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Children Becoming Media ZombiesChildren have fallen in love with electronic media, spending more than 4.35 hour per day in front of a televeision set and other electronic media, according to new research.  The percentage of children (2 to 17 years old) with TVs in their bedrooms rose for the third straight year, climbing from 40.73 percent in 1996 to 48.2 percent this year. Yet, parental control and concern appears to be having an effect among the youngest. TThe percentage of preschoolders (2 to 5) with TVs in their bedroom fell five percent from 1998 to 1999. However, the average number of television sets in homes with children rose while the number of home where parents supervise their child television viewing and the number of households with rules about TV viewing fell. According to the report, "With the introduction of new media, and particularly the Internet, into American homes, the focus of parents' concern over media influences is beginning to change. This year, one-fifth of the parents surveyed named the Internet as their buggest concern, up significantly fron last year. Parents also express a low opinion in Internet content for their children." The survey, "Media in the Home," was conducted by the Annenberg Public Policy Research Center.  High Stress Hits WomenWomen around the world are more likely than men to say they feel stressed every day, according to global study of 30,000 individuals in 30 different countries.
By a margin of 21 percent to 15 percent, women are in the majority of feeling super-stressed versus men, according to Roper Starch Worldwide. Among the most stressed women in the world are full-time working mothers with children under the age of 13, with nearly one in four (24 percent) feeling stress almost every day. Full-time working mothers (23 percent) and mothers with kids under 13 (25 percent) are also highly stressed. "Whether being a working mother of young children is inherently the issue, or whether it is a matter of living up to societal or cultural expectations, the world needs to develop stress-busters to ease the lives of these women," said Tom Miller, group senior vice president of Roper Starch Worldwide and director of the global consumer study. "The solutions may come from business, government or community, perhaps in the form of new services, technology or other life-enhancing remedies," Miller said. "Whatever their form, the need to develop stress-reducing solutions will remain one of the great challenges - and opportunities - of the millennium." For more on the study, visit Roper Starch Worldwide.Shut TV Off on KidsChildren two years old and under should not be watching television, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. "While certain television programs may be promoted to this age group, research on early brain development shows that babies and toddlers have a critical need for direct interactions with parents and other significant care givers for healthy brain growth and the development of appropriate social, emotional, and cognitive skills," wrote the AAP. The new AAP statement on media education also suggests parents create an "electronic media-free" environment in children's rooms, and avoid using media as an electronic babysitter. In addition, it recommends pediatricians incorporate questions about media into routine child health visits, as education can reduce harmful media effects. For more information on the recommendation, visit the American Academy of Pediatrics.
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