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Living without TV

104 replies

biggestbloopers · 27/12/2021 19:06

Just posting this as our TV has broken and I'm considering not replacing it but I'm curious to see whether there are any other families out there without TV and how you find it?

We're a pretty low screen time family (young primary school aged DC) and I quite like the idea of using this as an opportunity to go without it properly. I'm conscious that I don't want the kids to feel left out at school, so was planning on doing it as a trial for a bit to see how it goes. However, the few people I've mentioned it to think we're mad, but surely we can't be the only ones to try it?

OP posts:
Player20868 · 28/12/2021 15:14

Ah, it's a bit trickier if you don't have streaming either (and don't want to watch via the app on a computer). I didn't have my own TV until I had left university, but this was the early 1990s, things were very different.

I have a couple of friends who live out in the sticks who hardly ever watch TV; he's pretty creative, she doesn't work at all, and spends most of her time cleaning. On the rare occasions she does watch TV it's mostly "Move to the country" type programmes (even though he's pointed out they already live in the country...) and the occasional gardening programme. He has admitted it means he can't join in conversations at work and last time we visited there was no point attempting to talk to either of them about box set story arcs or social commentary in modern movies....;) We obviously found lots to talk about that wasn't TV, but it did make me realise that often talking about TV programmes is a relatively neutral conversation topic in a world where we don't know when the next Lockdown is coming.

My agency nurse partner has also found watching Strictly this year has actually been a really good ice breaker with other staff when on shift at a new-to-them location, plus a lot of the residents really enjoy it.

I can't comment on kids talking as all the kids in our family are now either older teenagers who just stream or head for YouTube (live TV?! Are you KIDDING me?!), or are very little and at the CBeebies stage or even younger...

Could you give a non-TV life a bit of a trial run, maybe?

Player20868 · 28/12/2021 15:15

Sorry, that last sentence should have said "she doesn't work outside the home at all". And it's not being judgy, just saying where she chooses to spend her time.

RampantIvy · 28/12/2021 15:17

When the OP said no TV I assumed she meant no screen time at all, so no streaming either.

And no, I would miss watching my favourite comedies and detective programmes.

oftenbaffled · 28/12/2021 15:22

What about family movie nights?

Not the same on an iPad

We very rarely watch TV

But lovely on a Friday night after school to all settle down together.

oftenbaffled · 28/12/2021 15:23

What does your husband think?

icedcoffees · 28/12/2021 15:32

No, when our last TV broke, DH went and replaced it the next day Grin

Personally, I don't think it's fair when you have children unless you're happy to let them stream things on their tablets or laptops. Like it or not, TV shows do play a big part in their lives and I don't think it's fair to deliberately exclude them from that.

I say that as someone who grew up with a TV but I was never allowed to watch anything my friends did - and it caused issues as I constantly felt left out. As an adult, I do see where my parents were coming from but it caused me quite a few problems. I wouldn't want to put my DC through that unless I had absolutely no choice.

oftenbaffled · 28/12/2021 15:38

If you are determined to op

I would recommend middle of winter to start!

oftenbaffled · 28/12/2021 15:39

Not!!!

oftenbaffled · 28/12/2021 15:41

I don’t meant to be rude OP

But why so drastic?

Can’t you just….parent?! And by that, put a limit on it that you genuinely stick to.
And then you and your husband make more of an effort with each other organically rather than simply because no TV? Probably better in the long run

EishetChayil · 28/12/2021 15:46

We don't have a tv. I haven't had one since I left home 20 years ago. We manage fine! We do watch Netflix on our laptops but not every night/day.

Floralnomad · 28/12/2021 15:49

We couldn’t be without a TV , ours has been on since I got up today on Sky cricket showing the India V SA test . I’m not tied to it , it’s playing in the background of my day .

MirthlessChuckle · 28/12/2021 15:50

The TV is the modern day storyteller round the fire. It helps pass the hours and it bonds people through common experiences.

Having said that, I do wish it had never been invented sometimes. DH turns it on unthinkingly most evenings, we never just sit and chat anymore.

