CONSUMERS : Videos Are Hot Gifts, but Are They Good for Kids?

Young customers aren’t just tolerated at the new Blockbuster Video store in El Monte. They’re wooed.

They can watch children’s movies, which run continuously in a special playhouse, while their parents shop in peace. Says Paul Palacio, assistant manager: “It makes everyone feel comfortable.”

And it makes business sense because Blockbuster expects 40% of holiday sales to be children’s fare such as “Bambi,” “The Land Before Time” and “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.” In fact, many videotape purveyors predict that children’s videotapes--with their irresistible titles and lower-than-ever prices--will be the most popular gifts for youngsters this year.

Behind the holiday kid-vid boom are several factors, including price wars. Some kids’ tapes sell for as little as $4.95 and “most of our children’s tapes are under $20,” says Craig Steeves, San Fernando Valley district manager for Blockbuster Video. Expanded retail availability is fueling the craze, too. Once sold mainly in record and video stores, children’s videos are now widely sold at discount department stores.

And the VCRs to play all these videotapes are ubiquitous. Children find them in their homes, in their preschool and after-school programs, even in their pediatricians’ waiting rooms. “More than 90% of Los Angeles households with children have a VCR,” says Bruce Klopfenstein, an assistant professor of radio, television and film at Bowling Green State University in Ohio.

But some child development experts, worried that the VCR is replacing the television as an electronic baby-sitter, say tapes may not be the perfect stocking stuffer. They say that watching too many videotapes, like watching too much television, can turn kids into couch potatoes and reduce leisure time that could be spent learning social skills.

“Years ago, kids arranged play dates,” says Carole Lieberman, a Beverly Hills psychiatrist and a UCLA assistant clinical professor of psychiatry. Today, she says, youngsters often watch videotapes alone.

“Keep in mind kids learn through all their senses,” adds Beatrice Price, an early childhood development specialist and director of the USC School for Early Childhood Education. “Video employs hearing and sight only. It’s very passive.”

Like television, videotapes also can blur a child’s understanding of fantasy and reality, Price says.

“At our preschool, one 5-year-old recently got up on our space capsule, about 10 feet off the ground, and stepped off. When he landed, he said, ‘Well, the $6-Million Man does it.’ Fortunately, the capsule is surrounded by sand, and he wasn’t hurt.”

Parents acknowledge that the temptation to turn the kids over to “Bambi” is sometimes difficult to resist.

Take Jan and Kevin Fetterman, parents of 10-year-old Josh and 7-year-old Sean. They have three VCRs in their Burbank home and often rent children’s tapes from the video store nearby.

Though Jan Fetterman is selective about what her children watch, she admits, “I do use it for baby-sitting, especially on rainy days.”

“Weekend fathers are very good customers,” observes Kim Murphy, an employee at Auditory Odyssey in North Hollywood. “They come in on Friday and stock up.”

But so do single moms and two-income families. Parents checking out tapes often tell Allen Grand, who works at Off the Record Video in Sherman Oaks: “Now I can get some rest.”

Proponents of kid-vid say it’s a more efficient electronic baby-sitter than TV because it usually lacks commercials. (But commercials are slowly creeping into home video, says Peggy Charren, president of Action for Children’s Television, a nonprofit child advocacy organization based in Cambridge, Mass. She calls it a growing and unwelcome trend.) VCR users also cite another advantage: They can control tape selection rather than settling for television or cable programming.

Children say they also like the control the tapes give them. They can stop the tape when necessary and enjoy repeated viewings of their favorite cassettes.

So despite all their objections, few child development experts suggest unplugging the VCR permanently. Rather, they propose educated viewing and sensible limits.

Appropriate selection is the first step. “Be sure the content is age-appropriate,” says Lieberman. “And don’t forget the classics.”

For guidance, parents can refer to the Motion Picture Assn. of America ratings printed on the original cassette covers. In addition, the Film Advisory Board has developed a system to categorize films as suitable for children, adult or family viewing and to warn of content involving substance abuse, explicit language, violence and sex. Elayne Blythe, president of the Los Angeles-based organization, says she hopes to have her group’s ratings printed on cassettes soon.

Still, ratings often don’t tell the whole story of a tape’s content.

“Many parents ask our opinion about whether or not the movie is too violent for kids,” says Grand of Off the Record Video. Other parents consult one another before selecting movies.

Limiting viewing time is vital, experts agree, but there is no consensus on how much is too much.

“Kids (ages) 3 to 5 should only watch 20 minutes a day,” Price says. “Kids (ages) 5 to 10 can watch up to an hour. Any more viewing time is taking away valuable environmental learning time.”

Victor Strasburger, an Albuquerque, N.M., pediatrician who serves on the American Academy of Pediatrics’ subcommittee on television, says that an hour a day is reasonable, whatever a child’s age. Lieberman proposes one-hour limits on weekdays and two-hour limits on weekend days.

Parents should intervene to maximize the viewing experience.

“If parents could just pop their head in for five minutes (during viewing), it would help,” says Price, who also suggests throwing in a challenge: “Stop the tape and ask, ‘What’s going to happen next?’ At the conclusion, discuss it a bit more.”

EXPERTS’ ADVICE

More than 90% of Los Angeles households with children have a VCR. How do you make it the most effective and educational “electronic baby-sitter”? Experts suggest:

* Select age-appropriate videotapes.

* Pay attention to movie ratings.

* Ask video store personnel if they’ve seen the film.

* Ask other parents which movies their kids have enjoyed.

* Limit viewing: an hour a day; up to two hours on weekends.

* Challenge your kids to think as they watch.

* Don’t ignore classics and educational tapes.