Children today spend more time watching television than they did in the past. Describe some of the advantages and disadvantages of television for children. Give reason and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge and experience.

It is generally accepted that spending too much time in front if the TV harms childrens’ development. Therefore, in my opinion, parents should by all means limit their childrens’ TV and computer screen time, especially while they are younger. Watching TV or using a computer can be addictive, even for adults. Parents must prevent their children from developing bad habits, like spending a lot of their time in front of the TV, early on. Not only should parents strictly limit their childrens' screen time, they also need to be role models. Certainly, younger children will need more guidance, while teenagers can be given more responsibility in how they spend their time. Moreover, watching TV is a passive way to spend time with no social interaction. While this point is not so much about computers, physical exercise and playing with other children are essential activities for a healthy development. Spending a lot of time in front of computer or TV screens limit’s a child time for such activities. Especially younger children can not concentrate for an extended time span without breaks. Watching TV or playing computer games for many hours can hurt their ability to concentrate on their homework or a book later on. So even if the content watched is age adequate and educational watching it for too long can be harmful for a child. All things consideres, there are many reasons why parents are well advised to monitor their childrens’ use of TV and computers closely. Especially younger children should be guided to spend their time in active and healthy ways.