TV in kids room?

[abolanwoski]

http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2008-04-07/news/36914748_1_bedroom-tvs-girls-and-boys

 

[wannagoback]

Is there a way to limit which devices can over on the wifi past a certain time or is it all on/all off?

We use an Apple AirPort Extreme for our wifi and it allows us to have different networks. We currently have our regular one and a "guest" network that has limited visibility and additional security. Both are password protected with different passwords. Similarly, I suppose you could have a "kids" network. I am not sure if they can be turned off independent of each other (I have never tried) but you certainly could get creative with password settings. I love the picture going around with the list of chores that are required to be completed before the kids get the wifi password.

 

[smitch425]

http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2008-04-07/news/36914748_1_bedroom-tvs-girls-and-boys

That article is the total opposite of my kids. DD loves vegetables and has never gotten a B on her report card ever. DS hates violence to the point that he asks us to turn the news off when he is playing video games on the other side of the room. Just because a kid has a TV in their room doesn't mean they sit there like zombies 24/7. My kids are athletic, make good grades, read (DS taught himself how to read at age 3), and spend quality time as a family. A TV in the bedroom doesn't have a negative affect on everyone. You have to raise your child to know what you expect of them and teach them how to make good decisions, and they can turn out just fine with a TV in their room.

 

[photos_101]

http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2008-04-07/news/36914748_1_bedroom-tvs-girls-and-boys

This from the article:

shows that having a bedroom television not only leads to more TV viewing, but also results in less time spent with the family, less time exercising, lower fruit and vegetable intake, more sweetened beverage consumption, and in lower grades.

Really, there are kids with NO tv at all in the home that could fall into this category. It is simple parenting not whether or not they have a tv in the bedroom or not.

I am the parent not the other way around. If I say no tv tonight, then no tv. If I say lets go for a walk or to the park then child gets exercise, parents buy/fix the meals most likely so there lies the blame for the food and drink part, as far as lower grades, set rules as you would with any other 'thing' that the child likes to do.

My son loves watching sportscenter and playing on the xbox. But he also knows I set the rules in the house and expect him to abide by them. Grades, family time, dinner with family (most nights but not all..horrible I know!). He is very smart, not overweight (tall stick and not because of genes lol).

Heck I am the one asking him about the latest sports news cause I know he will be well informed about it. Same goes for his advice on the latest car available and what options they come with. Tech news..he knows it all. Apparently one can learn alot from watching Top Gear! (I think that is what it is called, I have watched it a few times)

 

[smitch425]

This from the article:

shows that having a bedroom television not only leads to more TV viewing, but also results in less time spent with the family, less time exercising, lower fruit and vegetable intake, more sweetened beverage consumption, and in lower grades.

Really, there are kids with NO tv at all in the home that could fall into this category. It is simple parenting not whether or not they have a tv in the bedroom or not.

I am the parent not the other way around. If I say no tv tonight, then no tv. If I say lets go for a walk or to the park then child gets exercise, parents buy/fix the meals most likely so there lies the blame for the food and drink part, as far as lower grades, set rules as you would with any other 'thing' that the child likes to do.

My son loves watching sportscenter and playing on the xbox. But he also knows I set the rules in the house and expect him to abide by them. Grades, family time, dinner with family (most nights but not all..horrible I know!). He is very smart, not overweight (tall stick and not because of genes lol).

Heck I am the one asking him about the latest sports news cause I know he will be well informed about it. Same goes for his advice on the latest car available and what options they come with. Tech news..he knows it all. Apparently one can learn alot from watching Top Gear! (I think that is what it is called, I have watched it a few times)

Yep, it isn't the TV, it's the parenting. We love Top Gear! I prefer the American version, but we all watch both American and British versions.

 

[cobright]

I had a TV in my room growing up, and so did DH. I think we turned out okay. I WANT my kids to spend time in their rooms playing. They have thousands of dollar's worth of toys in their rooms. They'd better be playing with them.

I'm with you on this one. I love my kids, but sometimes I need them to occupy themselves elsewhere.

