99% of Australian families have at least one TV and the average house has three TV’s.
  • 97% of Australian families have at least one DVD player and the average house has 2.
  • Children aged 8 – 11 in Australia spend an average of 2.3 hours per day watching TV and videos.
  • Australia has the highest number of television food adverts in the world.

Tips

  • Be aware that television adverts want to persuade you to buy their product. Sometimes they use tricks and other ways to make you believe that you need what they are selling.
  • Limit the amount of television you watch every day. These are the recommended times per day according to age:
  • Under 2 – no TV is recommended.
  • 2 – 5: 1 hour of TV per day is plenty.
  • 5-8: 1 hour per day of screen media (including computers) is plenty.
  • 8 and over: 1.5 to 2 hours per day of screen media (including computers) is plenty.
  • Talk to your Mum or Dad if you see something on TV or in a movie that makes you feel upset.
  • Find some alternative activities like playing some games indoors or outdoors.
  • Check our website for movies that are good for your age.

Links

Media Smart UK