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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Does anyone else not own a TV?

26 replies

Didntcomeheretofuckspiders · 13/03/2018 09:14

DP and I don’t have a TV. We watch the odd episode of whatever on the iPad so we’re not complete anti-tv evangelists or anything.

I’m now pregnant (this is what happens when you don’t own a tv). AIBU to think the baby won’t miss Cbeebies if it doesn’t know about it? I used to be a nanny so I know how helpful the odd episode of Peppa Pig is when you need to tidy up/make lunch/wrestle a child into their clothes/do some bribery.

Does anyone have any time experience of raising children without a TV? Not trying o be goady AT ALL. Just wondering if it’s actually sensible! AIBU to not buy a tv?!

OP posts:
paap1975 · 13/03/2018 09:18

My colleague has 4 kids (ages 4-16) and no TV. They get on just fine. A couple of weeks ago another colleague said it was child cruelty. Your child, your choice, but you could show films on an iPad.

Pickleypickles · 13/03/2018 09:18

Yes tv can be useful sometimes but its definately not a necessity to raise a child.
Id would get one if i was you mainly because jeremy kyle and netflix kept me sane when i was breastfeeding, especially at 3am! But ultimately many people raise children all around the world with no tv 🙂

JennyBlueWren · 13/03/2018 09:20

I didn't have a TV until I was 6 years old. Came across a letter to my parents from a relative about how my childhood would be ruined by lack of TV. I remember listening to Narnia on the radio. I don't remember it being a problem but there are a few odd gaps in my cultural references.

As for how to entertain a child without Cbeebies, obviously children don't need visual entertainment but also you can watch all sorts on YouTube. Means you can select (or they can demand) what to watch e.g. Looney Tunes! rather than just watching whatever's on.

I was an early reader but so is DS and I think he watches far too much TV!

InvisibleUnicorn · 13/03/2018 09:22

I didn't have one for at least five years as a child. I sometimes used to watch Button Moon or Seasame Street at a friend's house and I thought it was the best treat ever 😏

I also didn't have one for several years recently. I don't think the kids really missed it.

TillyTheTiger · 13/03/2018 09:22

Don't do it! I was raised without one and it was probably the best thing my parents ever did for me. I had a serious discussion with DH about getting rid of ours before DS was born and I wish we had, because now he's a toddler it's much harder to limit him to only 30 mins a day without him yelling for bloody Bing or Paw Patrol.

smurfy2015 · 13/03/2018 09:25

I dont have children so cant comment on that aspect but i lived with no tv at all for about 5 years, friends couldnt understand it but it didnt make sense for me, this was before the time where you watched stuff online as well.

I worked full time, i went out and met people, people came over to mine, socialised a lot. This was before mobile phones were a "everyday essential" too. I read a lot just for my own pleasure.

I had a laptop which i used for studying the part time course i was doing,

Nowadays my tv is essential to me in a different way, due to illness i spend most of my time bedbound until i get to suitable housing, i use the tv on the wall as my screen, i cast stuff up onto it, its easy to look at on the wall but not neccessarily for watching tv / films via it. I can set up my laptop with webcam on table and sit and chat with my friend on the wall, feels social

I know thats not what you were asking

Witchend · 13/03/2018 09:25

I have 3dc aged 17 down to 10 and we've never had a TV.

smurfy2015 · 13/03/2018 09:27

@InvisibleUnicorn i loved button moon, i had a head injury several years ago and spent a couple of months where i would regress to a child like state and only way partner or anyone could calm me was to put on a dvd of button moon, instant putty in their hands

MysteriousSheep · 13/03/2018 09:31

I haven’t had a tv since I left home (age 16). Our child is now 10 and very happy without a tv. Likes watching films at the cinema, but mainly reads/listens to audiobooks and plays. We do have a pc so could watch Netflix and stuff but our son isn’t interested at all, and we are too busy doing other stuff!
No need for a tv, kids don’t miss what they’ve never had. It hasn’t affected our son’s friendships or anything either, the kids just find other common ground Smile

ppeatfruit · 13/03/2018 09:41

Our culture has changed sooo much! When I was little my parents deliberately didn't have a TV (we're talking 1950s here!!) We felt soo left out of the chat and the play in the schoolplaygroundl, because there was no other way of seeing things.

Now with computers, Netflix, streaming, recording etc. no one is watching the same programme at the same time. I still think it's handy for children to sit and watch like you did though!

