Why parents should know what their kids are watching on tv

With August right around the corner and summer camps letting out before school starts many families will have their kids at home the next few weeks.

While the kids are home there’s nothing wrong with letting them watch some tv, but   health officials warn parents that they should always know what their kids are watching.

“Kids absorb everything they see, they absorb what they see their parents do, what they see people in the neighborhood do and so television being a little bit more glitzy , more colors, more flash more movement is very influential with children,” said psychologist Dr. Kathy Seifert.

Seifert recommends parents co-watch some shows with their children and talk with them afterwards if they have any questions and to make sure they understand what they’re watching.

“Unless you know the totality of what your child is watching you don’t know when to turn it off, sit down and talk with them or just let them sit for 15 or 20 minutes and watch for themselves,” Seifer said.

Alison Pulcher, whose children are seven and five years old, tells 47 ABC she and her husband Thomas don’t let their kids watch anything that mom and dad haven’t seen first.

“We keep what they can watch on DVR so that’s pretty much a blank they can pick whatever they want because they’ve seen it and we’ve seen it, we know what it is,” Pulcher said.

As an added tool Pulcher said her family watches the nightly news together and use it as learning experience.

Pulcher said because her kids watch the news they have become interested in things like the Olympics and  this year’s presidential candidates.

“It’s also a good way to address some of the things that they may be nervous about, or that may scare them, fires, burglaries, things that we can then explain to them on their level,” Pulcher said.

Health officials also remind parents to pay attention to animation, just because it’s a cartoon doesn’t mean it has any inherent education value.