At what age did you let your kids watch primetime TV unrestricted?

[Tap]

Dd13 asked if she could watch "How I Met Your Mother" the other day. I told her that I did really want her watching it, but I wouldn't stop her if she did. I gave my main reason as~~ The show doesn't just have sex/inappropriate behavior in some scenes, that is pretty much what it is about.

 

She was looking for a new series on Netflix to start.

 

We then were chatting about what shows her friends are watching, and it seemed pretty on par with others her age to watch Prime Time shows. That got me wondering what average age is it typical for kids to pretty much be given a free pass on typical Prime Time, Network TV shows? (I am not talking about R rated shows on HBO etc).

 

Instead she started watching The Andy Griffith Show and called her brother in to the room because she was laughing so much. :D She loves the old B&W shows, so hopefully she will put off the Prime Time Garbage for a while longer.

 

You can vote for multiple answers, since I know it will be different for different kids.

Edited May 15, 2012 by Tap, tap, tap

[TranquilMind]

Dd13 asked if she could watch "How I Met Your Mother" the other day. I told her that I did really want her watching it, but I wouldn't stop her if she did. I gave my main reason as~~ The show doesn't just have sex/inappropriate behavior in some scenes, that is pretty much what it is about.

 

She was looking for a new series on Netflix to start.

 

We then were chatting about what shows her friends are watching, and it seemed pretty on par with others her age to watch Prime Time shows. That got me wondering what average age is it typical for kids to pretty much be given a free pass on typical Prime Time, Network TV shows? (I am not talking about R rated shows on HBO etc).

 

Instead she started watching The Andy Griffith Show and called her brother in to the room because she was laughing so much. :D She loves the old B&W shows, so hopefully she will put off the Prime Time Garbage for a while longer.

 

You can vote for multiple answers, since I know it will be different for different kids.

Never. I don't even watch prime time tv "unrestricted" myself. Much of it is too offensive.

 

So...if it violates our values...off it goes, if I'm around as long as they are on my watch.

 

I voted that I love The Andy Griffith Show. Tell your daughter to watch Gomer Pyle (esp the first season) or Full House. Still hilarious after all these years.

[AimeeM]

I don't think Primetime is garbage, so my opinion may be different than the majority on the board. Lol. We enjoy our sitcoms and series.

 

To answer your question, both children (ages 3 and 10) have pretty much unrestricted access to television (cable)... with a few exceptions. We do not allow Two and a Half Men for the 10 year old. We do, however, allow most other shows; our 10 year old daughter's favorites are Criminal Minds and Bones. Our 3 year old son is a fan of Umizoomi. Both have televisions (with cable) in their bedrooms.

[nukeswife]

My 10 and almost 13 year olds have free range when it comes to prime time TV, there isn't much they want to watch anyway.

 

They love The Big Bang Theory and my dd watches Bones and all the CSIs with me.

 

My almost 7 year old wanders in from time to time, but only really likes The Big Bang Theory.

[Karen in CO]

We don't have tv, so I'm not sure I can answer. We already made a bigger decision that tv was a waste of our time and resources.

[Lady Florida.]

Around 13, almost 14. He's 14-1/2 and I don't restrict his tv viewing anymore. We do however, have discussions about shows that I think need discussion. So - unrestricted? Yes. Unaware of what he's watching? No.

 

Oh, and he started watching The Big Bang Theory with us this past year. At first he was a bit too embarrassed to laugh at some things while his dad and I were in the room, but now he's comfortable with it.

[KristinaBreece]

I don't think Primetime is garbage, so my opinion may be different than the majority on the board. Lol. We enjoy our sitcoms and series.

 

To answer your question, both children (ages 3 and 10) have pretty much unrestricted access to television (cable)... with a few exceptions. We do not allow Two and a Half Men for the 10 year old. We do, however, allow most other shows; our 10 year old daughter's favorites are Criminal Minds and Bones. Our 3 year old son is a fan of Umizoomi. Both have televisions (with cable) in their bedrooms.

 

I'm with you. And my DS loves Bones!

