By OGEY UCHEATU
Have you ever been watching the television with your family, and all of a sudden, profanity bursts out through the TV screen or an inappropriate scene unfolds right in front of you while your children are in the room? How do you handle such situations? How do you respond in a way that protects your children and preserves the gateway to their souls?
We live in a society that is saturated with inappropriate media, songs and videos. Therefore, it is our duty as parents to be vigilant about the type of content that our children view. According to a new study in the Journal of Pediatrics, “the average eight year old child spends eight hours a day on media” (Parents Television Council, 2017).
Therefore, it is imperative that we as parents, set controls on various media devices such as smartphones, tablets and TVs to block out inappropriate programs. I have outlined a few practical tips that can help us control our children’s media content:
· Parental Control Settings: Use the parental control setting on your remote to block certain TV stations/channels.
· TV Curfew: Set a TV cutoff time for your children. This is because most of the negative content such as sex, violence and nudity occurs during the night time. Therefore children should be restricted from watching late night television.
· Monitor Viewer History: In addition, parents should periodically check the viewer history on their children’s media devices to ensure that they are within proper standards and age limitations.
· YouTube Kids: Download the YouTube Kids app which is designed specifically for kids to provide a safer viewer experience.
· Discuss with your Children: As you children grow older, it is also advisable to have conversations with your children on how to walk away when they are exposed to inappropriate content through music videos and TV shows.
Finally, the bible states in Isaiah 54:13 that “all your sons will be taught of the Lord, and the well-being of your sons will be great.” It is my prayer that we will be able to use God’s wisdom coupled with these simple steps to guard the well-being of our children.
Please post your thoughts and comments below. God bless you. Written by Ogey Ucheatu for The Kingdom TV. Ogey is Wife, Mom, Gospel Artiste, blogger and leader.