To think TV's are not evil.....

[VinegarTits]

Why are some people so against dc watching a bit of TV?

Is it the work of the devil or summit?

This was on Mumsnet a few weeks ago, quite interesting.

www.freeview.co.uk/freeview/content/download/1778/9087/file/Executive%20Summary.pdf

I do think that in banning TV altogether, you are depriving children of taking part in the culture of their peers. Kids want to fit in and know what everyone is talking about, so it's a bit sad if they are seen as strange by other kids because of your decision... If you were unlucky it could lead to resentment of you later on, and possibly problems with confidence.

We don't have a telly as we object to the TV licence and their bullying tactics (would happily pay a subscrip to iplayer/etc)

Have just read Custardo's post and YES. That's another reason we got rid of telly (though we still watch a fair bit)

quite, Riven, and how nice it will be to enjoy Charlie and Lola or Shrek with her! (Even the thousandth time )

I want to get rid of the telly. I don't ever switch it on, i prefer to read, play an instrument, listen to music, go on internet for a bit of an evening.
I tend to use iplayer as there are some documentaries that i may want to watch sometimes and i get the news online as well.

My partner however loves the telly and we have a mahousive flat screen plus a tv in our bedroom.
Both kids have a screen in their rooms but it's not linked to the tv signal, they can only play playstation or watch a dvd.

Dd is not allowed to play dvd's in her room on a school night, i don't think she settles well if she watches a film or tv before bed. She has vivid dreams and nightmares and this makes it worse so we read to each other, play a board game etc.
At weekends she will watch Doctor Who as it is sky plussed, she is obsessed with it but again it's limited to one or two episodes as we are out doing things so often.
We like to go to the park with a football or a rounders kit etc.

DSD has been brought up with a tv constantly on and will not go to sleep without a dvd on in her room. If you put the tv on downstairs she will sit mesmerised for hours if you didn't move her. Strops if it is turned off so we can all go out.

My opinion is that tv is ok for kids as long as it's not a constant thing and as long as you introduce them to a variety of media, not just the usual kiddie programmes. (i'm talking about older kids in general. I didn't have tv when dd was a toddler as icouldn't afford it and didn't really have time to watch it anyway).

Umlelella do you listen to bbc radio then? Or watch things on iplayer?

And charlie and lola is a bbc show, but you watch that.

I think the license fee is a good thing. I can't bear to watch a film on itv with adverts every 10 minutes.

iplayer, dvds, 4od. some things we sacrifice, eg dh misses the football. i lived without a telly for years though (and am slightly that i actually am watching MORE now probably. though less mindless halfwatching I guess).

I would be happy to pay a subscription just hate the way you dont get to CHOOSE.

I was thinking about this the other day, actually, as up until recently (when we suddenly lost all reception, for some reason), the TV in the playroom was usually on when we were in, tuned to cbeebies, and the kids either watched it or ignored it. I wasn't really worried, as we are out a good bit of every day, and the kids do lots of other things and play with their toys. Since the TV hasn't been working, however, they really haven't seemed to miss it at all, surprisingly! they still watch half an hour on the main TV before their bath, but I've noticed they don't pay it much attention really. I am definitely surprised, as it was always a bit of a fixture, but it seems they can take it or leave it, so maybe when (if) it gets fixed, I will limit it more.

Having said that, they have learnt a lot of stuff from TV- they've seen animals and places we can't access, and learned words and numbers etc. (eg dd knew that a group of dolphins was called a pod- I couldn't have told you that! ) So I don't see it as evil, possibly just a bit less necessary than I previously thought

Lotster - re the Sky plussed programmes, I find that my DD (2.6) buys the line - "no, we can't put Charlie and Lola on, they've gone to bed!"

She has a think about it, then asks "Barnaby Bear gone to bed?" "oh yes, Barnaby's in bed too" we say, and so on. Eventually she gives up...

Having said that we usually have quite a lot of CBeebies on when we're at home - only CBeebies though as I don't like ads for products aimed at children, and on the whole I think their content is pretty good (apart from bloody Lazytown!).

