Television and Children (and you)

[maleficent]

Bedroom TV Sets up Children to Fail
By Andrew Clark
It is a tempting price to pay for a bit of peace and quiet, but parents who succumb to their children's pleas for a television in the bedroom could be being cruel rather than kind.

Research published yesterday in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine suggests that too much television makes children more likely to grow up to be obese, addicted to smoking and poorly qualified.

A bedroom set is particularly damaging, according to a group of American pediatricians. Their research found that children with a set of their own score up to 15 per cent worse in maths, language and reading tests.

Child health specialists believe bedroom televisions make it harder for young people to fall asleep. Jane Roberts, president of the pressure group Young Media Australia, said bedroom televisions were an open invitation for children to watch inappropriate programs.

Television is the most popular leisure activity for young people in Australia, who watch an average of 22 hours a fortnight during school terms.

The American study found that computers had the opposite effect, by actually improving children's test scores. Even computer games can improve attention and visual skills.

There was more bad news for television addicts in a long-term study of 1000 adults born in New Zealand during the 1970s. Robert Hancox of the University of Otago found that those who viewed for more than two hours a day during their childhood were more likely to have problems with their weight and with nicotine by the age of 26.

Dr Hancox urged parents to limit their children to little more than an hour's viewing each day.

"Kids have got a right to relax and enjoy themselves just like anybody else," he said. "But the main message is that whatever it is they're watching, it isn't doing them any good."

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Interesting study - televsion bad - -video games Good? So, when you were a kid did you have a television in your room? Do your own kids have television sets?

[Siege]

I don't have kids, so I can answer that one.

I never had a television set in my room. But I did watch obscene amounts of tv from when I was able to click the "on" knob til grade 7. My test scores were significantly higher than most other kids. Maybe it helps that I played video games

But on the contrary, what would they suggest? They don't really say how we can improve, aside from maybe "don't watch tv". Sports? I know quite a number of kids who spend all their time playing sports. Their test scores aren't exactly stellar.

What about sports mixed with going out? For you Torontonians, just look at Metro Square on a friday night. Those thug-wannabe kids probably play basketball (or at least try ) and they spend time with friends playing foosball (maybe another sport if you want to call it that ). I bet none of them has even average test scores.

Long story short. I tend to not find studies like these too persuasive.

[maleficent]

The news this morning, was interview some parents on thier children's television watching habits... Most of the parents, for the camera only I'm sure, insisted that their children didnt watch television and they studied all the time.. .(yah sure) one mom, poor thing, said her daughter got straight As and watched television so she wasnt worried about her daughter, she could do whatever she wanted... (ooooh wanna bet where this daughter will end up in a few years with no discipline doing whatever she wants)

I'm older - -television in our house had three remote controls, my brother, my sister and me... and I think there was 5 stations... The only time we watched tv was the saturday morning cartoons when tehy were still good... Otherwise -- s tay in the house? NO way...

[Elphaba]

Back in the '50's, children like myself and my sisters didn't have their own tv set in the bedroom. I have insisted that hubby can't have a tv in our bedroom, and step-daughter never got one either. I agree that I might be an anachronism, but I would hold the same opinion about a computer in a child's room. I believe televisions and computers belong in a communal area such as a den or rec room where adult supervision is more likely.

[Blackthorn]

We had one TV in the house when I was growing up. I remember when we started getting the UHV channels ... wooo hoooo!! Speed Racer the cartoon was the bomb. Other than that and Saturday morning TV cartoon (ala Mal) I was usually to be found outside with my friends.

It was a special treat on Saturday night when Mom would let me watch Gunsmoke.

U.S. Marshall Matt Dillon


TV in my room as a kid growing up was not an option. I have no children (yet ) but if I did they would not have TV's in their room. Nor would they be 8 years old and have Disney sponsored cell phones (A new thread is coming on that topic). The results of the study are disturbing but not terribly shocking.

[Seeker]

I ended up with a television in my room mainly because the main television was controled by Dad, and lets face it - what child is interested in 'adult' shows? I found his shows very boring.

From what that study suggests I picked up the nicotine addiction from this. I don't think so... :eyeroll: I'm not obese and I have done well at school and later in the workplace, and then further study at College and University. *shrugs*

My daughter has a television in her room, it's collecting dust! She really isn't intersted in television and spends most of her free time chatting to friends on the internet or photochopping. I do need to kick her outside sometimes... I think you need to, as with television, kids need to be able to relax in themselves and use their minds creatively without external stimuli.