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 28/12/2021 15:51

God no! Even if you watched less tv the upshot would be more screen ie. tablet time- that’s far more isolating- I like to see and communicate with my children about what they are watching. Plus god love CBeebies when I have to do some housework in peace.

Swirlywoo · 28/12/2021 15:52

There is a middle ground. I would not be without a TV, as there is just too much brilliant TV to miss. But nor do I watch it all the time or even every day. I probably watch an hour a day, same for the kids.

tinseleverywhere2021 · 28/12/2021 15:56

We didn't have a TV for about a decade. XH was a snob about it - thought the only thing worth streaming was a documentary or an arthouse film.

🥱

Post divorce I've got four smart TVs in the house and four different streaming services. Despite all that we don't watch a lot of TV, about four hours a week max plus a film, but it is nice to have the choice if/when we want to.

I love streaming iFIT on a big screen so that wins for me - I do Yoga and Pilates series on TV- much better for my ageing eyes than my iPad.

As someone said up thread - it is nice to find something to watch with teens once a week.

ChristmasRobins · 28/12/2021 16:05

Why not give it a go and see what you think? It’s not an irreversible decision.

FWIW I think that, if it doesn’t work out, reintroducing streaming but not buying another TV might be a compromise. I find with streaming that it’s a lot easier to limit screen time to what you actively want to watch rather than just letting evenings pass without thought.

RedCandyApple · 28/12/2021 16:06

I don’t watch tv at all, my kids do though, I think they will feel a bit left out when other kids are talking about their favourite shows and they have no idea what they are talking about

RampantIvy · 28/12/2021 16:08

How many people who don't own a TV watch nothing at all on any devices?

Kotatsu · 28/12/2021 16:10

My kids barely use the TV - in fact until DS2 discovered that he could use his switch attached to it (he didn't listen to me telling him for ages), it was barely used by anyone but me, except for the occasional movie night (which you could just as easily do at a cinema)

The kids use their devices - ipads/switch in preference to the big TV for watching programs - I've even found myself sitting in the living room watching on my ipad and leaving the main TV off it's become such a habit.

Not having access to YouTube/Netflix would have way more affect than not having access to broadcast TV these days for kids.

RampantIvy · 28/12/2021 16:14

I don't understand why watching something on a device with a small screen and poor sound quality is preferable to watching TV with good quality speakers, unless everyone in the house wants to watch something different.

Kotatsu · 28/12/2021 16:16

I never understood the speaker thing - I actively hate having it all booming around me when I turn on the whole shebang! Give me headphones anyday.

I think the advantage is that if you're watching TV, you're nailed in that room - but I can watch my ipad anywhere (and yes, I can watch what I like and so can the kids), and you just get used to it - TBH, we all happily watched terrible quality TV on tiny sets when we were kids - the standard on my ipad is a million times better (haven't done the sums, might be more than 1M times better actually)

RestingMurderousFace · 28/12/2021 16:20

I barely switched on the TV for the last couple of years so decided to get rid of it in October. Thought I might miss it over Christmas but nope, don't regret it for a second.

PuppyMonkey · 28/12/2021 16:27

I don’t really get it tbh OP, you sound quite determined to go ahead and give it a try. Fair enough, just do it then and see how you get on.

All this talk of you must have no streaming at all because it will be more challenging? I dunno, what point are you trying to prove? That your family can go through a big challenge? Okay, but… why?

RampantIvy · 28/12/2021 16:35

I actively hate having it all booming around me

We don't have it "booming around us". The sound quality of modern flat screen TVs is nowhere near as good as that of the old CRT TVs, so we wired up the speakers from DH's PC to the TV. Now we can actually hear what is being said. I don't like wearing headphones unless I am on a Teams call.

We also watch TV together as a family fairly regularly. Death in Paradise anyone?

CeCeSchmidt · 28/12/2021 16:40

I’ve lived without a TV a couple of times, both times for about a year.

Both those years I got an amazing amount done, both personally and professionally. I was rarely in the house.

One of the times I got involved with activism and changed careers substantially. The second time I dated a lot and met my husband.

It really frees up a lot of time and shakes up your world.