What age do you think is appropriate for a child to have a TV in their bedroom?

Question

I have two very young children (3 and 1 1/2yrs respectively) and think this is far too young for them to have a TV in their room. (I know of other families where the child is as young as 2yrs when they get their first 'own' TV in their bedroom!)

In all honesty, I think that a child should not have a TV in their room until they are at least 10yrs plus (if one at all!).

What is your opinion?

(Apologies for the 'category' i've put this question in, if it is incorrect... hopefully it will find the right group of peeps to answer ;o))

Answer 1

Not a good idea at all. I had one from an early age and it didn't do me any good. All it turned out to be was a baby sitter and brain waster.

When I was a child all I would watch was cartoons followed by more cartoons. Granted kids TV today has got a lot better I will say that but still its far more educational to have books and toys IMHO.

But as the children reach an older age I think TV is a must as long as it doesnt turn into a MTV box ;)

Answer 2

i had one when i was 11 but i still think it is a bad idea i mean yeah its fine during the day but it is so easy to stay up all night watching telly

Answer 3

i would say around 4, but not putto constan use, just to watch a movie, or dora something thats educational to them, not c**p tv, that can wait, like elmo, dora, barney stuff like that is good, just one a day, or even when you need to relax, or want to watch your show just let them go watch theirs, and just check on them and stuff:]

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?...

Answer 4

I kind of agree with you, but......

.....How about NEVER!

Why would they need a TV in their room unless you don't want them watching it with you or interacting with you!

If you have one TV in your 'common room', you can be sure what they watch, how much they watch and that they are not watching TV when they should be sleeping!

I agree that most people seem to think that this is the most natural thing in the world, but then most parents have real problems telling their children NO!

The rise of this sort of behaviour strangely correlates to the fall in general standards with-in society and although I am not blaming the TV or the principle of 'GIVING IN' to children, everything they ask for, I do believe that these are all contributing factors.

Parents need to stop trying to be their children's 'mates', and start being PARENTS!

Answer 5

15 and not a day before.

There is a whole generation out there that would start to have panic attacks if they had their TV's taken away.

Answer 6

Personally i don;t think children should have a tv in their room at all.  I won't be letting my girl have one.  It wncourages them to watch tv when they should be sleeping and too much tv also. Plus you cannot supervise what they watch either.

If however, I was gonna do it i would agre with you about 10 yrs plus

Answer 7

My son had one at 3, although he rarely watches it.

Answer 8

they can have one in there room at any age but rather than use it like most parents do ( as a pacifier) use it to educate, teach them it goes on when and only when you say so and use educational programs, videos and what not to encourage them to learn, because it will act like a treat in a sense they will enjoy learning, i used to tell my daughter she couldnt have any fruit unless i said and she was good, hence she always wanted fruit, it was my sweet in a sense rather than the real ones full of rubbish, hope that helps, and has 4 putting it in there room when ther teens is just ridiculous cuz evry teen knows how 2 act like there being sensible in regards 2 above statements

Answer 9

I don't think you should have a TV in the house, never mind the bedroom.

Answer 10

With my family my children do not have tv or computers in their rooms,Our tv and computer are in the living room.My daughters are 15 and 13 it does not bother them and they never asked for one in their rooms.

My friend has tv in her children's room,I remember when they turned five she would put one in their room.

Answer 11

I don't think it is a good idea to have a TV in a child's bedroom.

When they are teenagers, and can be responsible as to what they watch, then I think it is okay.

TV can play too big a role in a child's development, and there are far better things to be doing than watching TV.

xx

Answer 12

Hi I didnt have a telly in my room till I was around 13, I dont think you need one younger than that as you go to bed to sleep etc and not stay awake at night.

My hubby was given a telly from early one and he now has to watch telly before we go to bed, which annoyes me as before we lived together I hardly ever watched the tv in my room, as I would rather go to sleep he then moans hes cranky because he is tired so I say if you didnt watch telly and went to sleep you wouldnt be so tired lol. It just how he has been bought up.

