On TV and Children
I had lunch with a group of ladies the other day. We were a multicultural bunch, coming from different countries and cultures – from the US, UK, Canada, Germany, and Asia. We had several things in common though – we all spoke English, we were all expats in Switzerland, and we were all moms of kids ranging in age one-and-half and five years old.
Somehow the discussion turned towards TV and I was surprised to hear how diverse our opinions and practices are in terms of TV times. To make a long story short, some moms think 1 to 2 hours of TV time per day for preschoolers are OK while 1 mom advocates total abstinence. I am sort of in the middle of the road – my 5-year old twins spend on the average, 20 minutes a day in front of the TV.
We all have our reasons to justify our TV policies at home. Mine is pure and simple: I`d rather that my kids move than sit quietly the whole day.
A review in the New York Times cited several studies showing the not-so-beneficial effect of the presence of TV in the bedroom of children of all ages, as follows:
- Kids with TVs in their own bedrooms have an average viewing time of 21 to 30 hours a week.
- Kids who have TVs in their bedrooms normally have lower scores on school tests and are more likely to have sleeping problems.
- 70 % of the children with bedroom TV consistently performed poorly in maths, reading and language-arts tests.
- Preschoolers with bedroom TVs are more likely to be overweight, most especially the boys.
- Kindergarten kids with bedroom TVs tend to have more sleep problems and less “emotionally reactive”.
- Middle-school students (12 to 14 years old) with bedroom TVs are twice as likely to start smoking.
The mechanisms behind the impact of TV on children`s health and school performance are not well-understood. However, distraction during homework time and disturbed sleep are direct effects of TV that result in poorer performance at school. More disturbing, however, is the fact that the presence of a TV in a child`s bedroom can suggest less than optimal parental involvement with the child. The NYT article estimates that half of the children in the US have their own TV sets in their bedrooms.
One of the ladies in our luncheon group declared she deserves some rest, even if only for an hour, and TV at the midday in the kid`s room gives her a well-needed break from her toddler and preschooler. I can see her point. Indeed, motherhood can be pretty challenging and we moms need a break to recharge. But this does not justify using the TV as a babysitter. It will tend to become habit-forming for mom as well as for the kids.
So how do I keep my kids busy with resorting to TV? They draw, they read, they play, they cut pieces of paper and literally turn the house upside down. And when do I get my break? I don`t. I simply put them to bed early, clean up, and have my well-deserved rest at night.
How about you? What are your house rules regarding TV?
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Tags: children, Education, television, TV
MrsH says...
NO TV whatsoever for Mina while she’s under two. Then, I don’t know, very minimal TV. We didn’t have cable for as long as we were married. I agree, TV shouldn’t be used as a babysitter. If that parent needs a break from her kids, she should at least remove the TV from the bedroom. There’s no reason for it to be there given the negatives.
PM says...
TV depends on what you watch TV isnt evil, I had a TV in my room since I was little and my mom got me used to watching the news at night so I knew what was going on in the world when I was 9 in fact in one class a teacher made us write a news per day in a notebook and one day was newspaper other day from the TV i think that kids should know what is going on around them and that there is a world out there, so they dont grow up being selfish worrying about random stuff like how many friends they have on myspace instead they can watch cnn and learn they are just lucky that they have a house and they go to school not like other kids around the world.
TV is fun and its a little break for us but still I’ll be next to my kid watching blue clues or dora I wouldnt leave her alone.
Beth says...
On some level, I agree with most all opinons and understand where people are coming from. My son used to have a tv in his room and I removed it because he knew how to work it and would watch it constantly while he was playing (no cable, just movies) I realized it probably wasn’t good for him to be watching as much as he was. He is 4 1/2 now and has homework 3 times a week from pre-K and he loves to do worksheets when he doesn’t have regular homework. So between homework, neighbor kids, swimming and all the other things he would rather do, he doesn’t watch tv most days. But once in a while when he doesn’t feel like playing outside and has already done some worksheets, he watches movies. Usually just one but sometimes he will watch part of another one also. I think that as long as its not used on a regular basis for the childrens entertainment and they are still learning the things a young child should learn and getting plenty of excercise and interacting then its fine. You need to use your own personal judgement with this one, I think most people have the right idea concerning their kids and should do what works for them. Some kids watch a lot more than others and are still ok. Some kids watch too much and are kind of unruly. It does get in the way of things sometimes so if you are having trouble with your kids attitude then maybe put the tv on hold for a while and see if it helps. My son deos get a little less cooperative when he has watched too much tv and if he goes and does something else for a while he is usually fine. You know your kids, do what you think works for your kids and family
Lauren says...
I have a 20 montth old and I feel a baby einstein or barney (1/2 hour or so) DVD once or twice a day is fine, however my child will not have TV in his room until high school, or never if I can help it.