How do you feel about TV's in your kids' rooms?

[Crimson Wife]

There has been extensive research on the negative effects of allowing children to have a television in their own bedroom. A good discussion can be found here.

[jujsky]

My brother and I both had our own color TVs in our rooms growing up, but I won't let my kids have TVs in their rooms. I used to turn it on at night when my mom thought I was asleep and watch it. It's too easy to abuse it. We have a TV in our room, one in the living room, and one in the basement. If they want to watch different things, they very easily can (and have).

[Pamela H in Texas]

I think it really makes a difference as to your own experiences and how big a deal one makes it.

 

I think that CAN be the case. I don't remember when my siblings and I got tvs in our room. I don't remember it being a big deal. My brother had a Nintendo also. Again, no big deal.

 

I just don't agree with the practice. I also see a LOT of issues in families (and research available online and that has been linked here before also shows lots of issues with it). It just wasn't a chance I was willing to take.

 

However, for my kids, it's no more of a big deal to not have them than it was for me to have it. Ideally, that is how it should be. Regardless, it shouldn't be a big deal. But that isn't what I see IRL. IRL and according to many links, screens are a HUGE issues and an even bigger problem when they are in bedrooms.

 

But I still think each family can and should decide for themselves. And hopefully parents will act like parents and do something about it if they have an issue. And if not, I don't think people should worry about it or what others might think :)

[Jean in Newcastle]

I see absolutely no reason for tvs in the bedrooms including ours.

[jenL]

We have a small TV in our bedroom, but it is so rarely used that I've thought of getting rid of it as it only collects dust and takes up space.

 

NO TVs or computers will be in our kids' rooms. We just don't believe in it.

[Desert Rat]

No TVs in my boys' bedrooms. We won't allow computers with internet in our kids' rooms either. Too much out there to get into. We will be moving our computer into our family room eventually because it's in a closed off den and I don't want my teenagers to have that much privacy with the internet.

[LibraryLover]

All I am going to say is that we have one main TV. In the basement. Which is not your fancy finished basement. We have no TV on the main floor. Oh, I do have a tiny one in my bedroom, but ok. lol

 

So no, no TVs in the kids' bedrooms, although we often watch movies in my bed. We gotta squint, really....

 

Sometimes I want one of those giant screens....I am getting older...lol Me want pixels. :grunt:

[Wheres Toto]

My kids have tv's in their rooms and my teenager has a laptop.

 

For my oldest, she went through a very hard time when I divorced her dad and wound up with joint (week on/week off) custody. The only way she would sleep in her own room was falling asleep with the tv on and when I remarried when she was 10 it became necessary for her to sleep in her own room (not appropriate for her to sleep with me and her stepdad). Her tv does have satellite but with anything rated Mature or R blocked. Her laptop/internet is also restricted and I frequently check and make sure she hasn't figured out how to bypass things. She goes to public school all day and has dance 4 evenings a week plus Saturdays so doesn't spend a lot of time in her room anyway. She loves to read and gets good grades so I don't worry too much about the television.

 

My youngest two also have a tv in their room but we don't have a family room, basement, den or any "bonus" rooms in our house. The farthest point in their bedroom is only 10 feet away from DH and I sitting on the couch and their bedroom door is always open. They mostly watch dvd's and mostly after dinner when we're all settling down getting ready for bed ("quiet time").

 

I know when I was growing up I spent all my time alone in my room with a book. We didn't have any television at all until I was in my teens but that didn't stop me from spending time away from my family.

 

Every family has its own set of needs and circumstances and we make our decisions based on what works for us as individuals.

[MariannNOVA]

Strong NO. And I grew up with one in my room. Not going to happen for our kids.

 

Me too! I was given a tv as a gift when I was 11 and it was in my room. WORST thing my parents ever did.

[tricia]

Wouldn't my kids feel lucky if I gave them a tv in their room. We don't have one in our house except on to watch a dvd on at times. I mean, we don't have a tv that has outside connections to cable or antenna.

[Peela]

Never...until now. We just moved dds14 into the downstairs den...and it has a TV and his gaming computer there. Its a compromise.....and its been a couple of weeks and I dont think he has turned the TV on yet (we have one in the family/schoolroom which he watches). He does do gaming but he has to turn it off by 9pm and so far, he does.

I'm not sure I would have allowed it earlier though.

In fact, come to think of it, dh and Iwere clear before now that we didn't think it was a good idea- ds wanted to move downthere for the last year or two. Then suddenly, it seems like a good idea. I am not sure what changed...we just felt it was time. (Having a private adult wing of the house may have been a contributing factor :) )

Weve set a lot of boundaries around TV/computers over the years. Finding a balance for your family is important, and it can change over time. There are some programs the kids and I enjoy to watch together- I am not sure I would be happy if ds withdrew to his room to watch those same programs alone- but, he hasnt so it not an issue.

[laurad1125]

No tvs/computers in the kids rooms. We do have a 12 inch tv/dvd player that a child can bring to their room for special occasions. Example, when my dd has sleepovers, we will let her bring it to her room to watch a movie with her friends.

.

 

 

What an excellent idea!

[Tree House Academy]

My 10.5 year old has always had a TV in his room. However, he has never had cable in his room (nor will he). He has a VCR, DVD player, play station and Wii hooked to his TV, but he does not play these things whenever he wants. He has to earn "tickets" via chores throughout the day and "pay" for the privileges with those (he can earn a total of 2 hours a day).

 

My younger son does not have a TV in his room. Cable is something the kids have to watch in our presence...not alone in their rooms with the doors shut. Of course, watching TV is also a "ticketed" thing in our house and they are very limited on time spent doing such. I feel like putting cable in the rooms would take so much control out of my hands with regard to time limits, etc. My older ds has been known to "sneak" things he is punished from...TV would be no different, I imagine.

 

ETA: My kids do have computers in their rooms - but no online access. LOL

Edited April 7, 2010 by Tree House Academy

[Tree House Academy]

Gosh...I was really surprised to see so many people with only one TV in the house. We have way too many TVs. 4 at my last count, 3 with cable. We did the no cable thing for a year. I was never so thankful to have something mindless back in all my life. LOL It really helps when dh has to travel too. I like the noise.

[eternalknot]

What are the rules concerning TV in your childrens' rooms in your home?

 

It's not yet come up, but I'm assuming I'll handle it the same way my own parents did. And that very closely mirrors what YOUR parents did :).

 

In our home, though, the standard rule was this: bedrooms are for sleeping. We had a large family, though, so truly there were several of us per bedroom and it was pretty much all beds, clothing, and maybe a shared desk. Everything else was in a common area room - tv, games, etc.

 

I have far fewer children than my parents did, but I like that rule and our current arrangment reflects that. The kids and I share a bedroom, and it's exclusively for sleeping. Our toys, techno-toys, tvs, games and whatnot are all in designated common areas.

 

My best friend as a kid always had a tv in her room, and her children (same ages as my own) do now. They hardly use the ones in their rooms, usually just if friends are over. She, on the other hand, rarely left her room because she preferred to watch her tv. Different personalities, I suspect; no right or wrong way to handle it.

[phathui5]

No TVs in bedrooms here. Our only TV is in the living room. I think that it's too easy for kids to watch things that are inappropriate when there's a TV in the bedroom.