Time flies and never more so than when it comes to our children growing up, it seems to go so quickly. Before you know it they’ve got their own opinions, their own tastes and they certainly don’t want to sit down and talk to you in the evenings.
This has led to one of the greatest debates for parents – should children be allowed a TV in their bedroom? Will it stunt their mental growth or help them discover their own tastes and learn new things? Of course there are arguments for both sides and we’ve listed the main ones below.
The Good:
- TV is entertaining – unfortunately a nightly catch up with mum and dad just isn’t on the cards for all children and sometimes they want their own space. Watching their favourite shows, like cartoons or putting on a film, is a great way for them to keep themselves amused.
- TV is educational – It’s not just cartoons on children’s channels, there are shows dedicated to history and geography – and all aimed at children. The Horrible Histories books were even made into a show because they were so popular – so it could be seen as an easy way of getting them to do their homework!
- TV is soothing – Some of us like to read stories to our children but they don’t always want us too! Watching a short TV show before bed can be a way for children to unwind and get settled in their beds before it’s time for lights out.
The Bad:
- TV is antisocial – what happened to the days of quality family time and spending evenings talking about your day? More time in their bedrooms means less time with the family. Some families have set rules on watching TV for their kids – perhaps you could implement a 1hr maximum on watching TV in their bedroom.
- TV is disruptive – If they are watching TV this might mean that they aren’t doing their homework, it might mean that they watch it after you’ve gone to bed, disrupting their sleep habits and some parents worry about the lack of physical activity – after all we don’t want our kids to become couch potatoes!
- We don’t know what they are watching – Some services, such as Sky, have a parental lock so you can choose which channels your kids have access to. But what if you don’t pay for these services and what if they find out the password – it can be difficult to monitor what kids are watching, which can expose them to violent programmes or those of an adult nature.
Of course, there is always one argument to counter the other – as parents it is up to us to decide what is best for our children but it is worth considering both arguments before making the decision to buy your child a TV for their bedroom.