I came across a clever idea for managing the time our children and teens watch television.
Jonathan Liu wrote a blog post where he explains his use of Television Tokens with his children. The tokens are worth a set amount of screen time, for example thirty minutes. The child gets to decide whether to ration them out or to use several at a time.
The advantage of this system is that it gives some control to the children. They learn budgeting as well as selectivity on whether a show merits one of their limited tokens. Liu also points out that the tokens have also become
"a currency that actually has value to my kids; giving them more tokens as a reward or taking away tokens as a penalty ... actually influences their behavior in a way that other incentives and punishments don't."
According to a recent study by Nickelodeon, kids are watching almost 35 hours of television per week. That's up 7% in the last four years and up 12% in the last nine years.
The problem is that The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends a maximum of two hours per day or less than half what Nickelodeon says is actually happening.
AAP explains that excessive television can result in
- attention problems
- school difficulties
- sleep and eating disorders
- obesity
The Mayo Clinic suggests reducing television viewing by
- eliminating background TV
- keeping TVs out of the bedroom
- not eating in front of the TV
- planning all TV viewing
Television tokens are an easy way to accomplish several of those suggestions.
Liu, J. H. (2013, June 10). Geek Dad Finds Peace at Home with Screen-Time Tokens. Retrieved
fromCommon Sense Media: Making Sense Blog:http://www.commonsensemedia.org
/blog/geek-dad-finds-peace-at-home-with-screen-time-tokens
Mayo Clinic. (2013, August 6). Limiting your child's screen time. Retrieved from Children and TV:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/children-and-tv/art-20047952?pg=1
Nickelodeon . (2013, November 20). Nickelodeon Introduces "Story of Me" Research Study,
Providing Inside Look At Today's Emerging Generation of Kids. Retrieved from Nick Press: Press Releases: http://biz.viacom.com/sites/nickelodeonpress/NICKELODEON/Pages
/showpdf.aspx?FileName=Nickelodeon%20Introduces%20Story%20of%20Me%20Research
%20Study%20FINAL%20%282%29.pdf&ListName=Corporate%20PressReleases&ItemID=184
The American Academy of Pediatrics. (n.d.). Media and Children. Retrieved January 21, 2014,
from AAP Health Initiatives: http://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-
initiatives/pages/media-and-children.aspx
