Does CBBC make children behave badly?

[marykat2004]

We try to monitor tv but, being older parents, sometimes DH and I are too exhausted, and DD too willful. Especially since she has been ill she has seen far too much tv.

At least on the BBC they don't advertise commercial products. But some of the programming is at best inane and annoying, and at worst undermines the authority of parents. Last night I switched off when they had a 9 year old telling her mother how to dress.

We do not allow Tracy Beaker, and DD knows that, but she still seems particularly contrary and stroppy after watching tv.

Anyone else? Opinions?

DD same as yours TB banned here too, that includes books.
I wonder if it is the start of puberty. Our DD is 9.8 and definitely getting that way.
She doesn't watch a lot of telly TBH [live in Belgium], she has started to watch more grown up things now anyway.

I always wonder about Horrid Henry (is that CBBC?).

DD (4) knows that the point of the programme is that he is 'naughty', but the other day she said he was 'cool'

I do find a lot of the CBBC programmes loud and fighty and shouty. Just because children are a bit older they seem to get suddenly shunted from the gentle, educational (and very PC) world of CBeebies into a CBBC which seems pretty moronic (to me) and a lot less educational.

yes, Ceebeebies is annoyingly PC sometimes, but CBBC annoyingly just annoying!

There was a programme about the British Museum that looked like it was going to be good, but they turned it into a rush-rush, stress-inducing gameshow, with some flashing and frightening images.

DD isn't frighted easily, and the show has made her want to go to the museum, so at least something good came out of that one.

Just checked and Horrid Henry's actually CITV.

CBBC does however have BEAR Behaving Badly.

Tracey Beaker is banned after dd said during a tantrum that she was going to tell her teacher I whipped her and then she would get to live in a care home .

I have obviously never whipped my child I had just asked her to stop whipping me with a watch strap .

I have explained to her that care homes are not at all like they are on TB and also that her Nan grew up in care homes and foster homes and would hate to hear her talk like that.

I think TB has made the whole idea look very glamorous.

Comewhine, you are right. DD is 9.8 and really enjoys bear behaving badly. I don't understand it personally, but I am old as she keeps pointing out.

Over the last 50 odd years are plenty of kids that would read Dennis the Menace and the like and not behaved badly so I'm not sure how much it can influence behaviour.

Lots of parents would agree that too much TV or computer games makes their child go loopy.

I think that the American shows like iCarly and drivel produced by the Disney Channels are far worse than cbbc

The Tracy Beaker books are good, but I think should be read with an adult (say if the child is under 10) as some of the themes are tricky and obviously, upsetting

The DDs know that I don't mind TB Returns but that I am Not Keen on 'Shouty Beaker' (the earlier series) and whom is frequently banned

I don't like Tracey Beaker, but IMHO it's far less dire than some of the vacuous US imports. I don't like the inanity of Dick and Dom much either.

But I do like Blue Peter, Newsround, Horrible Histories, Raven, the Sarah Jane adventures, Deadly 60, MI High, and quite a few others.

Did you never watch Grange Hill as a kid?! If you follow those lines, then we would have all been rude, drug taking, serial snogging brats too. Oh, hang on....

Tom and Jerry cartoons were violent but never blamed for bad behaviour.. but... back then we had a few cartoons a day. Now we have all day children's channel's and the BBC is under pressure to mass produce cheap programmes. I also think the psychology and pace of the programmes nowadays is somehow more damaging than the old slapstick cartoons. DH and I are both adamantly opposed to all "reality tv". We don't watch any of those programmes that appear to glorify and then humiliate ordinary members of the public.

Deadly 60 and Horrible Histories are, however, IMO somewhat educational.

I read Just William as a child. I think I'd have had a hard job explaining to my parents that I was behaving badly because Just William made me behave badly.

Though I do actually agree about reality TV; I think that encourages the worst part of us and normalises bullying in a way that is bad for adults as well as children.

Both of my DCs have gone through liking both Horrid Henry and, later, Tracy Beaker. I've noticed no changes in behaviour that have the slightest connection to either programme.

Both programmes have spurred my DCs to ask some interesting questions about acceptable behaviour, shouting (if you read the Horrid Henry books his parents shout just as much, if not more, than he does) and why children do end up in care.

We banned TB a long long long time ago. TBH I think dd was getting that attitude and voice from school friends (who were watching TB) and a fair few of them were like that ALL THE TIME.

We now encourage her to watch dvds and she spends quite a lot of time watching reruns of Merlin, MI High, Sarah Jane Advs and Dr Who on iPlayer. Infinitely preferable.

On the odd occasion she switches on CBBC we wander round turning the sound down so far it's barely a whisper, so she gets bored as she can't hear it.

No one thought the old cartoons were real or equiated to real life in any way. I don't remember my brothers, I, or any of our friends or neighbours thinking that if you hit someone hard over the head with a massive hammer there would be stars flying round their head. I have never met anyone of my generation who thought the cartoons had anything to do with reality. Were we just SENSIBLE or has the IQ of the normal child dropped drastically in the last 40 odd years or what?

"Were we just SENSIBLE or has the IQ of the normal child dropped drastically in the last 40 odd years or what?"

No, it's because cartoons were obviously not real. Children behaving badly, being ordered to perform tasks under pressure (some of those game shows look awfully stressful for the contestants), or being humiliated might resemble real life too much?

But there was more to children's TV in the 70s and 80s than just cartoons though. The Double Deckers, Grange Hill, TISWAS, Tucker's Luck etc all often portrayed dodgy behaviour that I wouldn't like to see my own children repeat. But I don't recall any of that being repeated by my childhood peers. Play-fighting based on dross like The Masters of The Universe and TMNT, yes, but not the live-action stuff.

I think that CBBC is great. I haven't noticed them acting worse since watching TB but there are loads of great programmes that DS absolutely loves like some nature programmes, something about deadly spieces, Sam and Marks TMI friday, horrible histories, newsround and Blue Peter. Have no issues with it and far prefer it to the Phineas and Ferb and Horrid Henry .

For my DC, its not so much the programme, more the length of time they watch. If they are stationery for more than an average programme, they then want to run amok. Which is great if the weather is good, as you can just throw them outside.

I tend not to put it on. If there's something in particular they want to see, fine. Often they prefer a DVD. They are both into the second Harry Potter at the moment, and although "bloody hell" is said a few times, I would much rather they emulate the behaviour of the main protagonists in it, even the baddies!, than those in TB or HH.

Deadly 60 is great.

So you'd much rather your DCs stole a car and went joy-riding in it (as in Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets) than them playing the odd prank and getting found out (as in Horrid Henry)?

Interesting

If it was a flying car, yes, and I'd want a go.

Good point in the length of time rather than actual shows... too much screen time sends kids loopy. Same if DD is on the computer.

Bring on spring and lighter nights so we can play outside after school! :)