[J-rap]

Never. Not until they are 18 and have moved out. However, by the time they are 18 and out of the house, they are not interested in it themselves. We get only one channel at our house and it's public television, so it's not an option anyway.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

Well, I have let my boys watch How I Met Your Mother and Big Bang Theory. In my mind, the sexual stuff is less offensive than the violence of other TV shows. Most of the innuendo goes over their heads, but I have had to answer quite a few questions about sex already. I'm more laid back about that stuff, though. If they were going to public school, I'm sure they'd already know more about sex than I do, based on what I've heard my 2nd grade Cub Scouts talking about.

 

I'd rather have them watch shows that are maybe a little too mature for them than have them watch the Disney channel or Nickelodeon shows where the kids are such obnoxious, back-talking, ungrateful spoiled brats. Those shows drive me nuts.

[nukeswife]

I don't think Primetime is garbage, so my opinion may be different than the majority on the board. Lol. We enjoy our sitcoms and series.

 

To answer your question, both children (ages 3 and 10) have pretty much unrestricted access to television (cable)... with a few exceptions. We do not allow Two and a Half Men for the 10 year old. We do, however, allow most other shows; our 10 year old daughter's favorites are Criminal Minds and Bones. Our 3 year old son is a fan of Umizoomi. Both have televisions (with cable) in their bedrooms.

 

Your house sounds a lot like mine. My kids all have Tvs in their rooms with satellite boxes. I love Criminal Minds, my daughter watches with my from time to time (she's my 10 year old) but some of them she says are too creepy. To which I agree. I just started watching it because when it first came out the pilot just gave me the willies. Now we own the first 6 seasons on DVD.

[Annie]

I voted for Andy. It's my favorite show of all time. :D

[DawnM]

I haven't really had to face this because my older two kids don't like TV. They much prefer gaming on the computer or on their 3ds consoles.

 

My 8 year old watches Netflix/Roku only and isn't interested in prime time shows. He does like TV more than the other two do though.

 

Dawn

[elfinbaby]

My kiddies are 4, 8, 10, 14. I don't know if I'll ever give them unrestricted access to the tv. We don't have cable. We mainly watch Netflix and that's easy to monitor. We've lightened up on the 14 yr. old but he's still not allowed to watch anything he wants.

[MamaT]

I would say sometime between 14-16 they begin to self-monitor what they watch. If it doesn't line up with what our family deems appropriate, they turn the channel or turn it off - even my 18 year old. They choose not to watch themselves. There is only one Primetime show that I can think of that we regularly watch, and that is Touch. We usually watch Netflix or a DVD when we watch TV.

[*********]

We don't have tv, so I'm not sure I can answer. We already made a bigger decision that tv was a waste of our time and resources.

 

This is us. Well, we do have a tv, but it's to play blues clues, curious george, and winnie the pooh dvd's.

 

I can't imagine ever letting a child watch primetime tv, so I can't really vote.

[TranquilMind]

To answer your question, both children (ages 3 and 10) have pretty much unrestricted access to television (cable)... with a few exceptions. We do not allow Two and a Half Men for the 10 year old. We do, however, allow most other shows; our 10 year old daughter's favorites are Criminal Minds and Bones. Our 3 year old son is a fan of Umizoomi. Both have televisions (with cable) in their bedrooms.

 

Wow...really? :confused: I can't imagine this.

 

Unrestricted private televisions in their room and you aren't concerned with what might be going in those little minds? The unbelievably graphic bedroom scenes? The horror movie previews on commercials during other shows? Heads exploding in movies? News reports about the latest dude who killed and dismembered some child (right now in our news)?

 

Some things just should not ever be viewed, especially by children.

[ocelotmom]

When they're old enough to be left home alone/babysit during primetime :) So around 12-14.

 

(Though we don't have a TV, and don't really anticipate getting one, so this is purely hypothetical)

[Riverland]

Dd13 asked if she could watch "How I Met Your Mother" the other day.

 

 

I really want to like that show, but it focuses way too much on inappropriate situations. If a show glorifies behavior that I don't want my kids emulating, then I don't let them watch it. They know these shows exist, but they also know why I don't approve. Unfortunately, there is a lot of trash in primetime....even the commercials.

