How Electronic Media--From Baby Videos to Educational Software--Affects Your Young Child by Lisa Guernsey

The accessibility of modern technology in the lives of the public advocates the immoderate consumption of screen time. Within the past century, America’s development of futuristic technologies has surpassed expectations. The tools available today are often looked upon as a major improvement to society but often enough, the drawbacks are not recognized. As Americans are submerged in the influx of technological devices, the ability to restrain from them is mitigated. People prominently enjoy using electronics, specifically television and computers, due to the proximity they hold in their lives. When an object is constantly surrounding someone, he or she often becomes attached to it, finding comfort in its presence. Likewise, when a television is often present in one’s life, he or she becomes accustomed to the satisfaction it provides. In Screen Time: How Electronic Media--From Baby Videos to Educational Software--Affects Your Young Child, Lisa Guernsey focuses on the impact modern technology has on children, the most vulnerable and naive to the negative effects of screen time. According to a research study, thirty-nine percent of families with babies, infants, and preschoolers up to four years of age had the television on most or all of the time, even when no one was watching. This is equivalent to two families out of five exhibiting the behavior (Guernsey 76). Not only does this teach the child that having the television on is acceptable, it authorizes him or her to watch it. For these children, the presence of the television has practically become a part of their lives; consequently, as they grow older they develop a dependant relationship with the television as it had always reminded them of their home environment. A shocking sta...

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...to a well-structured routine can be beneficial, the concept of moderation can be neglected. Most people fail to understand the value of balance. The media implements marketing strategies to make everything seem appealing. Ray Bradbury has understood the power of the media decades before his time. His futuristic novel Fahrenheit 451 explains the objectives of media. “The bigger your market, the less you handle controversy” (Bradbury 49). Although there is controversy surrounding the impact of baby media on children, most parents succumb to the illusions put forth by the industry. Their ignorance allows them to set their kids in front of the television, justifying their decisions by convincing themselves that their children are “learning.” The influence of media on parental justification for screen time provokes the rapidly increasing use of electronics in children.