Tv And My Child

A study done by the Centre for Advocacy and Research in Delhi

Tv And My Child

MOTHERS REFLECT

This Delhi study released in the last week of May shows that children in the city watch as much as 10 hours of television a day, most of it with their mothers, but also a couple of hours unsupervised. The stated reason is a veritable scarcity of other options for children. TV watching is often the only form of recreation available to them

Objective

To ascertain what mothers with children in the 8-14 age-group thought and felt about television and their children’s relatioship with it.

Methodology

We used the first-hand audience response and feedback method of investigation. This participatory research and appraisal with media users was entirely qualitative in nature and consisted in 11 Focus Group Discussions with diverse respondent groups in Delhi.

Universe & Sample of the study

As stated earlier, our respondents consisted entirely of mothers of children aged 8-14 years. Amongst them, nearly 60 % were homemakers and the remaining working women. Teachers abounded in the later category. Also significant here was the presence of women caretakers of children with disability. These children with disabilities of both mental and physical nature did not necessarily belong to the stated age-group.

FGDs and interviews were conducted through the second and the third weeks of May 2001 across localities in Delhi. Respondents were from the high and middle-income localities of Saket, South Extension, Gole Market, Ranjit Nagar, Rajouri Garden, and Preet Vihar, as well as from the low income localities of Joshi Colony (Indra Camp), Seemapuri, and Dilshad Garden. The study ensured a proportionate representation of respondents from the mid-income segment belonging to diverse socio-educational backgrounds. Thus respondents from the lower-, middle- and the high- middle income groups participated in discussions in separate homogeneous groups.

What the Study Indicates:

Viewing Habits

Hours of Daily Watching of mother with children 7-8 hrs (Holiday viewing)

Hours of Daily Watching by children alone 2 hrs

Favourite TV Slots of Mothers 12.30p.m. – 4.30p.m.& 8p.m. – 11p.m.

Favourite TV Slots of Children 5.p.m. – 7.p.m & 8p.m. – 11.p.m.

Positive A