Yep there is nothing wrong with having a telly dvd player in there room to watch a dvd or somthing but not before bed.

Answer 13

I didn't get a tv in my bedroom until I was 21!!

I think it's fair for teenages to have a telly, but for young children I think sometimes it ends up being a cop out from the parents to put a dvd on for their children instead of reading stories to them. Children should be using their imagination!

Answer 14

i would say when they start primary school so about 4 or 5 years old

Answer 15

Personally, I would not put a television in a child's bedroom. Frankly, I don't put one in my own, either; but for children, television viewing has been implicated in certain behaviors and problems later in life (though some of this has to do with what they are watching).

The television is an important entertainment and learning tool for children, but its use must be planned and regulated to get the benefits from it. The American Academy of Pediatrics has some guidelines for the use of television around young children.

Answer 16

it depends. what is the tv used for? will it be able to get all the channels on it or is it just for DVDs? is the child allowed up to their room when they want? are they likely to put it on at ridiculous times of night when they shoudl be asleep?

my children are 5, 2, 1 and im due in december.

my 5 year old very rarely goes up to his room to play with his 2 yo bro. about once a month really! a tv would probably mean that they would want to be up there all the time., im not having that! they are just kids, they should be down here, with me.

they might be able to have one when they are 8-11ish - but i dont know. they might not even want one. they can have the tv on downstairs if they are good.

i just dont see the point! i enjoy having the kids with me, i dont want them skulking off to their room.

Answer 17

I think 5 is better.. because they also need entertainment like us, so they can gain knowledge...

Answer 18

when they leave home

Answer 19

I'm 17 and don't have my own TV in my room. It's really all up to the parents to decide. Do you think giving your kids a TV in their room will benefit them in any way? Do you think it will distract them from schoolwork in the future? Would you want to spend extra money for them to have their own personal TV? Those are some of the many questions you could ask yourself before deciding whether it's a good idea or not to buy one and when would be the right time if you decide to get them one in the future.

Answer 20

I totally agree. The children are far too young. Children need their sleep not distraction from televisions. Everyone is entitled to their views as to what is right for their child. You are their parents and you know what is right for them. There will be plenty of time for tv as they get older. I have 2 teenagers who have only recently had tv's but neither are really interesed in them as they pefer to be out and about.

Answer 21

I think they should not until they are 13....teenagers need privacy but children need to be part of the family unit...if you get little children holing up alone in their rooms you're asking for developmental trouble.

Answer 22

i had one from the age of 2

Answer 23

I agree with you, having onw to young can be bad for their health and education!, i will deff not be getting our baby one till there a lot older, even 10, maybe have a small portable one to take out there room, so if they have friends over and want to watch a cartoon/dvd they can, then at night it can come out.

Answer 24

I think it's a bad idea. My brothers and I all each had our own T.V. in our rooms, all with cable except for the youngest.

I mean, it isn't like it's going to ruin your kids in the long run, but in the short run, I think so. It can be very distracting from school work, and everyone was always in their own room watch T.V., my family seemed to be separated for the most part...

I believe if there is going to be a T.V. it should be in the family room. Yes, there might be some conflicts about who wants to watch what, in that case maybe add one in the garage, or another neutral area that you can tell your kids to leave if you believe there spending to much time watching it. But not in there room...I think you should avoid it for as long as you can.

I say if my son is working and still living at my house and wants to buy himself a T.V. then sure he could stick it in his room, other than that...

Besides nowadays there is some pretty mature content on T.V. EVEN in cartoons, have you watched Nickoldeon lately? Not very kid appropriate in my opinion...

Answer 25

I don't think they should have one at all, until they can buy their own. Let's be honest, there is very little on there that's any good.

Answer 26

Maybe when they are teenagers.

Answer 27

depends if his sharing with other children .....its Defoe at parents discretion but shud be off  by 8pm for all under 10 as shud be in bed by 8pm

Answer 28

They should never have one in their room... Its a terrible idea i never had one in my room till i was 23 and had moved out and was worst thing i did.. I ending up sleeping badly and would sit most of the night watching was a really bad idea....