[Mephisto2]

This is another one of those polls where, dare I say, the stupidity of a lot of the public astounds me.

Television in children's bedrooms can negatively impact their health and test scores?!

REALLY?! Well, stone the crows.

I foresee another study soon that will prove that water can cause drowning...

Sheesh. TV in bedrooms is a bad, bad idea. People who are surprised at that probably watch too much TV...


Mr Mephisto

[OFKU0]

Like the guy on Family Feud says,.."Survey says,"...that about sums it up.

I'm all for the individualistic approach which dictates that all studies are bullshit. Sweeping generalizations no matter how specific the regiment are statistical, and we all know statistics can be manipulated for whatever reasons.

Anyone got a study about kids who grew up watching cartoons who are now creative graphic artists, musicians, animator's ,...and the likes, or kids who are news anchors, sport commentators, camera men and women.

Nah,...then the studies would really be bullshit.

[Gilda]

It's likely a correlative study, which doesn't ncessarily indicate cause and effect. However, I can see a connection. Kids who read more tend to do better on tests--which test reading skills in addition to whatever else they are testing--and kids who read less tend to do worse. This applies to the general trend, and there are of course going to be exceptions.

It's a simple formula. More time reading means less time available for tv watching, but it isn't the tv watching that neccesarily is lowering the test scores, it's the lack of time spent reading. The flaw in a correlative study comes in here. The implication is that if you restrict kids tv viewing habits, their test scores will go up. Not necessarily. It would depend upon what leisure activities they chose in lieu of tv watching. Chatting on the internet practices both writing and reading skills. Playing videogames often involves critical thinking and analysis.

My kids won't have a tv in their rooms, but they will have shelves full of books--I have the books already, and they will have two parents who spend a great deal of their time reading. They will be read to frequently and will have restricted tv time.

Oh, and 22 hours per fortnight durin school? That's less than 2 hours a day. Australia is really lagging behind the US there. Here it's probably 4-6 during the school term.

[OFKU0]

Agree with you 100% Gilda. As much as reading is a good thing, experiencing life from all it's angles is something that is missing in kids these days.

I don't know how old you are but when I was a kid, my friends and me would use our imagination to create an environment we liked in common. Kid's don't do that anymore. When's the last time you saw kids throwing a baseball or frisbee for the fun of it?

It doesn't exist anymore. Everything is catagorized within an activity and life is an organized entity brought forth by parents who feel they have to create a significance in terms of activities rather than letting them forge their own path.

Why? Paranoia. A sense that todays kids can't deal with reality? It's nothing and everything all in one. It's to bad really but change is change

[Charlatan]

We do not have a TV in my kid's room nor will there ever be a TV in either of their rooms (when they stop sharing a room). First off, it just is nececssary. If either wants to watch TV they can do it where we can see what they are watching or watch it with them. Second, the bedroom is not a place, in my opinion, for these sorts of distractions. It should be a place of peace and quiet. We all need at least one place to get away from the cacophony of life (even if that involves listening to music on his head phones).

As for OFKUO's comments, I have noticed a definate trend away from free play you describe. Like you, much of my youth was spent making up games, etc. That said, it isn't as bad as you might suspect. My son and his friends are constantly making up games to play. The thing is they mostly do this in the school yard. The games, as he describes them, are pretty complex.

However, when his friend's come over, they are either playing video games, watching movies or playing warhammer (mostly painting figures, building sets and researching, don't think they've actually played a game yet).

Part of the deal is that until the last year, I haven't wanted him to go off to the park by himself, etc. Paranoia. Maybe.

[rmarshall]

Explain to me how watching TV in bed makes children addicted to nicotine?

[oblar]

I actually had a TV in my room as a kid, but I saved up to buy it and bought it so I could watch what I wanted, when I wanted.. however, I tend to agree that parents shouldn't just purchase a television set merely for the children otherwise they will watch to much..

actually, I think that children should be limited on the amount of television they watch. Kick them out and make them play outside. A lot more interesting things go on outside..

as far as the connection to nicotine.. hmm, not sure about that one.