[KristinaBreece]

Wow...really? :confused: I can't imagine this.

 

Unrestricted private televisions in their room and you aren't concerned with what might be going in those little minds? The unbelievably graphic bedroom scenes? The horror movie previews on commercials during other shows? Heads exploding in movies? News reports about the latest dude who killed and dismembered some child (right now in our news)?

 

Some things just should not ever be viewed, especially by children.

 

My kids have a cable tv/dvd player in their bedroom. If they choose to watch television in their room, they pretty much choose to watch Sprout. Or sometimes Phineas & Ferb. Otherwise, they have a nice little DVD collection to choose from. Of course, they spend the vast majority of their time outside until it gets dark... So. Yeah.

[Spy Car]

Call me old-fashioned but I can't stand the pervasive sexual innuendo (and worse) that has taken over prime-time television. This stuff has crowded out imagination and humor and replaced it with a cess-pool.

 

The TV is off at our house.

 

Bill

[Julie Smith]

Not yet.

 

My kids use to refer to pretty much all tv shows that aren't directly made for kids as "Adult movies".

 

Once I went up to my room during the day to watch the latest "Bones" episode on my iPad.

 

My neighbour and friend was outside and my kids told her, "Mommy is upstairs in her room watching a adult movie so we are suppose to leave her alone." :glare:

 

My kids have watched pieces of "Big Bang Theory", as in the scene about "Rock, paper, ... Lizard, Spock" several times.

[Soror]

We are sure not there yet. I don't find most prime time tv good for myself, let alone developing kids. Way too much sexual innuendos, cursing and behavior that I certainly don't want my children to think is entertaining or laudable. As it is we don't have cable or network tv but netflix streaming and we have no plans to change that, if anything I only see our tv access becoming more restricted.

[LucyStoner]

I have not had to consider this too much as my older child is very sensitive to media (he has autism and the tension points of many movies are too much for him.) He will be 9 in June. If he is watching something on Netflix (we get no TV reception/have no cable) it is quite likely to be something for younger kids like Curious George that his 3 year old brother watches. Or it is a nature, science or history show.

 

This actually concerns me because I would like, if he is watching shows, to watch some things that shows kids his age or a little older relating to each other and having fun rather than watch things meant for toddlers. We have thus encouraged him to watch movies like Beezus and Ramona, Judy Moody, Wimpy Kid movies. It is hard to find movies for the 9-12 set that are not mainly on older teen relationships. (If you have ideas, please LMK!)

 

I fall between the open access and the NEVER camps. I am not thrilled with the sorts of crappy TV that is put out there but there are some interesting shows for adults and I think teenagers are transitioning to adulthood. For me, never can be risky, especially if an older kid wants to. My parents heavily limited TV shows until I was about 12. But I recall at 12 and 13 watching some pretty serious programs with them. Watching things together gave us the time to talk with them about it and for them to guide us a bit more. It also meant that when I did move out at 17, I was not all gung ho on going and checking out endless TV. I did not have any TV until I was 21 and my roommate (now husband) had a 13 inch vcr tv combo. TO this day, we only have 1 TV and the only time we ever had cable was when my mom was living with us when she was dying and not very mobile. I guess I reached this conclusion because I know a lot of kids from the same religious background as me who went off the deep end in college watching too much tv to even get their studies done. It's like the sugar free kid who can't stop eating Lucky Charms as a young adult. And while the news is not kid appropriate, older teens and young adults need to be able to know how to deal with such stories without it causing severe emotional distress. I don't watch TV news but I do read the paper and listen to the radio.

 

I also don't think that shows like HIMYM are all about sex. There is a lot of humor and tenderness in there.

Edited May 15, 2012 by kijipt

[LaxMom]

I really want to like that show, but it focuses way too much on inappropriate situations. If a show glorifies behavior that I don't want my kids emulating, then I don't let them watch it. They know these shows exist, but they also know why I don't approve. Unfortunately, there is a lot of trash in primetime....even the commercials.

This.

...

 

I'd rather have them watch shows that are maybe a little too mature for them than have them watch the Disney channel or Nickelodeon shows where the kids are such obnoxious, back-talking, ungrateful spoiled brats. Those shows drive me nuts.

