It may be simple enough to turn on the streaming apps when you and your children get home, but sometimes that may be doing more harm than good. How much they watch and what they are actually watching can vary greatly, and you want to make sure your children are learning the right way.
Child Appropriate TV
You are most likely already aware of child controls when it comes to what your children are watching. These can be set easily through each individual app, so be sure you double-checked every app your child may start watching to ensure they don’t get into something inappropriate. These controls can help you target only kid-friendly media, so your kids don’t inadvertently click on something that’s violent or unsuitable for them. This can greatly reduce the amount of inappropriate media and videos that your children can potentially get into and view.
Learning Appropriate Videos
Even when you have something set to child-age videos, you’re not necessarily off the hook either. Depending on what your child likes to watch, you may not have to further investigate the apps and videos they are watching. Your child may always turn to children shows specifically, which you know are going to be (maybe) educational, but at the very least, appropriate.
But if your children frequent YouTube or other streaming services where it’s not specifically catered to children, you may have to ensure they’re picking videos that actually educate. There are many videos available that are specifically made for kids, but they may not be accurate or educational. They may even be teaching your children wrong information.
For example, there are many videos catered to children showing some of their favorite animals in toy form, such as dinosaurs, aquatic life and more. They are usually just shown to the camera and the narrator tells the viewer their name. There are also videos made just to be viewed by children, that don’t really offer any educational purposes whatsoever. They can also be showing children inaccurate information through these videos, through the animal interactions and what the narrator might be saying.
Of course, not every video is going to be completely accurate or educational in nature. However, if your children are avid learners and pick up a lot of information from videos and visual learning, these videos could ultimately become detrimental if viewed often.
Be Involved
At the end of the day, simply being more aware of what your children are watching can help you avoid these pitfalls. There are thousands of highly educational, fun videos available for children to watch and absorb. There are almost just as many videos that complete the opposite, so be sure you check in often while they’re watching TV and apps to ensure they’re picking the right videos.
Katie Kyzivat