No TV

[nutcrackingcrazy]

The TV broke a while back and I was delighted. The kids hardly watched it anyway and I'm finding we are speaking more, spending lovely time together as a family not being distracted by it.

AIBU to think the kids don't need a TV? We don't have internet either so no computers or screens (which has always been so). Kids are 4&6.

We didn't have a TV for a long time - not a conscious decision. The one we had broke and I just never had the money/time/inclination to shop for another one (before days of easy online shopping!)

I think my DCs thrived without it. Both fantastic readers. Their friends loved coming to our house because it was "fun." It was difficult getting babysitters. They would ask if I had Sky and the answer was "we don't even have a telly!"

When we did get one, they immediately dived into watching crap. Glad I didn't get one earlier. Thankfully, internet wasn't a thing until they were much older.

I had a child with no TV, Internet at home, in my class, he was the target of endless teasing etc by the other children who labelled him weird. There's nothing wrong with supervised access to TV & technology. Removing it totally is draconian & rather shortsighted. The educational & wildlife programmes available are great & they will need tech skills in a modern tech age & the job market.

I think some TV is good socially and educationally. Internet is obligatory for school work, it’s posted online and sometimes has to be done online. There is a huge amount of fantastic information available.

Limited screen time is the answer for us.

When they switched the analog broadcast off we kept the TV for watching movies and playing games

Then someone bought us a new TV as a gift and now it just sits there and we never watch movies or play games. I switch it on every once in a while to see if it's still working

we stopped watching it because we have epically high tolerance for watching complete shite and had seen every episode of law and order and every other American cop procedural at least twice

The local TV signal went when I was a young child. I watched what my parents watched, which were things worth the trouble of sourcing the video for.

David Attenborough series.
Adaptations of classic novels.
Horizon.
Blackadder (I credit my sense of humour to that!)

When we got TV back, we continued in the same vein, watching Have I Got News For You, news, documentaries etc.

I work in education now, as does my sister, and most of those we encounter assume we were privately educated because of the breadth of knowledge we have, which comes equally from books and tv.

CSIblonde totally agree. As I said, it seems more designed to satisfy some anxiety in the parents than in genuinely helping the children.

I can totally relate sometimes to being neurotic about screen time but you have to take a step back.

Its also worth remembering that for generations, parents have been anxious about the impact that technology and new artforms would have on their kids. Parents at the turn of the 19th/20th century were worried about the impact of the novel.

It's obviously positive for kids to develop other ways to entertain themselves but not helpful to any child to be brought up in a bubble, hermetically sealed from current entertainment, art, journalism and technology.

You can't shut them away from screens forever, surely they use computers and iPads at school? They'll need some kind of device to do their homework on at secondary school, DD's is nearly all online.

I work in education now, as does my sister, and most of those we encounter assume we were privately educated because of the breadth of knowledge we have, which comes equally from books and tv
Yeah I bet that's not why they think you were privately educated!! lol

I moved into my new house in May this year, and there was no aerial, so I decided to try and see how it went without a telly. I have to say I haven't missed at all, and I get loads more done.
I don't think young people watch telly anymore, certainly not in the living room. My daughter has a TV in her room and uses it for streaming (vapid) youtube videos, while my son uses his only as a screen for his playstation.
I have books, audio books and an Odeon limitless card if I want to watch something.
I'm quite happy, although my older son (who does not live with me) is scandalised and thinks that it is not a proper living room without a telly

Should have added I think the internet is different. I do need the internet for my work, and for my study, but also because it gives me access to the whole world, including, if I want it, TV.
And it slightly different because my youngest child is 19 and my kids only sit in the living room while they are waiting for their food to cook

It's obviously positive for kids to develop other ways to entertain themselves but not helpful to any child to be brought up in a bubble, hermetically sealed from current entertainment, art, journalism and technology.

This is a very well written point, and one worth repeating.

What do you plan on doing when your children need the internet for school, OP? I'm surprised your 6yo isn't using it in class already and wanting to use it at home too.

