Dish Network – Helping parents manage what their young children watch

Sex, drugs, violence, nudity, and “foul” language; It’s all over TV. It draws viewers in, is exciting, and sometimes realistic. However, these behaviors are often not what parents want their children to see or emulate. The question of the effect on children seems to have been answered by a multitude of studies over the last 30 years or more.

A quick search online will reveal items such as a 15-year longitudinal study reported by the American Psychological Association indicating that children’s viewing of violent television programs is linked to aggression in young adulthood for both sexes, regardless of intellectual abilities, social status or parenting style. * An online search might also turn up the report on the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry site stating that “television can be a powerful influence in developing value systems and shaping behavior.” ** Violence in the media is said to affect children of various ages. differently, but reportedly has the greatest effect on children who view violence that is not considered wrong or does not result in punishment, disapproval, or human suffering, as explained in a report available on the Media Awareness Network site .***

Parents have several options to try to eliminate or reduce their children’s exposure to programming they consider inappropriate. Obviously, most services offer programming appropriate for young children with shows like Discovery Kids, the various Disney channels, Nickelodeon, Nick Toons, BabyFirst TV, etc. However, because most adults will want programming beyond the kid-focused offerings, satellite and cable TV providers have offered parental controls for several years. Dish Network satellite receivers, for example, offer parental controls/system locks that allow users to restrict what shows can be viewed based on password-protected locks. Viewing can be restricted by channel or by rating.

Like most parental control systems, Dish Network’s software works in conjunction with V-Chip technology. Users simply program the system to restrict access to certain programming or, through its “Adult Guard” software, to completely remove adult channels from the Electronic Program Guide so that children cannot view restricted programming or access programming information through the guide. Once Dish Network’s free “Adult Guard” is programmed, the locks will stay on even when there is a power outage.

Although Dish Network and other providers offer parental controls, parents should be aware that other steps may be necessary to reduce media exposure that can have negative effects on young children. Experts warn that parents may need to be alert to the violence that is present in everything from cartoons to music videos and even many of the video games on the market.

Monitoring the media children watch is an important step in controlling their exposure. Professionals also seem to agree that watching with very young children and being able to discuss what they see can also help them better understand when violence or other behavior is not acceptable and what the consequences might really be. While it’s abundantly clear that parents need to play an active role in managing the media available to their young children and helping them interpret what they see, cable and satellite TV providers will need to continue to offer state-of-the-art controls. to help parents when they simply cannot control every moment of their children’s day.

*http://www.apa.org/releases/media_violence.html

**http://www.aacap.org/page.ww?section=Facts+for+Families&name=Children+And+TV+Violence

***[http://www.media-awareness.ca/English/resources/research_documents/reports/violence/tv_violence_child_cfm]