SheepyFun · 13/03/2018 09:53

We don't have a normal TV, but do have a very large computer monitor in the corner of the room - we can connect it to various devices, but we don't have a freeview box or similar. I'd be the first to admit that I do watch things using iPlayer on my laptop (yes, we do have a licence!), but the advantage of this setup is that watching something is an active choice rather than the default option, and that includes DD. It works for us.

Boulshired · 13/03/2018 09:59

I do not have a tv but I do have a projector and portable screen.

fleshmarketclose · 13/03/2018 09:59

We have TV, older dc didn't really watch it until they got into football and then they watched sport so must have been seven or eight. Youngest dd has never watched TV even now at 15 she has watched none of the cult TV programmes her friends enjoy. I'd say it's not too difficult to not have cbeebies as an option tbh and definitely wouldn't buy a TV solely for that.

VileyRose · 13/03/2018 10:03

I have 4 DC age 14, 12, 5 and 1. No TV here.

chandlersfraud · 13/03/2018 10:04

To be honest sigh technology now it's not really a big deal not to have a tv. My kids rarely watch live tv but I-player, Netflix etc comes in handy. I know quite a few people without tvs and if their kids want to watch something they use their pc monitor, iPad or laptop.

chandlersfraud · 13/03/2018 10:07

*with not sigh!

PistFump · 13/03/2018 10:09

In the immortal words of Joey Tribiani: "but...what's all your furniture pointed at?!!"
Grin

FlippingFoal · 13/03/2018 10:17

Neither me or DP have a TV. His ex has a TV at her house and the DSC (11 And 6) watch it there but they occupy themselves well enough at ours and have never asked for a TV. DsD was bought one for Christmas to allow her to watch something in her bedroom if she wished or play the PlayStation independently of her little brother but she never spends time in her room except to read in quiet.

littlepeas · 13/03/2018 10:32

We didn’t have one for a while when they were very little (ds started to pull on it, so I took it all down and we didn’t put it back up for a couple of years) and it was fine. I occasionally put a dvd on my laptop. The break made dh and I realise how dreadful most of the stuff on (adult) tv is and we barely watch any these days - it used to be on all the time before we had dc. My dc (now 9, 8 and 6) are not allowed to watch tv during the school week - they are completely accepting of this and never ask - but we are more relaxed at weekends and during school hols. They have started watching CBBC now, and I have to say that some of the programmes are really impressive and educational - they also watch lots of wildlife documentaries (ds1 is obsessed and wants to be a wildlife photographer). TV can be crap or good, depending on what you watch.

hotcrossbunsandtea · 13/03/2018 10:34

A friend of mine grew up without a TV and she felt very isolated as a result. I appreciate nowadays it's different with online catch-up, Netflix etc. but in the nineties, those things didn't really exist and she definitely felt as though she was missing out on a lot of social chat at school.

We have one (no DC) but we rarely use it for live TV. It's hooked up to the Xbox and we have an Amazon fire stick as well. I wouldn't be without those and the quality on the TV screen is much better than on a PC/tablet.

Sipperskipper · 13/03/2018 10:38

We have never had a TV (have lived together 9 years). If we want to watch a film or a series, we plug the laptop into a computer monitor screen, so we do still watch things sometimes. If I’m ever at someone’s house and the TV is on in the background, I notice it is mainly just complete rubbish!

I have a 10 month old DD and really don’t see why people think a TV is necessary for babies!

almondfinger · 13/03/2018 11:06

We haven't had a tv for 18 years. 2 DC 10 and 8. There are many pros to not having a tv, they are great readers, love to draw. But one of the main bonuses for me was not having them exposed to advertising.

ppeatfruit · 13/03/2018 12:25

It is important to keep an eye on what the children watch, that includes all the screens. I noticed a walking baby at the Harry Potter World being given an iPad to look at , I'm not sure if that's worse than TV.

bostonkremekrazy · 13/03/2018 13:54

After about 9 years of no tv, we 'gave in' and got a tv license last year so we could watch masterchef on the iplayer....its become that now we watch bake off, top gear etc....a few more programmes have crept in as friends say ' ooh you'd live XYZ'.

I wish we hadnt bothered to be honest. My kids now watch now tv and they barely look at me while the one eyed monster is on! We have a 30 minute daily screen limit - anymore and they become a bit too snappy for my liking 😕
My first 2 children had no tv and were fine without ☺

chickenowner · 13/03/2018 14:03

We don't have a TV either.

When my DP and I met neither of us had a TV, and since moving in together we haven't felt the need to buy one.

We watch i-player on laptops sometimes but usually have either radio 4 or radio 6 music on instead.