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Original poster

What age do kids have a TV in their bedrooms?

202 replies

Lovingmylife · 26/12/2020 19:31

Just that really.

OP posts:
Original poster
Lovingmylife · 27/12/2020 07:43

Wow I didn't realise I'd get so many comments. Thanks all. Seems there is much variation. I was 13 when I got a TV in my room. I don't know many kids with TVs either so was just curious as a bit fed up of my living room being dominated by gaming or TV but then they are young enough for me to need my eye on them and their watching.

OP posts:
DailyMailHater · 27/12/2020 07:54

It was my 10year olds main xmas present this year,

DinosApple · 27/12/2020 08:20

I'm the never camp for TVs. Kids bedrooms are for sleeping and reading. My DC have phones/tablets and can watch programs on them, but they are at the age I don't want them ensconced away from adults on devices/TV.
Other people I know have had TVs in bedrooms from tiny, that's up to them.

shamus2020 · 27/12/2020 08:39

I don't see the difference from watching a film on the tv in a bedroom or watching films etc on a tablet or laptop? What's the difference?

Ginfordinner · 27/12/2020 08:50

@shamus2020

I don't see the difference from watching a film on the tv in a bedroom or watching films etc on a tablet or laptop? What's the difference?
Screen size, sound quality. Do you really have to ask?
MillieEpple · 27/12/2020 08:52

There isnt any. Its a hilarious thread. There is an argument that watching tv is better for the neck in particular

Twobrews · 27/12/2020 08:53

TV ?

Everyone just uses tablets/laptops/desktops surely!?

I don't think people really 'watch TV' any more.

Aside from DS1 I don't know anyone who doesn't watch TV regularly on a TV.
Even DD's university housemates sit round and watch TV in the living room a couple of times a week.

dealornodealer · 27/12/2020 08:56

Ours have iPads and a playroom downstairs with a tv so we don't intend on getting them tv's in their rooms. If we were going to it would be around 13.

ginsparkles · 27/12/2020 09:10

Mine is 8, she doesn't have one in her bedroom but has just been given on for her playroom.

ShinyGreenElephant · 27/12/2020 09:18

@shamus2020 for us the difference is that they're rarely allowed laptops/tablets/phones in bedrooms - for DD11 its just at certain times during school holidays and when she had covid I let her as well. With a TV permanently up there how do you restrict their screen time? Genuine question as maybe there is a way but I just worry the older kids would be watching it all the time instead of drawing/painting/dancing/playing games/whatever else they do up there. I'm not averse to them watching a film in their room sometimes but I wouldn't like them doing it every day or certainly during the night and I just don't think kids have that level of self control to not use it all week when it's sitting there. I may be biased as I'm not a great sleeper myself so sleep hygiene is important to me and I dont think lots of screen time in the bedroom is healthy.

WalkingMeAway · 27/12/2020 09:22

This thread 😂

My DD is 12 and she’s just got a TV in her room as we redecorated. She was getting to the point where she didn’t want to watch Masterchef or whatever with us in the evening so she’s allowed to go up around 8pm and watch an hour or so before bed.

We actually have two lounges so she could have sat in there to watch TV but she asked and we thought it was fair. There’s rules on when she can watch it and it works well for us.

BigWoollyJumpers · 27/12/2020 09:33

No-one has to in their bedrooms, but we all have laptops and iPads and phones, so have access to Netflix and BBC etc if we want. We have big tv in lounge, another in garden room for DH to watch sport etc. Older teens though, so they please themselves. We are all generally together in the lounge though and even with so may devices actually don't watch that much tv 😂

shamus2020 · 27/12/2020 09:37

@Ginfordinner I still don't get it? screen size and sound quality? Come again.

@ShinyGreenElephant we don't have laptops, tables or computers in our household we do everything from our phones. There's a tv the living room, dinning room, dd18 bedroom and DD's 6&4 bedroom. Dd6 uses the tv for background noise when she's playing or if she wakes up earlier on a weekend than the rest of the house, she'll watch tv in bed until I get her. I take the remote at night when she goes to bed and then she'll come into my room to get the remote on the odd morning she wakes up before me.
She can't turn it on without the remote because the tv is to high. It's extremely easy to control the use of the tv if you can be bothered.

