What age do u all think is an ok age to let child have tv in their room?!?

[mindermummy]

My son is 8 and been begging for years to have a tv in his room as all his friends have for years.

I was adamant not to let him as long as I could, but now I'm starting to sway, maybe I should let him now.
Just wondered what sort of ages others let their kids have them. Thanks

How can you expect a family to all share the same taste in TV though?

We don't all have the same taste, but it's about give and take - if someone has something that they particularly want to watch, then the others accommodate that. Having said that, none of us watch that much TV anyway, and I like it that way.

im quite surprised by all the anti TV here, surely in moderation its not a bad thing.
my ds 11 has his own telly and watches food network religiously on it. it goes off by 9pm.
he never puts it back on.
why would i stop him doing that?
it doesn't stop him doing lots of sport or completing homework

How can you expect a family to all share the same taste in TV though?

You can't BUT family life is all about compromise and negotiation.

I am not getting the sleeping thing. It doesn't affect their sleep at all.

Research shows that what you watch just prior to sleep does affect the quality of sleep. Plus as they get older they are very tempted to watch TV late at night depriving them of the essential sleep growing teenagers need (as much as a toddler)

Whenever you want to op. it has sweet fuck all do with anybody else.

When they leave home?

We have a big TV in the loft bedroom and one in our room where they can watch their favourite programmes if we don't want to see them, and DD watches iplayer etc on the laptop, but no TV's in her room ATM! They are 13 and 11

You need to watch Food network as a family ihate.

Mine had tv's in their rooms from age four . No issues sleeping, ever. At age 9 and 6 respectively they've never watched a programme that wasn't on a kids channel (except some rail travel programmes and nature programmes for ds) and dd's is only used for DVDs anyway. Ds plays the playstation on his and watched the Indiana Jones movies in the last couple of weeks. I would say he probably watches 2 hours a week, if that, some weeks none. They don't turn them on without asking. Works well for us.

When they've left home

My DC are 16 and 13, they don't have TVs in their rooms. We do however keep one in our room that gets moved to their room if they are having someone for a sleep over and want to watch DVDs or if they are ill and are spending more time in bed than usual.

WOuldn't go there. We have a second TV so they can watch what they want. Hardly ever used. Mine will not be having one ever! Impact in sleep, reading, etc

All of this is very well when they are young and you have control but when they are 15 and watching inappropriate/too much TV/DVDs it is very difficult to remove the TV.

Another with no TVs in rooms and my kids are 17, 17 and 14.

To those with 8, 9 etc year olds with TVs in bedrooms and no problems, I
can't see that situation staying the same in the teenage years. Best to avoid the problem now, one less thing to have to deal with in the future.

member Cross posts!

There is always control. TVs have to be plugged in, and can therefore be unplugged and removed.

I have only done it a couple of times though.

My DD is 8 and has one of those old fashioned tvs with a video attached. She watches a video on a Friday night and sometimes on the weekend. That's it....never in the week unless it's a school holiday. Also, I can get videos for pennies in charity shops.

She has DVDs but they are for her mini dvd thing and that's in the sitting room.

For god sake, I can't believe the 'never have tv in the bedroom' , OP when you feel it's ok is the right time. My son is 11 he has tv, Xbox and laptop in his bedroom.. Someone call social services, this is obviously child neglect .

Agree sparklingbrook.

Never. I know my dd would watch it all the time. We limit tv quite strictly as she turns into a monosyllabic monster when she's watching it.

I didnt have one till I was 16 and dd wont either.

when they are a grown up.

Another vote for never, get a good range of books instead !!!!

How about a good range of books and a TV? It's possible to have both.

If those of you who have loads of stuff such as TVs and games consoles in your kids rooms can also say that your children read lots, then it would be OK. If your kids don't read, then IMHO it is not OK. Reading has been proved to have a huge impact on children's attainment, don't think that TVs or games consoles do!