To generation to another in a pre-Internet world, children watch television whether it's after breakfast or school. Parents or caregivers would ask them questions like, "Have you eaten your breakfast?" "How's school?" "Do you have any homework?" "Have you done your homework?" and many more. Most children would respond while others ignored the parents and continued watching their tv.
Imagine if a child returned home to watch tv after they had a bad day in school. They watch their favorite show to relive their worries and sadness. They laugh at the funny parts, cry at the sad ones and be happy at the happy moments, the same as we watch our tv shows. Whether they're watching an educational show or a cartoon, children are guaranteed to be entertained by it.
Children watching television are exposed to new things that will help them learn and understand from different cultures, people, languages, and even new words. These unlock children's curiosity as they process new information to their developed brains or ask their parents about these things.
There are many downsides to children watching too much television. One, it will affect their brain development and their eyes. If there's a character in a show that does bad things or says mean words, children would mirror their actions and behavior which would concern parents. Two, they would not do their homework or hobbies because they are too distracted and are not willing to do them. Three, they would become overweight if they didn't exercise or they eat too many snacks and sweets while consuming their favorite shows.
What parents or caregivers should do is to give children a given limit to watch their tv. For example, if a child watches too much television, parents limit their watching up to 2 programs or less so the child could focus on other things. They should also practice censorship. If they see their children watch something that's inappropriate for their age, they should either talk to them or quickly switch to another channel.
In a post-Internet world, the transition from tv to the computer has shifted quickly. In fact, more children are watching their favorite shows online more than TV thanks to YouTube and streaming services like Netflix. Children can do many things on the computer whether they want to watch a video on YouTube or play online games or even learn new things.
The same advantages and disadvantages of watching tv would also apply to the computer. The one difference is while inappropriate content on tv is censored, the Internet is not. Parents should take caution whenever their child watches a YouTube video or surfing through a website. If they see a video of a cartoon that has foul language, parents should advice the children that not every cartoon is for kids and they should on the safe mode when they want to find a video.
Another disadvantage to add is cyber bullying. If a child has a social media account, they should be aware of what they're posting. Let's say a boy said a negative opinion about the movie he says "sucks. I don't know why anyone like this movie." He would get comments that either agree with him or disagree. Some of the comments of the latter might not agree with his opinion but they understand while others were quickly defend the movie and attack his opinion. To put it in reverse, what if he says the movie is not that bad but a lot of people did not like it? The same comments apply to this situation as well. Looking at mean and hurtful comments online can hurt a child which leads them to have low self esteem.
What parents or caregivers should do is to suggest a website that children can access to that is entertaining and educational as well as to filter out inappropriate sites, talk to them about the dangers of the Internet, limit their computer usage for 2 hours and many more.
In my opinion, yes. They are similar in a way that they're provided as a source of entertainment and escapism. They can help children become educated based on what they saw on TV or online. The differences are well, for television, you can only watch them while you can do many things on the computer.
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