I don't get why people are so against TVs in general. The living room one is on continuous from the time I get up until I go bed even if it's just for some background noise.

SelkieQualia · 27/12/2020 09:38

@BriocheBuns

Why is everyone so against a tv for kids in their room? If there is a variation of ages then it’s difficult to agree to watch the same things. What’s so wrong with a child watching a movie in their bedroom while adults watch the news in the main room x
Because it's really bad for sleep duration and sleep quality. This has effects on learning and health.
Santaisreel · 27/12/2020 09:40

With a TV permanently up there how do you restrict their screen time?

I never did.

Genuine question as maybe there is a way but I just worry the older kids would be watching it all the time instead of drawing/painting/dancing/playing games/whatever else they do up there.

Mine never did. My eldest hasn't really watched TV since she was about 10/11 and she is 19 now.

Santaisreel · 27/12/2020 09:42

Actually I am lying, I suppose I did restrict screen time as nobody was ever allowed to use their TV's at night. The Wi-Fi and virgin media both go off at night when I go to bed so they had no access even if they wanted it.

Icantfindanewname · 27/12/2020 09:45

DS11 got one for Christmas. However, he also got a plug socket which is controlled by our tablets and is limited to when it supplies power. It also allows us to turn the power off if the little -sod- angel gets sent to his room. I love technology sometimes!

MillieEpple · 27/12/2020 09:47

Yes we use technology to restrict time. So it all powers down 2 hours before bedtime.

HappydaysArehere · 27/12/2020 09:47

Personally I don’t like TVs in bedrooms. For us books are for bedtime and if you want to encourage children to read more then don’t put a tv in their rooms.

Mumski45 · 27/12/2020 10:01

2DS 13 and 15. No TV's in bedrooms here and phones are removed overnight. They do however both have pc's which they can watch stuff on. However if this privilege is abused I do know how to limit access through their accounts and have done so in the past.

I like the idea of having a plug that can been time limited but wouldn't they just unplug it and plug the device into the socket directly if they want to bypass it.

We have an Xbox in the lounge and another TV in the kitchen so we can still watch tv if one of them wants to play.
We are also planning a garage conversion to create a gym/games room/teenage den and will move the Xbox in there eventually.

Hercwasonasnowball · 27/12/2020 10:04

Never here.

They have a playroom which may get a games console one day.

Screens can be checked anytime by any parent. Obviously this rule will relax when later teenagers but I want to know what they're watching!

SaltyAF · 27/12/2020 10:08

I know I sound all 1950s pearl clutched (well the antithesis I suppose) bit I think it's a shame if kids really aren't watching TV at all. There's so much rich narrative to be had in comparison to the bullshit on YouTube or gaming. Don't get me wrong, mine do all of that but I definitely wouldn't be happy if they 'never watched TV' or films. It would be such a cultural deficit.

I swear my DD got her lovely defined speech from CBeebies Grin and she was very fluent by two and a half.

WalkingMeAway · 27/12/2020 10:10

We don’t restrict screen time as such but it’s no screens after 9pm and if we think she’s been using too much we simply say ‘right phone down, let’s do another activity’. This approach works much better for us and we never have any issues with compliance. Sometimes some eye rolling but that’s to be expected.

reluctantbrit · 27/12/2020 10:12

DD once asked for one but when I queried her what she would do with it, she shrugged her shoulders, I think she just found it cool that her friend had one. But said friend has a smaller sister and can so watch programms the little one is too young for.

DD watches iplayer or Netflix on her laptop/tablet if she really wants but we are a fairly low-TV family so she normally has free reign of the TV in the living room anyway.

I grew up with a TV in my room but that was in the Eighties where you couldn't watch Catch up or streaming so if I wanted to watch something my parents didn't I did it in my room. Nowadays that need is gone.

We are also a no-game family, so no need for a playstation etc set up.

Ginfordinner · 27/12/2020 10:26

I still don't get it? screen size and sound quality? Come again

Did you mean to be so rude? Hmm

@shamus2020 I had measles as a child. My hearing and eyesight are not perfect. We have high quality speakers attached to our TV.

I can see and hear the TV a lot better than I can on my laptop.

Maybe you have a better quality laptop than I do. You undoubtedly have better eysight and hearing than I do.

Come again Hmm