to wonder what's so bad about tv?

[CailinDana]

I've been on MN for a while and every so often I see posts mentioning tv as though it's poison. I'm just wondering why people have that view of it. I used to be a developmental research psychologist and never came across any evidence that it does children any harm in moderate doses. Of course, if a child is sitting in front of the tv for hours on end it's going to affect their fitness and their social skills, but if a child is only watching an hour or so a day, where's the harm in that?

Obviously I am aware that allowing children to watch programmes that aren't suitable for their age can be damaging. On the other hand I think that some programmes can be beneficial - a few posters have mentioned their children learning makaton from Something Special and some spanish from Dora the Explorer. That's a good thing surely? Just wondering what others' views are on it.

I think you're probably right there Oggy - it's like the "five a day" thing - apparently five was chosen as a high enough number that people would at least eat one or two pieces of fruit/veg a day.

It's 8 now [hmmm]

Cailin - yes I remember that from Little Women too! People were expected to read 'improving' moral essays etc instead of 'novels - and at one point doesn't Jo write a lurid novel and her future husband very disappointed in her?

Yet TV can be amazing - I love it and have happy childhood memories of it.

my 2 year old doesn't watch TV because it never occurs to me to put it on during the day. Simple.

She goes to a child minder one day a week who has the TV on quite often so she is exposed, just not at home.

I have tried her with in the night garden a few times as I am 39 weeks pregnant and was hoping she might like to watch it while I am dealing with her new brother or sister, but her attention wanders after about 5 minutes so not sure if that is going to work out or not.

There's also plenty of research into developing touch screen technology to help children with autism - screens can be challenging and educational.

Here's a link to the article you may be thinking of:

www.jhsph.edu/publichealthnews/press_releases/2007/minkovitz_tv.html

Sorry have I just stepped back into 1962? I think this topic was hotly debated back then - I'll ask MNHQ to move it back a few decades...

we don't get to watch much TV as we are busy with other things. also it's so boring!

My neighbours were banned from watching TV, they constantly called to our house to "play" - and spent the whole time watching our TV!!!!

"also it's so boring!"

Surely that depends on what you are watching. Sport and soaps are boring. I have just watched an episode of Frozen Planet that we recorded last year. Boring it was not.

DS1 gets completely absorbed, to the point where nothing else penetrates the TV watching. DS2 never shuts up while he's watching it - the same at the cinema - whooping and joining in and passing general comment on everything he sees.

I don't like the TV on in the background. The only rules for TV at ours it that if the telly's on you do nothing else but watch and concentrate and when I say it goes off it goes off.

It's all about moderation. TV programmes are not intrinsically bad, any more so than rock music, computers or video games.

I let my DC watch TV now, like I also let them use a computer and play on a DS. However, I limit what they do and how long for. As part of a varied lifestyle involving plenty of outdoor exercise and other mentally stimulating activities, I think TV is a positive and educational addition.

However, one of the main criticisms for the under twos has been the negative effect on the brain from sensory bombardment of brightly coloured imagery which changes several times a second. It is far too over-stimulating for the infant brain, and yet a lot of TV aimed at this age group is far worse for this phenomenon than a lot of TV aimed at older children or adults. In fact they might be better off watching quality adult TV than programmes aimed at babies and toddlers.

Where TV has been shown to be a problem is when it is left on without being actively watched. The background noise has a proven effect on children's ability to concentrate and assimilate.

I'm not a TV watcher anyway (it seems to make me really fidgety and I have to get up and do something), so when my DC were under two it was easy for me to follow the American Pediatric Association advice and I didn't let them watch any TV. But it wasn't something that required effort for me to enforce because I never had the TV on anyway and babies under 2 don't ask for it if they've never seen it. Now that they're older it requires a lot more effort.

Ultimately, unless you're parking your child in front of it for hours on end and fail to do anything else with them, I can't really see the problem in allowing kids to watch TV. I get mine to do it online though, so I can cut out the advertising because that really does annoy me.

The best thing for children is not lots of bright swirly colours and things flashing before their eyes. The best thing is muted colours, and really brilliant stuff only once in a while, and black words on a beige page so they can imagine and think instead of having it all laid out for them and thought through already. There's no time to reflect on what's going on because programmes move so quickly- our memories aren't so highly developed that we can't remember all the details we'd want to comment on later- so a good bit of debatable material just gets swept under the carpet because TV's supposed to have done the job.

