Letter - How much TV screen time is enough?

Talk about it

To the editor:

About 99 percent of the people in the United States have a television, but are television, video games and computers healthy for children? I think it’s unhealthy for a child to have more than three or four hours of screen time a day.

I wonder if parents actually think of how much screen time their children have in one day. Children become less sociable, become addicted and learn about violence more if they have excess screen time. I don’t think parents realize how much violence is in children’s television programs or interactive games.

I think parents should actually sit down and watch television with their children; watching for acts of violence and listening to the language usage closely.

I think parents should get their children into sports or community activities starting at a young age. Maybe then when the children get older they might enjoy doing a specific sport and play the sport even as an adult. Parents could also play board games, cards, read books, or just have family time each night, without the television on – to reduce screen time.

Danielle Bloedel,

Alexandria Technical College Child Development student

Alexandria, MN

Tags: television, tv, screen, time, children, parents, hours, danielle, bloedel