TV in bedroom?

Should children be allowed to have a TV in their bedroom? Love to know your thoughts

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poppyg

Me - 37
DH - 39

  #2      

Yeah well the gestapo and I say not until they're old enough to leave home but I realise how many do....I teach primary school and heaps of kids in my class do, but I notice they are largely those who get lots of screen time.

You may like to know about a concept known as "screen time" in our abode......basically it grows with the child, but the idea is that we limit the total amount per child of all screen based activities per day. My pre schoolers had one hour and as middle childhood kids one and half hours. My teens are neogotiating around homework but it includes online, TV, Gaming etc also.

This is relaxed a bit on holidays, trips or special occasions but generally we don't take screens of any kind camping ( not even game boys )
We DO take board games and cards and do hiking.

Interestingly I have noticed that many children at school seldom have to wait a turn at any activity as at home they have it all on tap, including personal tv: so they never learn to negotiate to share viewing time or any other negotiable item.
This has consequences when you do go to school and have to wait your turn, or in the workplace. Very interesting. I spend heaps of time with middle childhood students looking at co operative behaviours: probably more than I do explicit teaching of anything else.

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:::iona:::

  #4      

tv in bedroom

hey great idea!! Let's put a box in the kids rooms and a fridge as well then we can not only spend less family time together but we can also contribute to morbid obesity!!!

  #5      

In Car DVD

I am very anti-TV and I only use ABC kids as a babysitter, if desperate. My husband grew up with 5 TVs in the house. Each child had one in their bedroom. His mother thinks that children learn everything from TV. It meant that my husband has very few hobbies in his relaxation and he would never choose to relax with a good book. TV encourages children to be passive learners and lazy.
We recently returned the portable car DVD player that we purchased for long distance driving. While it gave us quiet driving time it really avoids communication and implies we need to be constantly entertained. I am concerned about the overuse of playstations.

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mumoftwo

  #6      

TV in bedroom

Absolutely not!! Unless we want the TV to educate our children to become fashion fixated and learn to spend money unwisely at an early age. What about all the useful things (or not?) they learn while switching channels? No matter what age, they will soak it all in wether good or bad.

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mitzi

  #7      

My daughter wont be having a tv in her bedroom. I would like to be able to monitor the amount of time spent watching tv and also what she is watching. Same goes for a computer.

  #8      

sensible you!

Well I agree whole heartedly......it scares me silly to hear what kids are accessing, esp with foxtel in their home while adults are absent!

I am all for reclaiming childhood, in terms of allowing kids to have some space to imagine, to grow and not to have the thought invasion that above age tv indroduces.

__________________
:::iona:::

  #9      

So glad to hear you all feel that way. I really dislike TV's and if it wasn't for videos and DH, I wouldn't want one at all!

  #10      

No way

I won't be putting a TV in Bree's room who knows what they would be watching and at what times. There are some shows on t.v these days that kids should not see like Big Bro up late etc that sort of thing could scar a kid for life.

Some do and that is their choice. What happened to sat night family movie and junk food night?

Coll

disagree politely

I would like to disagree with you all, My 4 year old has a TV in her room mounted on the wall and controls out of reach, she has asked me once in a blue moon to put a DVD on for her instead uses the DVD player for Barney's sing along while she is playing, she also has Foxtel in the lounge room but is hardly here to watch it.
She has been closely monitored every time she is in the lounge room, i have caught her learning Spanish, she now knows how to count to ten Say's at least four colors, she says up, down, stop, go, happy birthday etc(all in Spanish).
We also have a portable DVD that we use when traveling to visit my relatives, she chooses to use this to listen to Cd's attached to a story book (she say's this helps her to learn to read) We also have family and friends visit on weekends where i see she is a very sharing child who does know how to take turns.

  #12      

brave

i love it when someone disagrees On ya' goldie - you should put your vote in....

__________________
poppyg

Me - 37
DH - 39

Last edited by poppyg : 27-04-2007 at 04:36 PM.

  #13      

We have three tv's in our house. One in the lounge, one in the second lounge and one in our room. The second tv is visible from the main lounge and is used only for playstation (DH) and DVD's (DS). Our son knows what he can watch on tv and what he cant.
Ethan previously had a tv/video in his bedroom but I found him turning it on after bedtime or at 6am.

We limit the amount of tv he watches although we have foxtel and often put the country music channel (I know! ) on in the background.

I think kids and adults need to limit the amount of time spent staring at screens, but this is coming from a woman with a vast collection of books!

Gee I make short stories long don't I?

Tv's in kids bedrooms aren't neccessarily bad, as long as they understand and acknowledge the need for moderation.

  #14      

Don't get me wrong i do believe that children should be restricted from large amounts of TV, but my DD goes to sleep at her bed time and there is no waking her up believe me we have had some loud guests after her bedtime and there is not a peep from her. both of my DD's sleep through loud noises.
I Agree Belle Moderation is the Key.

  #17      

extreme?

Belle that's a pretty extreme example, isn't it?

I'm sure there are parents out there who do parent pro actively and well even with tv in their kids rooms! ( Just not a choice you or I might make )

I'd be interested to hear some stories of other's experiences about the pros and cons and how it works enforcing boundaries as the kids grow.

__________________
:::iona:::

  #18      

In which way did you mean 'extreme example'?

Thankfully I have not met another that parents the same as my sister - THANK GOD! lol

  #19      

No tv in this house

Well interesting topic.
We don't have a tv at all in our home and there is no intention on ever having one especially in the childrens rooms. As far a I am concerned tv is the quickest way for your child to develop bad life skills and mixed up morals.
We have a family movie night on fridays which consist of homemade pizza (everyone helps) and popcorn. It is great fun and becuase our only source to watch with is the computer dvd player we have great control as to what we view.
The best thing about not having a tv in the house means no wasted time switched off in front of a screen and no-one is ever tempted to use the screen as a babysitter.
I think that children need fresh air, time to study ants and other wild things, time to build and use their imaginations. My 18mth old simply loves books and being outsiode in the dirt, things she would miss if the tv was on.