 

[photos_101]

That article is the total opposite of my kids. DD loves vegetables and has never gotten a B on her report card ever. DS hates violence to the point that he asks us to turn the news off when he is playing video games on the other side of the room. Just because a kid has a TV in their room doesn't mean they sit there like zombies 24/7. My kids are athletic, make good grades, read (DS taught himself how to read at age 3), and spend quality time as a family. A TV in the bedroom doesn't have a negative affect on everyone. You have to raise your child to know what you expect of them and teach them how to make good decisions, and they can turn out just fine with a TV in their room.

Smitch my DD is..wait for it...a VEGETARIAN! Where did she get the info she needed/wanted, from reading books, and watching a tv show documentary.
DD was salutatorian and DS is on his way to Valedictorian (right now #1 in his class).
I think they got their tv's for their bedrooms when they were like 2 or 3yo maybe. I remember going in my sons bedroom when he was 2 or so to find him building things with legos, all the while the TV was on in his room (probably Jimmy Neutron aka Boy genius). Most times he would want to watch something while he was playing and didn't even end up watching the show.

 

[Southernmiss]

I continue to be in smitch425's camp. It's the parenting not the tv in the room that determine what and how kids do in all aspects of their lives. I also have had a valedictorian and have no reason to think we don't have at least one more in the three left at home.

 

[tar heel]

No TVs in our kids' bedrooms. There was a TV in the playroom down the hall, so they could watch shows and play video games without coming downstairs to the family room. Come to think of it, they didn't have computers in their rooms either until they started college.

 

[lauradis]

That article is the total opposite of my kids. DD loves vegetables and has never gotten a B on her report card ever. DS hates violence to the point that he asks us to turn the news off when he is playing video games on the other side of the room. Just because a kid has a TV in their room doesn't mean they sit there like zombies 24/7. My kids are athletic, make good grades, read (DS taught himself how to read at age 3), and spend quality time as a family. A TV in the bedroom doesn't have a negative affect on everyone. You have to raise your child to know what you expect of them and teach them how to make good decisions, and they can turn out just fine with a TV in their room.

Nope TV makes you dumb and fat and lazy and my brain hurts from reading that trash... That's just like saying video games make you a school shooter.

We don't have TVs in bedrooms, but in ever room in house but the bathroom too.

 

[Priorityonecb]

I'm with you Smitch425. As I said earlier dd16 has a TV in her room and an Xbox. She is a honor roll student, physically active with the marching band, and spends a ton of time with us a family. Both in the home and out doing things. I see no problem at all with her relaxing in her room watching TV if she wants to. Oh, and she too loves her vegetables!! Today for instance she was out here with us for hours this morning chatting, then we were shopping and went out to see a documentary this afternoon. Dinner together at the table. I am ready for some quiet time myself, so am very happy she enjoys her alone time in her room too!

 

[My5Mouseketeers]

Watching TV is not a behavior that we want to encourage. They can hang in their rooms and sleep, read, text, play on their lap tops, etc

Our kids do not have TVs (or mini-fridges) in their bedrooms. We want them to have to come out and social with the family occasionally. I also think kids need to learn to compromise. Accommodating other family members TV choices is a start.

Too many kids go to away to College never having shared a room, bathroom or TV. I think it just makes the transition harder.

 

[ratlenhum]

That article is the total opposite of my kids. .

Same here. My son is the perfect weight for his height. He is outside every day, even in the winter unless its brutally cold or we're buried under snow. In winter we go to the local indoor pool at least twice a week. My kid will take fruit salad over cake, cookies or any junk in a heart beat. He doesn't play video games. Once in a blue moon we play TSMM together on the Wii but not often. He rarely uses the computer. My husband works nights but my son and I sit and eat dinner together every night. It's not an option.

A lot of those things the article blames on tv can just as easily be blamed on parenting. Example kids eating habits. My son was 4 before he had his first real cookie and only because grandma slipped it too him. He had always been given fruit or yogurt as a treat. He thought yogurt was pudding. Now if you put fruit or cookies/cake in front of him he will choose fruit. He lives veggies and prefers them raw over cooked.

Parents an control the tv even if its in the kids room. This is no different than blaming Mc Donald's for childhood obesity. No one is forcing parents to take their kids to Mc Donald's. parents are 100% in control of what food comes into their house.