People who argue that TV is good for children, the content, the stimulation etc, they're just deluding themselves IMO! You can find all that elsewhere. And damaging their children's chances. TV is nowhere near as bad as video games and things, but I don't know why you'd let them have the freedom to turn it on themselves and expect it when it's one of the least challenging and interesting things for them to do. Parents who claim to need it- can't you ever say "No" to your kids, or tell them you're busy and don't want to be with them right now? My mum did, two year old me fingerpainted alone for an hour, I'm not scarred, she got things done (and had some time to herself). Simple.

There is nothing bad about TV

Telly-box isSatans Tool.

I really couldnt give a shit if it died.

however the rest of the house would possibly implode at not being 24/7 football/cricket/NFL/rugby etc etc etc ..... how the hell they mange to play sport and fit in watching the bloody stuff is beyond me.

on a serious note - other than the news, the odd docu, the odd period drama ..... I hatge the bloody thing. If it were real PPV my personal bill woudl be about £3.27 per annum. If Im lucky, I get 20 mins per day.

I don't understand why you think children who watch TV from vey young don't read, paint, do imaginative play, jigsaws, dancing, card games, swimming,chess etc

Mine do all of this -and watch TV, movies, play computers.

The point is that there is nothing wrong with TV in its place. Like cake. Everything in moderation.

Telly-box is an electronic babysitter. It's shite and has contributed to the knee-scoff-meal .

I hate the tv with a passion.

It's moving wallpaper.

Sitting in front of a laptop . sitting in front of a TV

Same thing really

Yes- and how much more could they be getting out of the reading, painting, dancing etc without TV? That's the problem.

If you stuck children in front of live shows all the time (e.g. watching rehearsals), they'd probably be emotionally drained of energy. Watching real people without being able to interact, quietly, without fidgeting for half an hour or an hour or more? But because it's behind a screen, somehow it's different. You're removed from it all so apparently it doesn't matter. You don't realise how much it saps your energy in terms of being able to stimulate your mind when you want. It's not good to have your emotions constantly prodded and whirled about.

I'm all for an electronic babysitter , frankly. The live ones seem to want about £30 and a pizza/DVD.

It's like most things-fine in moderation.

I don't understand - they don't do other activities while TV is on. When it is on they watch it. When it is off, they do other things. They are all well adjusted. Top streamed for reading and Maths.

When you live in a two bed flat with three children aged 2,5,7, something's got to give, sometimes.

Its complete and utter snobbery in a lot of cases - an attempt to show everyone what a great parent you are because you entertain your child all the time and do lots of stuff with them rather than them watching TV. But its not all or nothing.

Sometime slife is not all about learning and having your brain stimulated - even as a child - its about this plus relaxing and having fun watching something enjoyable. Not done my 18 year old DS any harm who has left school with an arm of qualifications and is now at college and is a happy, well adjusted and sociable young man.

my ds had unlimited tv as a child , now he rarely watches it

I have to admit I am a bit of a tv addict, I absolutely love a good crime series. Interesting to hear people's points of view on it, it's not something I've ever really given much thought to. TV wasn't restricted when I was a kid, I watched about two hours a day I suppose. I can't remember really. Didn't stop me doing well at school.

I love telly and would not be without it.
My kidsm ove telly too.

We never have it on in the morning before school because I find it too absorbing for everyone, we would be late evry day.

We never have it on at lunchtime when the kids are back from school for the same reason.

We never have it on as background.if nobody is paying attention, I switch it off.

We sit down and watch it together after homework is done in the evening. It is a lovely shared experince.

We don't watch any telly with adverts but that's because we live abroad (ding ding) so we only have DVDs.

I read somewhere that actually watching a feature film with complex plot and dialogue ( as opposed to cartoony stuff) with parents and kids watching together, parents on hand to explain plot points if required, can actually improve concentration skills.

My kids have definitely broadened their vocabulary from telly.

They also do ballet, scoot, go to the park, play board games, read, keep fish, draw, love stickers.....