 

And especially this. I'm fine with the idea that there are simply shows that have adult viewers in mind. But the shows being made for kids? Completely obnoxious.

 

Luckily, we got rid of cable a few years ago, so their channel selections are limited. They still don't have unfettered access to the tv, though, because their behavior suffers when they have too much passive, brain sucking time. They have freer range on Netflix, when they're allowed to watch. They pick things like the Addams Family, The Munsters, Dennis the Menace, etc.

[Trish]

Mine are 10 and 12 and their access is very limited by us. Mainly because I think the standard fare on network TV is way over the top of what I remember growing up. (So at this point the most they've been exposed to is objectionable commercials for those shows.) We have cable but they are restricted to the kids' stations, or other channels if we watch it with them. Obviously there's even more on cable that's inappropriate.

 

I don't know to what degree this will change as we head into the teen years, but I've been working on choosing what's decent out there for them to watch (they like the comedy series "Good Luck Charlie" on the Disney Channel, and "Ant Farm" on the same channel.

 

Also there are a lot of old shows to watch from Netflix or Amazon.

 

Also if your kids like Andy Griffith, by all means have them watch that. I think the Big Bang Theory is funny but there's no way I'd let my kids watch that.

[Farrar]

I think it depends a little on the kid, but I also know that there comes an age where I want my kids to be able to be exposed to everything out there in the world while they're still under my roof and we're able to talk frankly about it and so forth. I'd much rather not get into a head to head battle about TV with a 13 or 14 yo. It's just stories. As long as we can talk about it, then it's not worth the battle, even if some of it is sleazy. I might hesitate a little, even at that age, for some of the things on HBO... but even then, the same general principle applies for me.

 

But gosh, Andy Griffith sure was good. :)

[TranquilMind]

My kids have a cable tv/dvd player in their bedroom. If they choose to watch television in their room, they pretty much choose to watch Sprout. Or sometimes Phineas & Ferb. Otherwise, they have a nice little DVD collection to choose from. Of course, they spend the vast majority of their time outside until it gets dark... So. Yeah.

 

Well, sure...now. I would have said exactly the same thing when I had very small children.

 

I have teens. They often choose to watch Spongebob and other silly shows. But the lure is strong to watch anything "forbidden" in all kids and even in some adults (hence the constant threads about internet porn and women going on about their husbands being unable to control themselves, etc).

 

Do you really think kids are stronger than the struggling adults? You are overestimating your children if you think they will never, ever choose to see anything awful that will lead to nightmares or worse. They won't even know why they did it but they will do it if there are no restrictions at some point.

[rwjx2khsmj]

We don't have tv, so I'm not sure I can answer. We already made a bigger decision that tv was a waste of our time and resources.

 

I wish I could get DH on board with this. I'd love to be t.v. free. Although I do like a movie every now and again. If I could just totally give up our satellite, I'd be so pleased.

 

I voted for Andy Griffith because I do veto 3/4 of what's on t.v. We are selective in our viewing even for dd15 and dd13. I don't see that ever changing.

[TranquilMind]

I think the Big Bang Theory is funny but there's no way I'd let my kids watch that.

 

No kidding. Not appropriate fare for children (or me, 75% of the time).

[LucyStoner]

Well, sure...now. I would have said exactly the same thing when I had very small children.

 

I have teens. They often choose to watch Spongebob and other silly shows.

 

It is all a matter of taste because to me, SpongeBob is truly a terrible, inappropriate show but I would quite likely be ok with the Big Bang Theory for a 10+ year old.

[catz]

My kids don't watch any prime time TV. That said, both my kids have seen movies with adult supervision that many people wouldn't allow at their current ages. My oldest especially has always a very adult sense of humor and a very solid sense of fantasy and reality and it has led us down a road we wouldn't have expected but has been totally fine for him.

