Facebooking. Twittering. We all do it. But how much time are we spending on online chatting, txting, computer games, TV, and Xbox? Every waking minute--and now, even in school and at work.Today in America, kids and teens between the ages of 8 and 18 spend roughly seven and a half hours a day consuming media. Do we always turn to media as a way of spending our free time? Is this healthy? Are the parents to blame? Should they be doing more constructive things with their time? Many kids growing up have a decreased vocabulary and social skills as a result of over consumption of everyday media. What ever happened to reading and writing? How much time do you spend consuming the media, and how do you think it affects you?
Charlotte Brannon (8:00)
15 comments:
No it is not cool to do this. Kids and adults as welll need to spend time out doors doing things to make themselves better. An example I give is to have a garden and grow your own food. It is kinda like a video game but it is for real, looks real, tastes real, and you get amazing rusults for you body, mind, and soul. Next time you want to go to farmville, try spending time in a real garden and more importantly spend time with your kids in a garden and show them the real results of growing plants. It is a nurturing process and a great way to listen to your kids have a say so in how it is done. Give them ownership and they will have great pride in doing something real. BTW put the phones away in class. It doesn't bother everyone but there are the old farts who hate seeing people using their phones constantly. Create something else that doesn't involve the use of electronics.
Jesse Hill 8:00
i do think that i spend alot of time texting, but its to my friends and to my family so i dont think it is overwelming me, but i do not play video games and i do not have a facebook never have tweeted and im a hunter and i work construction so im outside almost all the time. it is becoming a prob for our sociity because we as a society we are spending to much time with media and not enough with out it.
Tyler Farmer
I believe that the children of the twenty first century are turning to the media a lot and no it is not healthy because what are you learning by doing these things all day and everyday whenever you have spare time. Yes the parents could be the one's to blame because they are the one's in control and they can control what their child does. They can do something more active with their children. That's why we all these commercials talking about these obeist children because no one is being active with their child they are not teaching their child the media is and most of the time it is not all good.I wonder what ever happened to reading and writing too but its just todays society and how technology is changing and forever growing. I do not spend alot of time consuming the media and I think that its a good thing because that is letting me know that I am focused on something more important in my life.
Sierra (noon)
I know that i spend a lot of time of facebook and on my phone. There is even an application for facebook on my phone for heaven's sake. I can't live without my phone but I know that I need to try because I have gained a bit of weight since high school. Yeah that may have been only 5 months ago but I don't ever do anything productive unless I'm at work, but even when I am working I try to text when I can. This is a very bad thing for kids these days, especially when the technology is rising. This will get worse and I honestly fear that.
Falynn Clow
I have a facebook, yet I only am on it 15 minutes a day if that, I use to play lots of video games but once I got in high school it stopped. Also I do text but not a great amount. I have a lot of friends that do spend hours upon hours on media consumption, so much that I could quite possibably say that they are addicted. I think it is very unhealthy to spend a lot of time with media consumptions. I do and don't blame the parents they should make there kids go outside be active, yet the children should take it upon there selves to change also. With all the media consumption through the internet and texting I think it will make young children grow up to be socially akward.
Micah
Ive never been the athletic type as a young child all my friends were on the TV and in my favorite video games but as i got older my choices in media matured and it went from watching cartoons on Saturday morning to watching discovery channel every night. As i got older i made friends and realized what i was doing to myself but with the over ex poser to media i also found information about things that i could never learn from walking outside.
Dylan Yeazel
I've read about parents having control, I think this works both ways. If you encourage them to do a variety of things you won't have this problem. Really we've just went from texting and online socalizing from the phone. Before that skating or playing outside not worrying about crime.
There are alot of educational electronics out there as well. I am happy we have it for our kids today. But it is like every other thing when it comes to parenting it takes disipline and hard work from parents. My daughter has a laptop, tv, ipod, cell phone, everything electronic. She also has books, a piano, puzzles, drum, xlaphone, a variety of things. I would say it has alot to with the parents and the children.
