Post: How to Handle Reality TV
How to Handle Reality TV
This week marked the launch of a new season of reality. Fox's reality powerhouse American Idol jumpstarted its sixth season on Jan. 16; meanwhile, over on NBC, wannabe Sandys and Dannys are dancing it up in Grease: You're the One That I Want.
Reality shows can promote unrealistic beauty standards, unhealthy behavior -- or at the very least, be mean-spirited. (American Idol's snarky judges are getting criticized by the media, including Rosie O'Donnell, for this season's especially cruel comments). Parents, how do you know if you're kids are up for reality TV? Here are our tips.
- Keep the TV in a cental location, not in kids bedrooms. That way you can keep at least one ear open to what's going on with the shows. It's very important that we know what our kids are seeing and hearing in the media world.
- Check out Common Sense Media's reviews, which can let you know if your kid is the appropriate age. Remember, it's OK to say no to your kids if you're uncomfortable with the content.
- Help your kids think about the messages. Our reviews also provide a Common Sense Note, which is designed to help you engage your kids in conversation. Ask them what they thought about a particular contestant’s actions. Was the gain worth the unsavory behavior? Would they do the same? How would they feel if someone did that to them?
Handling competition is a necessary part of a child’s development. Almost all the reality the shows feature different ways of handling elimination. The important part of the discussion comes from having them realize that not all examples are created equally -- there are positive and negative role models. - Finally, it’s important for your kids to have a “reality check” about the reality shows, especially when it comes to makeover shows that feature extensive plastic surgery. Ask your kids why they think people would give up who they are to become someone else. What do they think these people expect from their transformations? Why are good looks so crucial?
This is a great opportunity to talk about what's going on in your child’s social life without asking directly about it (which, as we all know, is a sure-fire conversation stopper!)
This article was adapred from The Reality of Reality TV by Dr. Mikiko Huang, which was published in the Common Sense newsletter on May 27, 2005. For more, check out our list of best reality shows for the whole family, then add your own favorites below.
There are 2 replies to this post
Date: January 22, 2007
We have an 11 year old boy who was particularly interested in the show so we watched a 1/2 hour of it together. Initially he laughed at the musically challenged contestants, until we asked him to put himself in the shoes of the contestant and asked how he would react to the judges' behavior. Similarly we asked him to be a judge and explain how he would tell a really unattractive or poorly skilled musician they hadn't made the cut. It turned into a conversation about honesty and respecting others and how those values can conflict with each other as well as with what society on TV teaches- it's not cool to consider others when giving criticism. We also discussed the value of good friends and family that tell you when you're not good at something, saving you from embarrassment. In short we use the distorted points of view of reality TV to teach values. For that, thank you American Idol.
Link: http://www.powermomsunite.com
Date: January 27, 2007
Agree with the teaching moments in the above post...I tuned in for a jiff w/my 11-year old too, since I had blogged about the 'hype' of a subliminal ad that was getting heavy press for the show's big brouhaha premiere http://www.shapingyouth.org/blog/?p=235
I must say, the crass, mean-spirited belittling that so many folks seem to adore even made my daughter wince, so for THAT I also thank American Idol. Nothing like a little tween validation that 'reality' bites---(remember that movie?)
Link: http://www.shapingyouth.org