I was recently given the opportunity to review a copy of the Captivated DVD presented by Media Talk 101. While this movie is intended for adults, it is approved for all ages. I watched it with both my eleven and fourteen year olds. For years I have been what my children call “over the top” when It comes to the media I allow in their lives. We don’t have cable or satellite. We do have Netflix but only the movies/shows I have put on there are available for viewing. The kids are not allowed to go to the movie theatre without me or my consent to see the film. They are not allowed to see R rated movies- even at home. Xbox 360 is the only game system we have in the house. There are three TV’s in the house but only two get used on a semi-regular basis. And as far as music… if it isn’t Christ honoring, it isn’t allowed in our home. Yes, I may be a bit restrictive but I’ve always believed it to be for their best. This film reinforced that belief. In fact, its research, interviews and statistics have convinced me that although we use media far less than the average American family, we are still too dependent upon it.
Captivated is a documentary produced by and featuring Christian authors, journalists, scientists, psychiatrists, professors, therapists, speakers, doctors, pastors, parents and teens. The DVD is narrated by Phillip Telfer, who is a BMX biker and musician turned pastor.
The film moves through three main topics: Consumption, Content and Captivity.
Consumption
Did you realize the average child/teen logs 53 hours of screen time per week and 3,339 text messages per month? That’s crazy!!! Something that really got me was some information offered by a doctor at the Seattle Children’s Research Hospital: a newborn’s brain triples in size in the first two years of life. That critical developmental stage can literally be stagnated by high levels of media. Several doctors in the film strongly recommend that children under the age of two should NEVER watch TV. It has been proven that those babies who see lots of TV have short attention spans later in childhood. Oops. My youngest is two and her favorite show is Pingu. Pingu is a ridiculous Claymation cartoon about a penguin family who speak gibberish. Having typed that I have a strong urge to backspace until that evidence of imperfect parenting is gone.
One topic that really hit home was Facebook. We I used to spend entirely too much time on Facebook. It’s on my phone, laptop, iPad and desktop. I once took a month off the social media site just to get my priorities back in line and it was hard! At first it was like being an addict with withdrawals. It took a lot of prayer and God-given strength to stay off of it. After a few days it got easier and once the month was up and I got back on, I couldn’t figure out what the enchantment had been before. Someone once said that if we read our Bibles as much as we get on Facebook, we as Christians would be much stronger and closer to God.
Content
It is no secret that what is being mass produced in Hollywood, the video game world and on television is junk. I know you know the song, "oh be careful little eyes what you see...". Believe it or not, I repeat that song on a semi-regular basis in a sing-songy voice to my kids. Sometimes they think that just because a movie isn't "that bad" that it's okay to watch. I tell them all the time, "what goes in will come out". It's a truth driven home quite well by Captivated. Research has proven that there is now more sex than violence in cartoons- the cartoons that are readily available to our children. I don't know about you but that astounds me, not because I don't believe it but because I do.
The film is full of quotes, here is my favorite:
The film is full of quotes, here is my favorite:
"Television is an invention that permits you to be entertained in your living room by people you wouldn't have in your house." -David Frost
Captivity
According to studies, 10% of children are addicted to video games. How did they determine that? I don't know but what I do know is that if you ask someone to give something up and they become irate and take the suggestion as a personal attack, they are probably addicted to whatever is it you asked them to give up. Moral and time issues as well as a false sense of accomplishment are concerns that are addressed by the film. Psalm 11:5 speaks of God hating violence. What is in the video games your children are playing? Halo? Black Ops? If you or your child spend hours a day killing people in video games, can you call that God honoring? That got me. My son plays Halo. We had a talk after we watched this movie. It's kind of funny, after the segment about video game violence, he just looked at me what an, " I know, I know Mom." I was amazed at his readiness to get rid of the things that we both decided were a problem.
Thankfully, if you find that being captivated by media is something that applies to your family, the film does offer help. It gives ideas on how to get things right in your home and how to speak to your children about their TV/video game time.
I would definitely recommend this film to any and everyone out there who has media in their life, especially those with children. The Captivated DVD retails for $16.95 (with free shipping!) and is available on the Captivated website. Purchase more than one DVD at a time for discounts.
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