 

[drcmk]

I'm against young kids having them in their rooms to go to sleep at night. I think being able to lay down and go to sleep by yourself, in the dark and in the quiet, is something they should be able to do.

I agree with this 100%. Putting yourself to sleep is an important skill that some kids don't get the chance to develop.

 

[drcmk]

Another reason that I prefer that my children not have televisions in their bedrooms is because having to share the two "public" televisions that they have access to (in the den and family room) means that they have to learn to compromise and negotiate, instead of always getting to watch exactly what they want, when they want. They have to share a computer, too, even for school assignments, so they have to plan the use of their time and be considerate of each other's needs. Because the televisions are in public areas of the house, we are all familiar with each other's entertainment interests and sometimes we end up enjoying programs and movies together that we would not have otherwise watched.

 

[aprilgail2]

Another reason that I prefer that my children not have televisions in their bedrooms is because having to share the two "public" televisions that they have access to (in the den and family room) means that they have to learn to compromise and negotiate, instead of always getting to watch exactly what they want, when they want. They have to share a computer, too, even for school assignments, so they have to plan the use of their time and be considerate of each other's needs. .

I can't even imagine that one computer thing working- right now my daughter is on the computer and has been on it for the past 6 hours working on her homework. If I had two kids and one computer one would never be able to get their homework done as most of it needs to be done on the computer!

Am I really the only person on this board that lets their kids watch tv in their rooms whenever they want to? I can't possibly be! Obviously, I don't let them watch it past their bedtime for school nights (9:30pm), but any other time is fine. It would never cross my mind to hover over them to make sure they are not watching something inappropriate. I know what they like to watch, and they know what is appropriate and what isn't. Their doors are always open by choice, so it isn't like they are trying to get away with anything.

ETA: thanks for posting, ZoeBell! I was starting to feel like the only person on "Bedroom TV Island"

My daughter has had a tv in her room since she was a toddler. I don't hover to see what she is watching all the time. I have never seen the glow from the TV on at night after she goes to sleep. If she does sneak it on at night then she is the one that will be paying the price the next day exhausted at school. I don't even know the last time I went past her room and she actually even had the TV on, she watched more when she was little- Zack and Cody and that kind of thing, no way would I want that to be on in the living room subjecting me to it too! She is a high honors student taking AP classes, I would think she would be smart enough to know when she was tired.
I have a TV in my bedroom and the last time it was on watching a show was the X-Factor and Survivor finales, I am not a big TV person. We had the one in the living room on last month but that was only because my daughter had a small part in a TV show and we were watching to see her in it.

 

[Jerseymomof2]

I'm with you on this one. I love my kids, but sometimes I need them to occupy themselves elsewhere.

My kids have had tv's in their rooms since they were babies. Now they are 5 & 7. They sometimes go to their rooms for some alone time (which I think is important) they have cable but usually just watch the dvd's they have. I also let them watch it for a little while before bed. I use the sleep timer and set it to go off. My kids know when its turns off TV time is up.

They usually spend 80-90% of their time downstairs with us. So I do not see them having TV in their rooms as a problem.

We are also TV people. There are 5 people in out house and 8 tv's.

 

[CaryHaven]

It seems our TV is ALWAYS on - even if it's just for noise. And I have never liked a TV in the bedroom (except when I was single and it helped me to sleep in a big old house all alone). I don't let my kids have one, but they are very young. DH and I don't and won't have one in the bedroom either. Now maybe in a guest bedroom that you could on occasion use to sleep in as a change of pace - a special sleepover or special weekend treat for the kids...that might be fun.

 

[kajs22]

Is there a way to limit which devices can over on the wifi past a certain time or is it all on/all off?

To keep the temptation in check - I just shut off the router at bedtime and it disables all of the wifi. I don't think there is away to choose specific devices.

 

[Narnia_girl]

Our kids have never had TVs in their bedrooms. Our oldest is in college and we got him a TV his junior year there.

For most of their childhoods we had basic cable (like 8 useable channels--they grew up on PBS Kids and no Disney Channel). I've told them many times that they will never get to the end of their lives and wish they had watched more TV.