She doesn't stand and stare at it, but potters around with her toys too - it seems to keep her much calmer when it's on, so is brilliant when you have Mumsnetting stuff to get on with. I heart telly.

TheDevilWearsPrimark - I didn't say it is 'awful for a child' and am quite open-minded about when I will allow her to watch tv with us. I will, as I said in an earlier post, watch to see how she develops and whether I think she is 'missing out' because all of her friends are picking on her because of it, but if there are no problems I see no reason for her to watch it, as I really don't think she is missing out... I don't really think of myself as 'banning it altogether' as she doesn't miss it or ask for it at all, ever, and if she did we'd have to take it from there...

TV is the spawn of the devil and along with some of his other inventions (sex, alcohol, chocolate,) fine in moderation.

At work part of our remit is to try and improve pre-schoolers speech (where I live the average 5 year olds speech is delayed by nearly 12 months - ie they speak like an 'average' four year old). Along with lots of other factors the number one reason we were given for this (in a training course) was the number of hours pre-schoolers were in a house with the tv on.

It meant that they didn't talk with their parents, play independently and hence chat away to themselves and on and on.

Apparently even daytime adult tv meant that they weren't playing as well (more interpretions/less involved play). Also loss of interaction with parents.

And that's before we get into the obesity levels round here (I live 1/2 mile from the 'fattest estate in Britian according to the media)

A little tv is a godsend and imo the kids gain as much as the adults do (far better than being shouted out when I get stressed out with them under my feet) but all day everyday is a problem.

good tactic Pixel

happynappies I'm with you on waiting til the demand is there, rather than offering tv in advance. If our dd asked to have tv, I'd definitely consider it. We haven't ever had one, so its not 'banned for her', we just don't own a telly and haven't bought one specially because we now have a child. So far, she hasn't asked, the same way that she hasn't asked for a ds, a wii or an xbox - again, if she asked (and we could afford!) we would consider it. She certainly isn't shy of asking for other things that she wants, some of which she can have (playmobil birds & cuddly toys) others (including the parrot) she can't, so she knows that she can ask & she may or may not get . ...

I'm a tv lover, (as in television...just thought I'd point that out quickly) and my child has had unlimited access to kids programmes whilst growing up.

She's now 8 and watches tv rarely, taping what she wants to watch on Sky Plus and using it as a wind down tool. She's indifferent about whether it's switched on or not.

There does seem to be an unhealthy reaction to tv for those who aren't allowed to watch it and I often wonder how kids socialise fully without it. It's like the watercooler moments of the 80's...you felt left out if you hadn't watched whatever crap they talked about during work hours.

On the other hand, though, I have a friend who was brought up without any tv. She can sew, knit, makes all her own clothes, restores Japanese armour (probably not connected, but I love that I have a friend who does something so exciting...sad I know), cooks, draws, paints, writes a little, and so the list goes on and on and on!

She says it made her look into everything in great depth when she was younger, to fill the hours. She was never bored, never felt left out at school and never really got into tv. She listened to radio a lot and loves the cinema, but tv just doesn't appeal.

I'll stick with the tv and the flashy toys for my brood, but a part of me wonders whether I'm doing the right thing.

I have nothing against moderate TV watching, but I do find it disturbing when a young lad of 8 needs the TV on all the time, whinges whenever he is taken away from watching, and spends as little time outdoors as he can, even on a fine summer's day, is always straining to get back to the telly, can't do even a short car journey without visual entertainment. Not my ds, I hasten to add, but one of his friends. It seems some kids can cope with unlimited access and others can't.

Squilly, if it's any comfort, I (now heading towards my mid-40s) was allowed to watch tv as a child (of course, in the 60s & 70s there wasn't that much) & I have lots of fond tv memories. But I also listened to the radio, can sew, draw...I spent hours playing with my dolls house & reading.
I think it depends on the child. As I said earlier, I don't limit tv for my own children but if it's on merely in the background, I switch it off.
DS1 currently cannot be separated from his DSLite...