Kids' shows fail the test

0 Comments | Insight on the News, August 3, 1998 | by Cheryl Wetzstein

Researchers give educational TV poor grades after finding inappropriate content -- including violence and sex -- on children's shows.

Although nearly 70 percent of children's educational programming is aimed at kids in elementary school, these shows are more likely to contain violence and harsh language than those aimed at toddlers or teens. In addition, 46 percent of children's shows lack any such educational content, according to Amy Jordan, a researcher with the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania.

For these and other reasons, many parents hold low opinions of children's TV programming, say Jordan and colleagues who have issued "The 1998 State of Children's Television Report: Programming for Children Over Broadcast and Cable Television." The researchers found PBS a strong exception to the rule, giving the network their highest ranking. Almost all PBS children's shows were deemed highly educational with little or no violence, sexual innuendo or harsh language.

According to the researchers, who examined a week's worth of programs targeted at children aged 2 to 16 in Philadelphia, the best shows for educational content are science programs such as Bill Nye the Science Guy, Beakman's World, Algo's Factory and Science Court. But only Bill Nye rated a thumbs up from 300 children surveyed on their preferences.

The researchers also found that just 16.5 percent of 1,200 parents surveyed expressed a positive opinion about children's educational shows. Worse still, only one in 10 parents agreed that there were "a lot" of good programs on for kids. Nevertheless, television commands the "single biggest use of time by children in the home," the study reports. Kids average one hour of homework but 2.55 hours of TV viewing per day.

The researchers were looking for the effects of a new rule from the Federal Communications Commission, or FCC, regarding children's programming. The FCC requires commercial broadcasters who want speedy license renewals to air at least three hours a week of "educational and informational," or E/I, programming for children between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. Broadcasters must identify such "E/I programming" for TV listings.

In reviewing the E/I choices in Philadelphia, the researchers found that:

* The E/I ratings were not well known or reliable: 25 percent of E/I shows were of "minimal educational value."

* Families with cable TV access can choose from 25 stations and 247 children's shows; children without cable access lose half these choices.

* Less than 10 percent of children's shows air during the 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. "prime time"

Among the study's other findings:

* Programming for the 5- to 11-year-old audience is "abundant, but much of it is not enriching"; 44 percent of shows targeted to this audience have "a lot" of violence -- meaning "intentional and malicious" violence in three or more scenes.

* The number of shows for teens has doubled to 8.3 percent, but one-third contain "a lot" of violence and less than a third of the shows is of high educational quality.

* Shows for teens also have the most sexual innuendo, with "a lot" of such references in 19.2 percent of programs.

* 75 percent of the shows that contain violence fail to carry the "FV" (fantasy violence) warning label.

* 84 percent of shows for preschoolers have clear and well-integrated educational programming, compared with 34 percent of shows for elementary-school children and 38 percent of shows for teens.

* About 36 percent of children's programming is rated as "high quality" and 36 percent is rated "low quality." The remaining 27 percent is rated "moderate quality."

RELATED ARTICLE: CHILDREN AND THE TUBE

Researchers interested in the state of children's educational programming in the United States recently analyzed appropriate shows available in Philadelphia. Among the questions the study answered:

When do children's shows air?

Morning: 48.5 percent Afternoon: 38.8 percent Evening: 12.7 percent

Who offers children's programming?

Basic cable: 50.1 percent Public broadcasting: 18.2 percent Premium cable: 14.5 percent Independent networks: 12.6 percent Commercial networks: 4.5 percent

Which age group are the programs for?

Preschool: 22.9 percent Elementary school: 68.8 percent Preteen/teen: 8.3 percent

How much violence is in children's shows?

Shows with no violence: 49.1 percent Shows with "a little" violence: 17 percent Shows with "a lot" of violence: 33.9 percent

How much sexual innuendo is in children's shows?

Shows with no sexual innuendo: 81.4 percent Shows with "a little" innuendo: 14.5 percent Shows with "a lot" of innuendo: 4 percent

How much harsh language is in children's shows?

Shows with no harsh language: 58.7 percent Shows with "a little" harsh language: 35.5 percent Shows with "a lot" of harsh language: 5.8 percent

How much educational content is in children's shows?

Shows with no educational content: 46.1 percent Shows with "a lot" of educational content: 45.6 percent Shows with "a little" educational content: 8.3 percent

Source: The 1998 State of Children's Television Report