 

I totally agree Prime Time = garbage generally. If there is a series we are dying to see, we wait for it to come out online or on DVD. (ETA - we don't have cable or Netflix)

Edited May 15, 2012 by kck

[Joker]

My 9 and 12 yr olds watch primetime television, but only on Hulu or Netflix. They think Community and The Office are hilarious, but like to skip some parts that make them uncomfortable. They like Andy Griffith, Leave it to Beaver, and I Love Lucy just as much. :D

[laundrycrisis]

Well, I have let my boys watch How I Met Your Mother and Big Bang Theory. In my mind, the sexual stuff is less offensive than the violence of other TV shows. Most of the innuendo goes over their heads, but I have had to answer quite a few questions about sex already. I'm more laid back about that stuff, though. If they were going to public school, I'm sure they'd already know more about sex than I do, based on what I've heard my 2nd grade Cub Scouts talking about.

 

I'd rather have them watch shows that are maybe a little too mature for them than have them watch the Disney channel or Nickelodeon shows where the kids are such obnoxious, back-talking, ungrateful spoiled brats. Those shows drive me nuts.

 

:iagree: I don't have much I need to type, because the work has been done for me :D

[JessReplanted]

My kids haven't gotten there yet, but we don't have cable and I don't think we'll ever get it again.

 

We do have netflix streaming, and we like to get movies from Redbox.

 

My 9 year old just went to see The Avengers with my husband, and that was a really big deal since it's PG13.

 

So, I expect that we will be constantly deciding upon which movies are appropriate, but I hope to avoid prime time TV. We'll see..

 

ETA: We also only have one TV in our house. And, as are kids get older we allow them to have 'extra reading time' at night, but not TV time.

[tntgoodwin]

HIMYM seems to be on the same level as a PG or PG-13 movie to me, so probably 13ish sounds right.

[AimeeM]

Wow...really? :confused: I can't imagine this.

 

Unrestricted private televisions in their room and you aren't concerned with what might be going in those little minds? The unbelievably graphic bedroom scenes? The horror movie previews on commercials during other shows? Heads exploding in movies? News reports about the latest dude who killed and dismembered some child (right now in our news)?

 

Some things just should not ever be viewed, especially by children.

It works well for us. I'm glad you have found something that works well for you and yours :)

[higginszoo]

My oldest is almost 14, and we aren't there yet with the Primetime stuff. Thankfully, his interests are generally limited to Wipeout as far as evening TV (and he is gone more evenings than not).

My almost 13 year old is home more in the evenings, and does like The Voice or Dancing With the Stars, so if she's home alone (or with just me), she might turn those on, and I don't have a problem with them. I like Glee, and sometimes she'll watch that with me (she's on the young end of the range for that -- in what I'd call a yellow zone, but for her, it's ok).

 

We don't have cable or satellite, so our selections are somewhat limited.

[AimeeM]

My kids have a cable tv/dvd player in their bedroom. If they choose to watch television in their room, they pretty much choose to watch Sprout. Or sometimes Phineas & Ferb. Otherwise, they have a nice little DVD collection to choose from. Of course, they spend the vast majority of their time outside until it gets dark... So. Yeah.

Agreed. Just because my children have access to it, doesn't mean they spend their days staring at it. We live in a wonderful subdivision; which means that our eldest spends most of her free time playing up and down the street (again - unrestricted largely) with friends, riding her bike, playing in neighbors homes/yards, etc.

Our 3 year old plays outside in the front yard for hours every day.

[Soror]

Well, I have let my boys watch How I Met Your Mother and Big Bang Theory. In my mind, the sexual stuff is less offensive than the violence of other TV shows. Most of the innuendo goes over their heads, but I have had to answer quite a few questions about sex already. I'm more laid back about that stuff, though. If they were going to public school, I'm sure they'd already know more about sex than I do, based on what I've heard my 2nd grade Cub Scouts talking about.

 

I'd rather have them watch shows that are maybe a little too mature for them than have them watch the Disney channel or Nickelodeon shows where the kids are such obnoxious, back-talking, ungrateful spoiled brats. Those shows drive me nuts.

 

thankfully those aren't the only choices though.

 

Dh and I are Den Leaders for Cubscouts and their big areas of interest are cars and games and such. I've never heard anything remotely related to sex from any of them and dh and I are right in there with them. They all still think girls are very gross.