We didn't have it for a few years. People were very scathing about the fact I was denying my child TV! Was bizarre! We have it now though. Don't watch it very often. And when we do watch it, it's usually catch up that we're watching!

obviously YANBU but thank fuck i don't live in your house.

my DS watches plenty of TV but i figure he won't avoid screens so better trying to teach him manageable habits. not that i've got manageable habits but my love of TV and the internet hasn't turned me into a serial killer, drug addict or tax evader.

Well you clearly do have internet and a screen to be able to post here. Not having broadband isn’t the same thing at all.

You know there’s nothing inherently bad about TV or internet access, don’t you. A lot of wonderful things are are accessible through both - it’s just how you choose to use them.

We don’t have a TV. We do have screens on which we sometimes watch films, documentaries, or drama serials.

If you’re not very interested in the arts then you don’t need any screens, of course.

People get really defensive about screen time OP. Like it or not, there is a wealth of evidence which says excessive screen time, especially TV has many disadvantages from poor speech development to obesity. However, people are correct when saying that children who don't have access to screens can be left out socially. Being computer literate is vital in today's world. I just try to limit screen time to 2 hours a day but we sometimes watch more on a Sunday, especially when the weather is crap. My OH and I have 1 night a week with no screens where we talk to each other over a bottle of wine and I read most evenings. Some people think you're a smug wanker though if you're not glued to EastEnders every night 😆

TV is viewed as a "lower order" pleasure by many, irrespective of what you are actually watching on it. I've read as many crap books as I've watched crap tv shows.

This ^ is spot on. Yes, there is loads of rubbish on TV, but there is also loads of rubbish in print. You can be just as selective about what you choose to watch as you can be about what you choose to read. There is some excellent stuff on the TV - from the educational programmes that teach you so much about the world (including, but not exclusively David Attenborough), to film, drama, entertainment and sport. There is also excellent stuff in books. All 3 of my dc were avid readers when little and continued to be throughout teens and into adulthood - somehow they managed this with both TV and internet in the house, and, oddly, they even managed to be active 'outdoors' dc too. None of this needs to be mutually exclusive - life is about balance. Indeed, there's nothing wrong with watching some mind-numbing crap every now and then, or reading something that others might look down upon.

not helpful to any child to be brought up in a bubble, hermetically sealed from current entertainment, art, journalism and technology.

This ^ is very much what I was getting at in my first post, yesterday, but much more eloquently put
Being able to discuss the 'big game' last night, or even that horrific article on the news (as adults, not as little ones, obviously) is helpful as 'conversation' throughout your life.

We never had a TV growing up. When we were on holiday us kids would get up at 5am just to sit and stare open-mouthed at car insurance adverts and cookery shows! My parents caved and bought me one when I was 17. I pretty much lived in front of it for a couple of years, then grew out of it again. I don't have my own children but if I did we wouldn't have a TV - they would have occasional screentime though, with a tablet or whatever - on planes, when ill, when I was ill, for special family film nights, when we were all absolutely exhausted etc. I'd try to monitor the quality of what they were watching but I don't think I could personally survive the child-raising process without the help of screens.

Fine when the DC are that young but you are going to find the teenage years interesting with no broadband.

I used to pay for sky, and after a period without it while moving house, I realised I didn’t really miss it. So when we moved somewhere permanent I stuck initially with freeview, then I got Amazon prime (mostly for the free delivery to be honest) and Netflix. So I’m conscious to only pay for what I use, but wouldn’t be without it all together.
I’d struggle without broadband though.. I’ve got two teens, plus health struggles that make getting out difficult, my life would be much harder if I couldn’t shop online. (Plus I like a good bit of mindless scrolling )

!! So your children don't have screens, but clearly you do as you r on mumsnet!! Not quite sure why TV is any worse than mumsnet!

We love our TV and internet but ours went down in October and is not likely to be fixed until January. It's been awful for us and cost a fortune in mobile data.
It was novel at first and we watched a lot of our old DVDs and played cards and board games but most of all it's been boring and difficult for me and DD to study without access to a decent internet connection.
If TV isn't important to you then sure that's not a problem but it has always been my main source of entertainment especially in in the cold dark nights.

I think it’s odd not to expose kids to the real modern world and unfair on them. I don’t really know what people are trying to achieve by depriving their children of access to television and technology. I suspect it’s some kind of ego trip.

If you dont have a tv what does all your furniture point at?