Over the years I've noticed the steady decline in little kids running around my suburban street. Its not that they're not living here anymore, because I see no shortage of sticky little fingers in the corner shop agonising over what kind of sweets to use their money on after school.
It's simply that little kids are being sucked into their television sets and not being released until a parent drags them kicking and screaming away from their favourite episode of pokémon for their evening meal. Okay... maybe I'm a bit behind the times. What is it these days? Something about evil robots no doubt!
I mean parents aren't complaining. "Keeps the little tykes outta trouble doesn't it?" It saves upon days of worrying about just who your child could be playing with? Kinds meanwhile think 'why challenge your imagination when you can just sit back and watch the telly?' I mean all that running around and pretending! Who needs it? I'll tell you who. KIDS!
Play is a really important part of growing up and children have many means of entertaining themselves. This should also involve physical exercise, instead of slowly moulding themselves an ass groove in the family settee and 'watching' your way to obesity.
Part of the magic of being a child is that you can invent millions of different realities for yourself and your friends in seconds. TV is robbing them of that. Another part of Play that is really important is the social interaction. Children must get involved with other kids to become more outgoing and socially functional human beings.
If kids are indoors hiding away on their own with a remote by their side and the mesmerising play of light and colour in front of their faces, they're not going to be emotionally equipped later in life to make friends easily. The earlier they start the better.
So Parents, Big Brothers and Sisters of the world, save the kids from the Television!
About this team
This article was written by Emma Arbuckle and edited by Gavin Leung. It was published on the Reach for the Sky website.