[6packofun]

I agree. But we don't just watch Andy Griffith. LOL ;) We try to be a self-censoring kinda family in regards to all media. No one likes the word "censor", I'm sure, but hey, every time someone ticks me off and I don't swear at them I consider it to be self-censoring. See? It's good! :D

[Janie Grace]

We don't have tv, so I'm not sure I can answer. We already made a bigger decision that tv was a waste of our time and resources.

 

:iagree: This is us, too. I'm as easily drawn in as the next person, but it was never something I was glad I gave my time to. No TV here, for that and other reasons.

[tristangrace]

I didn't answer the poll, because I don't know the answer yet. As far as my kids know, our TV only has the PBS channel. They each get one hour of "screens" per day, and they'd generally rather play computer games than watch TV. So, not much interest (from them) in expanding their TV repertoire. In some sense, they are already choosing whatever they want from what is offered . . . we're just not offering much.

[sparrow]

I voted about 12-14. My son isn't a big TV watcher to begin with, but he LOVES Community. Big Bang Theory has been iffy for us. It seems to focus on sex and relationships more often than Community and that is boring to ds, so he just kind of walks off. Dd also digs Community, but is still mostly into cartoons and Mythbusters.

 

My husband and I have had many discussions about how restrictive we are compared to our parents. I had a b&w TV in my room by the time I was 7 or 8. This was the seventies. I loved the Saturday night double feature of Love Boat and Fantasy Island :D. I remember everybody talking about who shot JR, on Dallas, when I was in 5th grade. Dallas came on at 10pm Fridays, so *everybody* watched it. I lived rurally, so we didn't get cable for years, but dh had Showtime access by the time he was 10 or 11. I can't imagine giving my kids the same freedom!

[Joker]

My husband and I have had many discussions about how restrictive we are compared to our parents. I had a b&w TV in my room by the time I was 7 or 8. This was the seventies. I loved the Saturday night double feature of Love Boat and Fantasy Island :D. I remember everybody talking about who shot JR, on Dallas, when I was in 5th grade. Dallas came on at 10pm Fridays, so *everybody* watched it. I lived rurally, so we didn't get cable for years, but dh had Showtime access by the time he was 10 or 11. I can't imagine giving my kids the same freedom!

 

:lol: This was me as well, but you have to add in Falcon Crest, Dynasty, and Knots Landing. (and I usually watched them with my grandma :tongue_smilie:)

[magnificent_baby]

I voted 16-18. I loathe prime time TV. Commercials are just as bad, if not worse, than the shows themselves.

 

If I didn't live in an area with a lot of storms, I would never, ever pay for cable.

 

We do have Netflix and are fairly strict with that. I also will watch more mature movies with my 8 y/o, with discussions if needed. The other day we snuggled up and watched Sweet Home Alabama.

 

I miss the days of Full House, Step by Step, Growing Pains, etc. Sigh.....

[TravelingChris]

I put 12-14 because that is around the age. But they all watched some shows with more mature ratings earlier= like Cops. We also wanted to drum into their heads how bad crime was and how drugs make you into losers. With the two oldest anyway, it has definitely worked. We still have a little while yet to make sure those lessons took on the third child since she is still not an adult.

[TravelingChris]

I posted and replied before I read other's answers. I actually agree a lot with SpyCar. We don't hardly watch any prime time on network channels and neither do the kids. The girls sometimes watch the dancing shows or American Idol. We watch Cops. Otherwise, we are almost exclusively cable watchers of things like Animals in India or Mythbusters or news shows or other specialty shows like Ice Truckers or something like that. We don't watch the serial shows on network tv at all. We watch British mysteries.

[Mamachick2]

Never. Primetime TV isn't family friendly. I love DWTS and quit watching it when my then 7yo said, "Wow, Mom, they don't wear many clothes." Out of the mouths of babes.

 

I actually banned Nickelodeon and Disney too. Too many smart alack kids sneaking out of windows with no intelligent adults in the shows.

[TheApprentice]

Mine don't watch primetime tv, but mostly because they have no interest. I don't watch much tv at all and dh usually watches something sports related.

[Joanne]

Teen