TV in children's bedroom?

pricetag

I say no. Kids don't need that much screen time. It creates terrible sleeping habits to fall asleep with the TV on, not to mention the waste of energy.

bestpud

I think it depends on the child, personally.

Mine didn't have a laptop in their rooms until they were 16 though, and even then I kept a close eye on them. I don't like the idea of children using the internet unsupervised.

They all had/have TVs in their rooms though.

DD(11) has a TV and used to only be able to watch DVDs on it but we connected it to Freeview last year and she mainly uses it to listen to the radio while she's getting dressed or has friends over. She does watch DVDs sometimes but she prefers to be with other people so wouldn't choose to watch TV in her room.

She has unlimited (but supervised) access to the PCs as well, but she only really uses them when with someone else - we play Minecraft, for example, as we have two PCs side by side, or we use them for educational purposes. If I'm using a computer, she will often use the other one but she talks to me at the same time.

She wouldn't choose to take a laptop to her room if she did have one.

She also has unlimited access to the main TV and her own, but again, she moderates it well.

However, it does depend on personality and the general set up at home, I think.

Some children couldn't cope with unlimited access to a PC or TV as they'd be on it all the time.

Also, if children are alone a lot, or parents are busy with other things a lot of the time, then it would be easier for a child to bury their head in a TV or PC.

The other factor imo is whether children have access to outdoor play and/or friends. DD would far rather be out and about with her friends than stuck in her room watching TV as a rule.

She may change as she's older but parenting is fluid - we will deal with that if it happens.

Lunar_Eclipse

markelock wrote: »

two of mine have tv's in their rooms. great for a few weeks, then they lose interest, so they only watch maybe 45 minutes a day.

Only 45 minutes a day?

Smi1er

boiler_man wrote: »

As they are 11 and 15 they seem to be in the minority of their friends with no TV in their room.

Who told you that the majority of their friends have TV's in their bedrooms? Was it them by any chance......;)

No doubt they have also tell you that all their friends go to bed later as well:p

As other have said anyway, the TV in bedrooms is somewhat redundant due to the laptop.

moomoomama27

Mine have tvs in their rooms! No Ariels though so can only watch DVDs ! Better watch out for them turning into feral anti social idiots in the near future then, because of course as their parent I obviously can't monitor the usage!?

loracan1

Mine are similar aged boys - no laptops for either, though they both borrow mine. They have a tv in their room but no access to broadcast television but has inbuilt dvd player. Mainly acts as an expensive to run mp3 player for audiobooks.

z.n

No televisions in bedrooms-affects sleep patterns and makes kids overtired. Games consoles even worse. Pcs or laptops or internet access in bedrooms - absolutely not. You have to be an IT expert to be able to control what goes in and out of the house electronically speaking and even then it is a nightmare. Parental controls do a fair job but cannot be relied upon to act in loco parentis-far better if the parent is actually there supervising. We have laptops that sit on the kitchen table- can be used downstairs but never in secretive style and no webcams. I have heard horror stories that would make your insides churn reported by children way too young and after a good long chat with mine we are all in full agreement with my measures. In fact, having witnessed the distress of friends they would not have it any other way and it makes it easier to manage the sensible introduction of eg facebook, youtube etc as they grow older (complete blocking just inviting circumvention). I just hope I am doing enough.

lolly_896

I think it's dependent on the child.

DS1 (7) is on steroids and doesn't sleep Max 4-5 hours a night. So he has a TV in his room, It's the only way we get sleep. He is rarely tired. He does a lot of extra activities inc. Swimming, Rugby, Football, Beavers and we meet a SN group everyweek at a Jungle Jims type place - So rarely watches it after school and never past 7am, when the rest of family wake

DS2 needs between 10 - 12 hours so no TV for him. He will be 4 very soon and i'm pretty aware he will ask for one and he will have one - which will be monitored

Mado

moomoomama27 wrote: »

Mine have tvs in their rooms! No Ariels though so can only watch DVDs ! Better watch out for them turning into feral anti social idiots in the near future then, because of course as their parent I obviously can't monitor the usage!?

*sigh*
Nobody but you suggest that a TV in their room will turn them into feral idiots.
Most people just recognise the following;

1. there is no developmental benefit to any child to have a TV in their room
2. it makes it harder for parents to monitor what and how much they watch
3. it encourages them to spend time on their own on a passive activity

I believe most kids spend far too much time on screen based activities (and I include mine).
So, on the basis of the evidence available so far I find it hard to justify ever giving them a TV in their room.

blackandwhitebunny

I teach teenagers, I speak to them a lot. I suggest you find some - not your own or their friends and have a good long talk to them about what they see, watch, interact with on laptops, sky, video games etc. Find out how much time they really spend on them and what they are actually doing.
You will never allow your children to have a laptop, TV or video game console in their room again.