Yesterday was the final of MasterChef Junior, a television program in which several children between the ages of eight and 12, They compete to be the best chef in Spain. He reality, which already has six editions, is a classic on the small screen and one of the favorite programs of a large number of children in our country.
However, there are many psychologists, educators and educators who are opposed to this format, considering that children feel pressured and sometimes frustrated, leading to scenes of authentic tension and nerves in front of the cameras.
We have spoken with Laura Ayuso, a child psychologist at the ARIS Center on this subject, and her opinion has made us think about it.
"We should protect children from media exposure"
The first point that Laura highlights is the media exposure to which children are subjected, a fact that we have talked about several times and that adults should protect, because children do not have enough understanding to get to know the scope of its exposure in networks or its passage on television.
"I am absolutely against the participation of minors in television programs, or any type of exposure on social networks. I consider that children are not old enough to decide to participate in a program with millions of viewers. Obviously, they want to do it because of formats like that leave their idols but In no case are they aware of the impact it will have and everything that entails"- says Laura.
In Babies and more Do not be a star: a video about the privacy of minors on the internet that your children have to see"That competitiveness is not suitable for your age"
It is a fact. We move in a competitive world, in which adults must show our qualities to, for example, access a job, get a scholarship in college or that long-awaited job promotion. But in addition to showing the best of ourselves, we must be better than the partner we have next, because that is what it means to compete.
In Babies and more A young referee suspends a game of Benjamin because a father made his own son cry Television competitions promote competitiveness among participants, and specifically, children's programs of this style encourage children to compete. But is it a healthy competitiveness? The psychologist is clear:
"The competitiveness that exists in this type of program is not adequate for the age of the children. The reward for the effort above the result should prevail, and in television competitions it is not always the case, not to mention anxiety so great that children experience".
"When children have to compete in a television program they may end up believing that it is necessary to" step on "the other way to win, in addition to thinking that effort is not always important if you are lucky on your side"
Healthy competitiveness is good for childrenBecause it motivates them, it helps them to overcome each challenge and learn from the difficulties they encounter along the way. But competing to be the best and winning all your classmates, can lead to wear and tear on children, ballast their self-esteem if they fail, stress them and lead them to live situations of great frustration when they do not achieve their goal.
There are many educators who begin to be aware of the problems that peer competitiveness can cause during childhood. Not surprisingly, there are more and more schools that are banishing competitiveness among students in their educational approach, in pursuit of cooperative learning where all children add and help each other to reach a common goal, encouraging empathy and respect.
"The child might feel that it is only valid, if he wins"
It is essential to educate the child to develop positive self-esteem, to help him face the conflicts and negative pressures of life. But this education is carried out little by little and since they are small, practicing positive and empathic upbringing.
So, when suddenly the child faces an unknown and stressful situation, in which he competes to be the best and his work is judged before millions of spectators, can be a blow to your self-esteem, still in formation. This is explained by the psychologist consulted:
"In television shows of this style, the child might feel that it is only valid if he wins, and this would take us back to the point just mentioned about the need to compete against their peers, while their self-esteem could be affected if they fail to be better than them. "
Are children prepared to withstand so much stress?
Stress is a response of the body to any stimulus that the person perceives as distressing, unpleasant or with difficulty adapting to it. Although each of us reacts to stress in a different way, the truth is that we all agree that stress is not exactly a pleasant feeling.
In Babies and more, do you think your child suffers stress? We tell you what symptoms you should considerTo a greater or lesser extent, adults have tools that help us fight stress, but children are especially vulnerable to it, so they need our support to face certain situations everyday that can alter them especially.
For most of us, just stepping on a television set and facing cameras would generate great anxiety. But if in addition, the objective is to show that you are the best at something facing a stopwatch, several partners and the assessment of a jury, it is more than likely that stress is served.
And in a stress situation it is normal for the child to block, cry or not know how to react, as clearly seen in this video starring a contestant of this edition:
"Children must learn to get frustrated naturally"
When something happens to a child that he does not like or dislike, it is normal for him to complain and cry. And if we have seen something throughout the various editions of this television program in its children's version, they are tears.
In Babies and more15 sentences to tell your child when he cries instead of "don't cry"Tears of children who suffer helplessness and frustration seeing that the dish they are cooking does not come out as they would like, that their work is not valued by the jury as they expected, or that they are forced to leave the contest of their dreams.
And although the program drivers themselves try to accompany and comfort the little ones in those hard timesIt is inevitable to suffer with them and for them. And for sample, this video of Jefferson, one of the contestants who went through the fourth edition of the program, and that moved us all with his tears and his "I've done it fatal":
It is true that adults should teach children to tolerate frustration, because in life sometimes it fails, and you can not always have what you want. But this It is something that little by little we are working, as children encounter problems or situations that must be solved or relativized.
"The children they must learn to get frustrated and experience all kinds of sensations and feelings naturally. So damaging is to avoid frustration, how to provoke it by encouraging situations of great anxiety for them "
"As an example: parents cannot do our children's schoolwork for them or correct a mistake they made. But neither can we ask them to face adult situations, as the fact of participating in a television program and being judged and valued for your work before millions of people "- sentence Laura.
In addition, in situations of frustration it is important that the adult accompanies the child, providing the necessary tools to deal with this emotional state.
"These situations are emotionally so strong, that they need a good accompaniment to avoid problems in their future, both medium and long term. Do not forget that through the experiences lived during childhood we are forming our personality, so if these experiences are too intense and unreal, as in a television program, the consequences can be serious "
In Babies and more Children also have bad days: understand them and help them deal with itAs a psychologist, Laura has expressed an opinion that many viewers also feel. And, although in general, it seems that children enjoy the experience and are surrounded by the jury in unpleasant situations, they are still alone children subjected to a high level of stress and powerful public exposure. And you, what do you think about it?
Acknowledgments | Laura Ayuso García, ARIS Psychology Center
