Too much TV breeds 'screen' generation

Televisions and computers are the "electronic baby-sitters" for a generation of British children who are losing out on family life and becoming more materialistic, says a recent report. The study paints a picture of a breed of "screen kids" who are spending more and more time watching TV and surfing the net unsupervised by adults.

The report from the National Consumer Council (NCC) found that nearly half the children from well-off families had television in their bedrooms, compared with 97% of the nine-to-13-year-olds from poorer areas. Children from less well-off areas were also six times more likely to watch TV during the evening meal.

The report links increased TV viewing hours with greater exposure to marketing and higher levels of materialism.

The report also found that materialistic children were more likely to argue with their family and have a lower opinion of their parents.

NCC chief executive Ed Mayo said: "Today's children are now 'screen kids'. In some streets every bedroom has a television for the children and many have a computer."

"We need to ask if the electronic screen has now become the electronic baby-sitter."

Children in poorer areas watched more commercial television and TV shows made for an older audience. Twice as many children in this group said they "believed" adverts than those in well-off areas.

The report also shows that children's TV is now less popular with young people. Fewer than half of all the 12-to-13-year-olds listed any children's programmes in their three favourite shows. Children as young as nine include soaps, reality and horror shows among their favourites.

Agnes Nairn, one of the report's writers, said: "The effect of so much television viewing and computer usage is that things are replacing people and family life is suffering."

Lesson Plan

Tell students that the article is about children. Ask students: What is an "electronic baby-sitter"? Write the answers on the board. Students guess in pairs. An electronic baby-sitter is a ... - 3 mins

1. camera that watches children.
2. TV or computer that entertains children.
3. robot that looks after children.

Establish that the article is about a generation of kids who spend a lot of time watching TV unsupervised. Pre-teach the stressed words. Brainstorm quickly why this could be a problem. - 5 mins

Write these questions on the board and go through key vocabulary. Students predict in pairs if these sentences are true or false, then read the article to confirm. - 12 mins

1. The new study is about American children.
2. In poorer areas, 97% of children have a TV in their bedroom.
3. Children from well-off areas are more likely to watch TV during their dinner.
4. Watching TV makes children more materialistic.
5. Materialistic children argue more with their best friends.
6. Children in poorer areas watch more TV shows for older people.
7. Some nine-year-old children said their favourite TV programmes were horror shows.
8. Agnes Nairn, a researcher, thinks family life is getting better.

Tell students that they work for a magazine problem page. A parent has written to the magazine for advice. Their children often watch TV/go on the internet in their own bedrooms. They have also become more materialistic and argus a lot. Students need to write a reply letter. As a group brainstorm a good beginning to the letter. Then cover some examples of advice, eg you could try talking to your children about the problem; it might be an idea to limit the time your children spend watching TV etc. - 10 mins

Students work in pairs and brainstorm as many ideas as possible for the parent. They then write a rough draft of the letter. Monitor and correct. Students write the final version. Put the letters on the wall for everybody to read. Which one gives the most helpful advice? - 30 mins