Movie Time

In the classroom, we are regularly privy to information about the children’s lives outside of school. We have a special time as a group specifically for Telling True Stories and during this period the children share meaningful events with each other. Occasionally, a child will try to take this time to tell about the plot of a fantasy movie he/she has recently seen. I have often felt concern to know that some of the children are exposed to movies that are, in my opinion, inappropriate for their age.

In fact, as a professional educator of young children for the past 23 years, my distress is threefold. To begin, screen time of any kind is detrimental to the mental development of children under the age of six. The problem pertains to the process of neural connection in the brain. The light and movement which make movies, television and video games, even educational video games possible, short-circuits the optimal hardwiring of the highest-functioning areas of the brain. Contemporary brain research on the effects of screen technology on developing intelligence and mental well-being is being lead by Dr. Jane Healy. I recommend reading any of her many titles available at our local libraries. As studies show that 50% of an individual’s intelligence is formed by age 4 and 80% by age 8, it is crucial for our own children and for the betterment of society that we protect our children from activities that are so limiting to their optimum development.

The second factor that disturbs me about the viewing of movies, video games and TV shows by young children is that they are an immense distraction to the child once the viewing is over. Everything that a child is witness to must be processed by the child. A movie is so chock-full of images and ideas that it may require much of a child’s psychic energies and much of his/her time to digest it all. We see children who are missing out on group discussions, interesting activities, excellent literature, fascinating true stories told by dynamic speakers and much more because they are still thinking of the film they saw last weekend. They cannot participate in conversation because they cannot attend to the ideas of others, being so suffused in this entertainment they have consumed. The loss outweighs any gain.

Lastly, there is the issue of content. The children tell us which films they see and I know that many of them are not rated G. I think our students are marvelous and wonderful, but not necessarily any more advanced or sophisticated than the general population of children and probably not any better equipped to handle images that are frightening, violent, grim or disturbing. They also are unable to think critically about subtle or obvious sexism, commercialism, bigotry or the privilege of the pretty. And don’t get me started on the impertinence and sass that passes for wit. I think it is sometimes the case that in the interest of family unity, younger siblings are privy to screenings that are intended for and appropriate for older siblings. I caution against this compromise. These children are in their formative years. From what do we want them to be formed?

Now please don’t get me wrong. I enjoy my own favorites.  As a matter of fact, I enjoy some really trashy TV. Film is a wonderful art form. It can uplift us, inspire us, educate us and inform us. It is good for a laugh, a cry, an escape. There is no rush, however, in bringing this medium to children. Any TV show or film that a parent would wish to share with their child would be even more appreciated by a child over the age of six. The child would “get” more of the plot, character development, setting, humor, pathos and moral the film has to offer. After all, most of the silliness of a kid’s movie is funny because we, the adults, know how all the wackiness contrasts to how the world really is. To us, it is amusing, but to a child it’s confusing. A child who has lived long enough to have more real-world experience takes in everything on a higher level. Furthermore, by the age of 6 their character, their values and their idea of what is real and normal is significantly established. This provides them with the necessary “lens” when viewing material that is in opposition to those values and beliefs. Until the age of 6, the child lacks a filter. He/she is in the age of what Montessorians refer to as the Absorbent Mind. It takes in all and does not distinguish good from bad. What is absorbed is then used as building material for that child’s personality. This is all the more reason to eliminate questionable influences.

We live in a culture where entertainment is no longer commonly created by ordinary people for their own enjoyment. Most of us are now consumers of art and entertainment. We purchase our music, our stories, our myths and legends more often than we produce them ourselves. We owe it to our children to be wise and conscious consumers.

Best regards,

Doni