“Why can’t I have satellite in my room?” wailed my daughter. She was upset. So was I — namely because she would not stop moaning about her lack of satellite television. Our conversation took place during a trip to her school.
My daughter is seven years old, and my wife and I do not want her to have access to something we cannot police. It’s not as if she lacks television and things to watch. She has a TV and a DVD player in her room, and every so often, she will ask to go to her room and watch one of her DVDs.
Parents should be the ones to determine what is entertaining and which things are educational.
I usually let her decide when she wants to do this, and sometimes I say no because I do not want her living in her bedroom and never spending time with family.
I began searching around the internet for answers, and came across information from the University of Michigan School of Medicine. It had the usual findings that TV viewing among kids is really high and — wait for it — they spend the bulk of their free time watching television.
More importantly, however, was the finding that 37 percent of kids ages eight to 18 have cable or satellite TV. A whopping 20 percent have premium channels.
“The battle is a challenging one,” Lainna Callentine, M.Ed., M.D., told me by email. “We are teaching our kids lessons that we never had to learn growing up. It is a brave new world.”
In her opinion, TVs in a bedroom regardless of age is concerning.
“Media in the bedroom can really affect sleep hygiene,” she said, noting that the National Sleep Foundation says sleep hygiene consists of a “variety of different practices and habits necessary” for strong sleep quality at night and full daytime alertness.
A TV in a child’s room, added Callentine, encourages other unhealthy behaviors like later bedtimes, and makes it extremely difficult for parents to monitor and guide their children toward healthy choices.
“Parents play a significant role in modeling healthy consumption and media usage,” she said. “More is caught than taught.”
Television does have its good side. “It can be entertaining and educational, and can open up new worlds for kids … It [can help them] learn about different cultures and gain exposure to ideas they may never encounter in their own community,” the Michigan report noted.
As a parent, I agree with most of that. Parents should be the ones to determine what is entertaining, which things are educational, and when their children get exposure to things that are outside their own community. Otherwise, kids may end up sharing toilet humor, demanding a “living wage” allowance, and asking why their clothes are not like “that girl’s on the reality TV show.”
Related: Disciplining Kids with a Tech Time-Out
I know what some readers are thinking: “Just get a parental lock on the satellite TV.” That is certainly an option to consider, assuming I want to dish out the extra bucks per month to even put a satellite box in my daughter’s room.
Still, if my child is anything like me, she’ll find a way to get rid of the lock. Don’t get me wrong. She is a good kid and a great student, but I was, too — and I found a way into my parents’ liquor cabinet. We don’t keep alcohol in our house, so I figure it’s not a matter of that, but instead when the parental lock on the TV gets picked. Have you seen the tech skills of kids today?
When it comes to an appropriate age for a TV in a child’s room, with or without cable or satellite, Callentine doesn’t give an age but says: “It is based on the temperament and maturity of the child.”
Television is not a right. It’s a luxury.
What are parents to do? Michigan Medicine, for its part, recommends parents watch TV with their kids. If the programming turns violent or has questionable content, parents can discuss what happened to put it into a context for kids — or simply turn it off. Meanwhile, Michigan Medicine says parents must know what their kids are watching. “If rules are set, stick to them,” said the organization.
People should sit down with their family and make a family media use plan, said Callentine. “HealthyChildren.org/MediaUsePlan is a wonderful tool that you can personally customize to the ages of your child,” she noted.
She reiterated that TVs, computers, and phones should be kept out of bedrooms. “Discourage entertainment media while doing homework, and have media-free times while encouraging family dinners and promoting positive activities such as reading, playing together and quality time,” she said.
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Maybe I’m doing the right thing for my daughter after all. I have one shot at raising her right, and I don’t want to err in giving her things she wants rather than needs. Television is not a right. It’s a luxury. And while I myself am jealous of kids with premium channels — I will survive. So will my daughter.
Did I mention I’m the father of two girls? Now I really need to get this right.
Chris Woodward is a reporter for American Family News and OneNewsNow.com. Based in Mississippi, he is also a contributor to OneMillionDads.com and EngageMagazine.net.
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