Melissa (noon)
No disrespect but do you offten watch t.v or do you seem to place your kids in front of a t.v. to get them out of your hair lol its not always in my oppinion the t.v or games that influence young ones it all boils down to the parent and how they choose to raise the child because games and t.v. should be around only for the entertainment of 1
Demario Jordan
I do text, but that dose not hurt. I do not have a facebook or twitter. I dont spend much time on the computer besides homework. Video games are another storie. They are so real listick that people play them for hours. Like tyler i hunt and have two jobs so i am pretty busy.
Scotty
I do have a Facebook page, but I only spend about 10 minutes on it each day (if that). The only reason I got one was to stay in touch with friends when I joined the Navy, and now I use it to stay in touch with my friends from the boat. I don't play any of the stupid games or anything like that and I see them as a stupid waste of time. I would rather go outside and play with my baby, go for a walk, or spend time with my family. These sites do have a use, but some people get addicted to them and allow them to take over their lives. I believe that parents need to get back to playing with their children outside and encouraging social play (sports, tag, other games) rather than putting a TV in the kid's room and handing them a remote control.
Kevin Farnum (8:00)
We are all way to dependant on social media, and just being around technology in general. It is also sad that we as people know what needs to change, and we don't do it. Everyone deep down has an itching feeling to get reconnected with nature, good food, and actual conversation. We are the only ones who can change the way we live our lives day to day yet still all we do is bitch, and don't change anything.
Jessica Ervin
I believe parents may be some what to blame for this. After all they are the "adult" in the household. I have 2 younger sisters and they are both limited to how long they can play on the computer or play the play station. They are not allowed to do either however until they have completed school work. They also have cellphone, which are turned off at a certain time at night and not allowed until after school, unless there is an extracurricular activity that day. I believe some time on the computer, play station, cell phone, or whichever it may be is okay as long as it is in moderation and watched.
Thysha
I have three children between the ages of 8 and 18 they do not posses a cell phone nor do they have a 'personal computer' we own one video game console and TV time is limited to 2 hours after homework and required reading. However, many of my kids friends possess all of the above times five! Every new game that comes out they tweet during class and check their facebook page three times a day. Often when they visit they find themselves with 'nothing to do'. I think this is very funny. I went to high school with kids who didnt have a TV! and I was suprised at that fact. Gone are the days of Red Rover and Down by the Bay. Call of Duty and Mario are the kings of the afternoon. I am a true beliver that fresh air grows kids, bikes are the best form of transportation and reading is a way to escape a rainy day. I am a very proud parent of kids with strait A's and tell my children all the time that their value is not in what they watch.
I however am a different story! I have a facebook account that I spend way way too much time on ( I should be studying) and I watch countless movies in the evening. I end up falling behind in school work and miss out on some opportunities to bond with my kids. I can only hope that these bad habits dont corrupt my children as they get older and learn some sort of balance in school and life.
Tyreis Robinson
Jessica, Thysha, and Tyreis have basically said it all..I agree with all three of you 100%! Thanks for the posts :)
Charlotte
YES media has become one of the main sources of life expecially for me im one mediatakeout,facebook, twitter, ustream, every chance i get and if i cant like if something is even wrong with the internet on my phone i go crazy i completly shut down im sad and quite the whole time that its off. i dont necessarly think that this is healthy for me or any body else but this is what time has evloved us into.parents are not to blame becuse alot of the kids are now teaching the parents and the kids are learning it from school and there peers.yes i feel like kids should and could be doinfg alot more constrctive things with there time but in most cases there doing what they can afford because of the economy extra cariculer activites have had to be cut because parents cant afford the prices of things like that plus the bills and the things for school any more. i dont really think its been a decrease in vocabulary and social skills i think people only say that because its a lot less talking over the phone and more texting and i alot of the older genertaion did not really do things how they are done now.people still read and write is reading and writing a text message not reading and writing?
Martina Harvey(noon)
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