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The Parent Perspective - The Parent Perspective is a monthly feature where parents tell us how their families navigate today’s media-saturated environment. This month’s Parent Perspective comes from Anne in Melrose, Massachusetts. She is the mother of William (age 6). Anne tells us about how her family uses TiVo to acess educational programs and to help her son overcome anxiety around television shows and characters. I have a six-year-old son who has not always been that keen on watching TV. I admit that my situation is not typical; most parents have to curb their children's television watching habits, not encourage them. Not watching TV is considered a positive thing. It has been my experience with William, though, that lack of television exposure can lead to other issues, including fear of television shows and characters, distractability when a TV is near, and general anxiety around televisions. TiVo is a subscription programming service combined with a digital video recorder. With the service, you can record TV shows, watch them at your leisure, and archive them for future or repeat views. But for me, the most significant aspect of the service are the programming features--the ability to search out specific types of programs, like childrens' programs or science and technology programming. Users can search for programs by title or search for programs by subject or network. This feature alone has made TiVo my friend. With TiVo, William and I can pick out shows together that we know we like to watch. These are safe programs for William or low-anxiety programming. TiVo also makes it easier for William to try out programming that he would otherwise refuse to watch. I can pick out new and different shows I think William might like, record them, and share them with him later. If William doesn't like the show, he can delete it from the TiVo. This helps him feel like he has some control over the shows he watches. Another benefit with TiVo is that we can take advantage of TiVocasts (TiVo's version of podcasts) and have access to unique programming we would otherwise not have. A final benefit that TiVo shares with other DVR services is the ability to filter content. I can easily fast forward through commercials that I don't want William to be exposed to. This fast-forwarding also cuts down on TV viewing time, so an hour program ends up being only 45 minutes in length. With this feature, I am able to give William some positive exposure to TV and yet limit the time spent staring at the glowing box. So what programs have I been able to get William to watch? Typically, we watch science and technology or engineering and building shows. Programs like: "Beyond Tomorrow" an Austrailian science/technology show; "Build it Bigger" a Science channel engineering program with a funny yet informative host; "How it's Made," another Science channel program; and CNET TiVocasts, with current technology news. Finally, the only kids program deemed safe by William is an old favorite, "Curious George" on PBS. I don't want William to feel like he has to watch TV, but I do want him to feel like he has control over his TV exposure and to be able to find programs that are worth watching. If you'd like to share your own experiences or suggestions in a Parent Perspective, email us at cmch@childrens.harvard.edu |
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