Screen time - limiting or banning TV

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Cranleigh
Posts: 261
Joined: Fri Nov 05, 2010 2:20 pm

Screen time - limiting or banning TV

Post by Cranleigh »

As a family we rarely watch TV. Our children believe that the TV only plays DVDs :)

I used to be fairly relaxed about TV. After I realised our children were watching too much rubbish and having too much screen time I seriously limited it.

My goodness what a change, our children seem to becoming more intelligent and articulate daily. I am truly amazed by the extraordinary difference not watching the TV seems to have made. They play more, read more etc. Apparently they now watch TV in 'their heads' and have their own 'screen' where ideas unfold.

I do worry it may make them a bit out of the loop at school with peers in time. They listen to music a lot and are into the pop scene etc but have no idea really about X factor etc or any popular TV shows.

Has anyone else done similar and how did it work out in the longer term? Thanks.
Pushy Dad
Posts: 302
Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2011 5:12 pm

Re: Screen time - limiting or banning TV

Post by Pushy Dad »

We cancelled Sky in Sept, shortly after kids started Year 7. After a few days of withdrawal symptoms, the kids never looked back. Without hours of recorded programs to fall back on they started playing board games, reading and other pre-Sky activities. Recently DS taught himself to use Flash to create an animation film.

I wouldnt go so far as to ban TV but we do limit them to 30min max during a school day. Having said that, the tv often doesnt come on until the weekend.
aargh
Posts: 406
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2011 7:00 pm

Re: Screen time - limiting or banning TV

Post by aargh »

I didn't have to ban anything because we started out by not suggesting TV as an option.

Given the choice my DCs only watch when DH and I are watching things like David Attenborough or history and a couple of comedy programmes. The only "children's" programmes they go for are "sorry I've got no head" and "Horrible Histories" but most of the time they forget when they are on.
They like Miyazaki animation films rather than Disney (much to their Uncle's disappointment as he's a senior bod at Disney) and they make films with me because they have to come with me when I run filmmaking club after school.

Left to their own desires they have always preferred active play because they find it more fun to use their own imaginations rather than someone else's.
Right now they are downstairs with 2 friends playing a very convoluted game where they have taken the roles of some unpronounceable Aztec Gods vying for new worshipers.

They are more likely to criticise me because I watch more TV than anyone else in the family (mostly due to my need for rest due to chronic illness).
faitaccompli
Posts: 357
Joined: Mon Dec 05, 2011 6:44 pm

Re: Screen time - limiting or banning TV

Post by faitaccompli »

Interesting thal all of you have more than one child - therefore there is generally always someone to play with. Much harder in a single parent single child scenario living in a village where there are few children and none from his school. The television provides a form of entertainment and runs alongside puzzles, reading and lego building. Sport also takes up several evenings.

As a single parent working from home most of the time, if I did not watch TV I would not have much else to do - cannot go out, don't want to read all the time and actually ENJOY watching programmess such as QI and Mock the Week.

I think that a TV ban is somewhat unrealistic and there are plenty of good programmes on TV for children to watch - both for education AND for general enjoyment.

I feel as strongly about this as you guys probably do!

M view is each to their own - I don't think a little of what you fancy is a bad thing :D
lara228
Posts: 201
Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2011 11:23 am

Re: Screen time - limiting or banning TV

Post by lara228 »

I agree to a point with faitaaccompli - my DS is an only child and, therefore, misses out on a ready-made playmate, however, TV is very limited as there is so much else a 10 year needs to do, including sleep! During school time, TV is limited to one Simpsons episode after dinner, followed by bed at 7.30pm and reading until lights out. On weekends, to facilitate my lie-in, he's allowed to watch TV when he gets up but tends to choose documentaries about aliens/aircrashes/other natural disasters. We try to watch a film together at least once over the weekend and Sunday evening is Countryfile before bed. If he watched anymore TV there would be no time for music practice, homework, playing with the plethora of toys he has, reading, etc. There's no computer/DS playing during the week and maybe half-an-hour at weekends if everything else has been exhausted. I am always amazed at how late my DSs class mates go to bed and how much time they spend playing computer games and watching TV - I know I need my sleep and it seems that DS has inherited this trait from me.
aargh
Posts: 406
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2011 7:00 pm

Re: Screen time - limiting or banning TV

Post by aargh »

Hey faitaccompli, I do ENJOY my TV, and the DCs enjoy what they watch too. I'm just saying they don't attach much importance to it. DS tends to regard it as a source of information rather than entertainment (but he is an unusual fellow who even has to be persuaded when we go to the cinema :? ). DD likes dramas. They both watch QI (recorded!)

I grew up in a tiny village myself. I was allowed a couple of programmes after school. There was far less to choose from back in those distant days of course.
I was generally off in the forest (which was just behind the back garden) rampaging at all times of the day or night. Now I realise I must have worried my Mum by not always being found in my bed, but thought nothing of it at the time :roll:
When Mum went out, I went too. Fencing, country dancing, theatre, sitting with a book at the back of unfathomable village meetings.

I don't feel strongly about TV one way or the other, but did not think it a good idea to encourage it as a major occupier of time at the expense of other possibilities.

My weekend lie-ins are facilitated by the DCs ability to get their own breakfast and play quietly. If they are on the computer they turn the sound off ( and stick to the 40 minutes each rule)

I am shocked by some of the things my year 4 and 5 class stay up for. One of them fell asleep in Maths on Thursday because her parents have "film night" on Wednesday and she feels obliged to stay up til 10.30 pm for this family thing.
Thingsbehindthesun
Posts: 463
Joined: Wed Apr 13, 2011 11:25 pm

Re: Screen time - limiting or banning TV

Post by Thingsbehindthesun »

We try to limit what the girls are exposed to and for how long.Usually they aren't allowed to watch for more than an hour and even then it is only preselected shows, that don't have inappropriate themes.
;D
Daogroupie
Posts: 11099
Joined: Wed Mar 04, 2009 3:01 pm
Location: Herts

Re: Screen time - limiting or banning TV

Post by Daogroupie »

We don't have a TV, we just don't have time for it, too busy with sport, music and homework. I am a single parent so my dd's have never been part of conventional society so have never known anything different. We watch TV when we can at other people's houses, we enjoy X Factor when we see it and I like to watch the News. I am hoping there are going to be some giant screens around during the Olympics. We were at a friends house who had a fab swimming pool and sauna at the bottom of the garden. Everyone was having a lovely time but at Seven twenty five one girl went home to watch Eastenders. My dd's were just astonished that any TV prog would be worth missing pool and sauna for! DG
aargh
Posts: 406
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2011 7:00 pm

Re: Screen time - limiting or banning TV

Post by aargh »

Daogroupie wrote:I am a single parent so my dd's have never been part of conventional society
Single parents are certainly part of conventional society these days. Whether you choose to have a conventional lifestyle is another matter of course :D

One of my staff has no TV she has a difficult job convincing the licence people of this. They seem unable to understand how someone could choose not to have one :roll:

Absolutely agree that TV is not worth missing real life for.
Fran17
Posts: 1440
Joined: Sun Mar 07, 2010 10:16 pm

Re: Screen time - limiting or banning TV

Post by Fran17 »

My DSs don't have a great deal of time for television as they are all too busy doing other things. However, my youngest has a love of wildlife programmes and anything to do with science. I record these and we have lots of enjoyment watching these together and discussing what we learn. I also see nothing wrong in watching a bit of tv for fun. I don't limit the time they watch each night to 20mins or 30mins we tend to be a bit more spontaneous and it depends on what they are watching and what else they have to do. This suits us as a family but wouldn't suit everyone.
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