State Of Play, DVD

Part of the Series : Child Of Our Time 2005

Professor Robert Winston looks at how the children spend their leisure time. Does television and computer games affect their development?

Length: 60 minutes

ORDER CODE: BVL187539

ISBN: 978-1-64623-686-2

Copyright date: ©2005

Closed Captioned

Contents

Active Play (01:19)
Throughout most of history, children use play to fill their spare time. The children in the study are now 5-year-olds. Active play helps child make friendships, burn energy, and use their imagination.

Jamie Craven (09:21)
Jamie's favorite activity is playing soccer; he is one of the most active children in the study. Robert Winston believes it is the result of a strong early bond with his father, Ian. Jamie's parents notice sudden drops of energy and Jamie is diagnosed with diabetes.

Triplets (03:53)
Alice, Mabel, and Phoebe Baller spend significant time playing with their three older siblings. The triplets often fall asleep to the television.

Children and Television (02:38)
Though children watch more TV than their parents, most parents think they are learning about the world. Most of the children recognize characters from popular children shows and brands from commercials.

Ethan Kerr (03:42)
Ethan parents, Kerri and Johnathan, work and he attends an after-school program. Ethan has been sick multiple times and spends most of his time indoors playing Xbox.

Megan Davis (04:30)
Megan lives on her family's 1,000-acre farm in Wales. Her mother, Gaynor, takes her along for most of her work on the farm, which creates interesting stimulation and activities. But when the weather is bad, Megan spends hours a day watching various television programs.

Understanding Television (04:27)
Though the children enjoy watching TV, most do not understand it and think what they see is physically inside the TV. Winston has the children watch a scene from an adult soap opera to see what they understand.

Understanding Reality (04:18)
Megan understands the difference between reality and pretend when it comes to the death of her family's dog. Winston questions whether the children can understand the difference regarding television. Many of the children are confused by the concept of acting versus real life.

Childhood Diabetes (01:44)
Jamie remains active but Sharon is watchful. She feels Ian has been distancing himself from Jamie and spending more time at work. Sharon has quit her job to look after Jamie.

Health and Activity Levels (02:16)
Ethan's health has greatly improved since he had his tonsils removed, but his activity level is still low. Sharon has trouble getting him to stop playing video games. His favorite, Halo, was originally bought for his older brother.

Video Games (08:35)
Winston measure's the children's excitement when playing video games. Ethan gets excited to play violent games meant for teenagers, but Winston believes it could be helping improve his social and multitasking skills.

Triplet Individuality (04:18)
Tracy has quit her job so she can spend more time with her children and husband, Nigel. They work on spending more one-on-one time with each of the triplets.

Modern Interactions (03:18)
Technology is changing human interaction and engagement. Winston tests the children to see if their exposure to TV, video games, and computers is changing how they communicate.

Childhood Activities (05:14)
Ian takes Ethan fishing to get him away from the Xbox. Tracy lets the triplets choice their own activities. Johnathan has begun helping with Jamie's diabetes and he is remaining active.

Credits: Child Of Our Time 2005: State Of Play (00:41)