[Minx]

Ultimately I think the need here is for parents to be more involved in what their children are doing/watching/playing. Watching TV doesn't necessarily mean that children are going to turn out with lower tests scores than others. It all depends on what you are allowing them to watch. My oldest loves to sit and watch the History Channel with me, he will watch documentaries and the news. I do not see how that is going to dull his grey matter. If a parent knows and limits what their child is watching, I do not see the harm in allowing them a television in their room. My boy has one in his room and he rarely watches it. He is much more likely to be outside with his friends playing football, soccer, or road hockey. Maybe I am one of the lucky parents who is blessed with an active child who likes to be inside about as much as he enjoys going to the dentist. And it is, of course, a matter of discipline. You have to moitor what your child is watching and you have to put your foot down when you feel they have had enough TV time. Once I tell my boy it's bedtime, he goes right to sleep. He knows that he would lose his priviliges if he broke the "no TV after bedtime" rule.

I'm sure there are a number of kids out there whose parents use the TV as a "babysitter" and who are allowed unlimited hours of time spent watching it. This I certainly do not agree with but some parents, unfortunately, just don't care. I don't think it's the televisions that are to blame, but uninvolvement in your child's life and past-times.

[Mephisto2]

Originally Posted by rmarshall

Explain to me how watching TV in bed makes children addicted to nicotine?

First, it's called advertising. Second, they didn't make a direct 1:1 relationship.

How about I ask you to "explain how smoking causes cancer?"

Would you argue that it doesn't?


Mr Mephisto

[snowy]

I've often thought that several key differences between my brother and I could be explained by the presence of a television in his bedroom from a young age, whereas I was a reader and always have been. My brother received a television for his bedroom when he was about 9 years old. He would lay in bed for hours watching TV. I, on the other hand, spent my time either reading, playing games on the computer, or writing stories on the computer. This trend continued on through high school--I would occasionally watch what my mother was watching on television downstairs, but otherwise I usually spent time in my room, listening to music and reading or doing homework. My brother could still be found in his room, watching television or movies. Physically, the differences were quite noticeable: I remained in shape and active, and he did not, therefore he gained quite a bit of weight. My parents chalked it up to the fact he hadn't been a small kid to begin with. However, a couple years ago he started getting more active and lost a bunch of weight, so there's no question he was obese. Furthermore, you could see the difference in our grades: I've always done much better in school than he has. My brother came very close to dropping out of high school. Additionally, I think it gave him an excuse to become socially retarded: by stayin in and watching so much television as a teenager, he didn't garner the necessary social skills to keep and maintain friends at his current age (20). He has a hard time talking to anyone his own age and seems to have arrested his social development somewhere around the age of 11 or 12. I kid you not.

Given this difference in the presence of television in our lives, I still don't watch much television (except the Food Network) and I still prefer to read over watching television or seeing a movie. My brother, meanwhile, watches upwards of six hours of television a day. He's more active now, and is doing better in school, but that is because he finally HAD to do those things. The change was very much forced upon him.

Because of the illustration of my brother, I know I won't be getting a television for my children. I'm planning on only owning two televisions in my future household: one in my bedroom for my husband and myself for late-night Iron Chef, and one in the main family room for everyone to share. That way I'll be able to control just how much television they watch and what, precisely, they were watching. Perhaps they'll end up like me: pretending the guest room bed is a covered wagon heading for Oregon. I certainly hope they don't end up like my brother, a fat deliquent who can't read and uses every possible disorder as a crutch.

[rmarshall]

Originally Posted by Mr Mephisto

First, it's called advertising.

At first I thought "Hah, there's no tobacco advertising on TV since the 70's".

Then I read this and now I can see your point:


http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hecs-sesc/tob...kinmovies.html

[StanT]

My daughters were 18 before they got a television in their room. The pc's were always in a living room or den. Additionally, there was always logging software on the pcs.

Just consider it dad looking over their shoulder whenever they watch TV or visit the internet.

[Mephisto2]

Originally Posted by StanT

My daughters were 18 before they got a television in their room. The pc's were always in a living room or den. Additionally, there was always logging software on the pcs.

Just consider it dad looking over their shoulder whenever they watch TV or visit the internet.

You know my wife and I are just about to have our first child, and we both just talked about this yesterday. We plan on the exact same thing StanT.

No TVs in bedrooms.
One common PC for the kids and in a common area.
Logging/blocking software on PC.

I might relent and let them have a PC when they get into school, but not on the TV and not on the logging software.

Of course, by the time my kids are that age, the internet will be in your head and young children will point and me and laugh at such an "old timer"...

Mr Mephisto

[OFKU0]

Originally Posted by Mr Mephisto

How about I ask you to "explain how smoking causes cancer?"

Would you argue that it doesn't?


Mr Mephisto

Not to be difficult but it comes down again to the individual. As for your question, yes smoking causes lung cancer in some smokers but not others, just as non smokers get lung cancer and some don't. But that's another thread.