Tv's in bedrooms and mobile phones

[DeepRoots]

Came on here to find out whether I need to think about a mobile phone for DS who is starting secondary. Did a search and found an interesting, old thread along similar lines about when children should do different things...make cups of tea, be left alone in the house etc.

I'm amazed - most people think children should be given a mobile phone from anything upwards of about 8 or 9 ish if it is an old one. But tv's in bedrooms are the devil incarnate!

Why is this?

I found that as soon as the tv in the bedroom arrived the xbox followed.

That was the day my children became grumpy lodgers.

I don't know but my teen DSes don't have TVs in bedrooms, and they aren't allowed their phones at night in their bedrooms on school nights. Other than that we're fairly relaxed about computer time, TV time, ps3 time etc

It's a MN thing imo. Every child I know has a TV in their bedroom.

valium

Ds had his x box in his too but had to ask to play on it and Telly isn't hooked up.

I like it as in the holidays all his mates are up they're out of the way.

Phone is to be left downstairs and not to be in room after lights out.

My kids have dvd players in their rooms. Not connected to tv.

At the weekends, they are allowed to watch a dvd whilst curled up in bed.

And, shock horror, my 6 yr old has a mobile phone. Her dad and I are seperated, and he bought it her so he can call her/text her.

I struggle to get worked up over these things.

My children all have televisions in this bedrooms, bar the youngest . My house is filled with televisions , yet another reason to consider me very common.

my Ds has had a tv in his room since the age of about 7. He rarely watches it.

He is however glued to his laptop.

Mobile phones - I got him a payg when he went into year 7 - as the journey to school was on a public bus - and I wanted him to be able to contact me if he had trouble getting to/from school.

We have a tv in every room in the house (except our bedroom), but it means nothing as you can watch most things via the internet anyway - and the DC have their own laptops.

It has never bothered me.

Just to add we must be very common too. Both children have tv's and cable boxes. We block channels we don't want them watching.

Anyway, sorry i posted then had to run work+end of term equalled=no time for mumsnet!

Those with children who have mobiles, do you big problems with bullying texts etc? I am really concerned about the poeple to whom DS might give the number.

My DCs haven't asked for either yet, but the rule I want to stick to is mobiles when they start secondary, and a tv in their room when they can buy one for themselves.

Both DCs (11 and 10) have mobiles but mainly as tracking devices when they go out to play just about to introduce TVs into both bedrooms but have discovered that they enjoy watching DVDs on them but don't like watching tv on their own and come downstairs after about 5 minutes