Parent Interview

Media is all around us everywhere we go. Most adults would agree that this is a wonderful thing...for us. Media informs us of the things we need to know; it assists us in our daily lives in numerous ways. We use it at work, in school, and for entertainment purposes at home. But while media might be a handy tool for us, it can have an overwhelming effect on easily-impressionable children. This fact is something that many parents have become quite concerned about. In order to provide some parental insight on this issue, I decided to interview my older sister, Michelle Bare.

Michelle has four children, (Angel, Danny, Tristan, and Will), who range in age from seven to fourteen. Naturally, they are all exposed to media everyday. Whether it's the internet, television, or video games, my neice and nephews are always engaging in media activity. Since they're constantly taking part in these activities, I asked my sister how she regulates this media use. She told me that she regulates their use of media differently based on each activity. For example, when it comes to movies and television she checks the parental ratings, (the kids can only watch G, PG, and PG-13 rated shows), and often watches tv with them. She follows the same type of procedure in context to video games. When it comes to internet, though, she feels that she has less control over what the kids do. Because internet is required for so many of their school assignments, the kids are constantly on the computer. To regulate how often they get online and which websites they use, Michelle sets parental controls for the internet. She also likes to check up on the kids from time to time while they're online. Michelle also only allows them to watch tv and play video games at nighttime once their homework has been completed and while she's home. Because of homework purposes, she doesn't limit their internet use. She does, however, make them wait until she's home before signing on.

I then asked her if she prefers certain types of media for the kids. Michelle told me that she thinks the internet and certain books/magazines are the most beneficial types of media for children because of the educational knowledge they can gain from it.

To wrap up the interview, I asked Michelle if she had any additional comments/concerns about the use of media in her children's lives. She said, "I think that media can truly be a great thing. It's useful and efficient and the kids love using it. But I'm a parent - so of course I worry about the impression that it's going to leave on my kids. I'd have to say though that, if closely monitored, I really think media can have an overall good effect on children."