Childcare – What Programs or Videos Should Children Not Watch?

Childcare: There is no shortage in Australia of bodies offering advice, opinion and guidance on what pre-school age children should be forbidden from watching.

Unfortunately, some of this advice is contradictory and that can lead to parental confusion. In what follows, we will offer our personal view of current thinking in this domain. Please remember, this ultimately is a matter of opinion and parents will need to make their own decisions.

Childcare – definitions of potentially harmful categories

• Many child development specialists define potentially harmful imagery as coming under one or more of the following categories:
• violence – simulations of ‘real’. This would usually involve war films, some cop shows, some movies with violent scenes, significant numbers of video games;
• violence – play or surreal. This might include some cartoons, kids’ ‘knockabout’ comedy TV, clowns in the circus;
• sexual content;
• self-harm;
• horror;
• some science-fiction containing particularly frightening images that might transition into horror;
• certain documentaries which might, legitimately, contain horrific imagery relating to historical events;
• TV or video containing values that might be termed ‘negative’ in the sense they encourage hate or contempt for others.

Difficulties in definitions

It is very difficult or near impossible to precisely define these categories. What one person considers to be a violent movie, might to another, seem harmlessly slapstick and comedic.

There are though some general flavours to pick out by category.

Simulations of real violence
Many psychologists believe this category is potentially very harmful to younger children. Firstly, it is unclear at what age children become able to differentiate between ‘serious’ simulated but unreal violence and the real thing.

Secondly, studies have now shown beyond reasonable doubt that there is a correlation between children’s exposure to violent TV or video imagery at preschool ages and subsequent violent behaviour at the age of 15. This is a strong effect for boys though much less so for girls, though the reasons for that are not entirely clear.

What is clear is that preschool-aged children should have zero exposure to ‘serious’ simulated violence on TV, videos or PC games.

Play or surreal violence

This is a controversial area where studies have yielded conflicting results and experts frequently disagree.

Most people would feel that from a very early age, children can differentiate between toys and real people or animals. As such, two fluffy puppets having fun while pushing each other on a TV show is unlikely to meet any sensible definition of ‘violence’ or have a very negative effect on children.

Violent cartoons, showing animals or people inflicting harm on each other may be different. It might be advisable to ensure that children have it made clear to them that this is make-believe and not real.

Sexual content

It is almost impossible for young children to watch TV now, without encountering some, typically mild, sexual content even before any watershed hours. On the Internet, this position is far worse, with extreme sexual content being widespread.

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