What age for electronics?

Question

My daughter is 9 and my husband disagrees with me. She has in her room a TV- not hooked up to cable or sattallite, a dvd player, a cd player and a radio. DH says she is too young for these becuase he didnt get a TV until he was 18. I had one a 16, but that was 20 years ago. What age is the right age for these things?

PS we do not let her play video games or go on the computer.

Answer 1

How does she behave with those in her room? If she's a good kid, doesn't spend all of her time in there watching movies/listening to music, doesn't stay up late because of those things, etc, then there's no harm in letting them stay in her room.

But, if she doesn't get her homework done, grades are low/slipping, she doesn't get out, she stays up late, etc, then it'd probably be best to remove the TV, etc, until she can prove that she's earned them

TV, DVD players, CD players, and radio are all PRIVILEGES, NOT 'rights'. So, IMO, she would have to earn them and keep up the good behaviour, etc, to keep them.

Answer 2

I received a Nintendo 64 when I was 8.  I believe I ended up getting a tv 2 years later maybe.  But yeah, technology and electronics are everywhere nowadays.  9 is not too young, my neice has a tv of her own and she is 4.

Answer 3

i think u r being overprotective!

Answer 4

I think she's too young for all of that.  My nearly 9 year old just got a clock radio (she was tiptoeing into our bedroom to see if it was time to get up).  It IS a docking station for an ipod - but she doesn't have an Ipod... we were just planning ahead.

When your daughter is grounded, those electronics need to be REMOVED from her room.  I'll bet she's sneaking to use them.

While our house has several tv's, none are in the bedrooms (except a little portable one that's being stored in the guest room closet).  No one is allowed to hole up in a bedroom w/ an electronic pacifier.

Our Xbox is in my husbands study/ work out room.  (He plays football while working out on the elliptical).  The kids can play some "E" games there while he works.

I'm obviously not against electronics for kids, but I don't think they belong in the bedroom.

Answer 5

Number one she doesn't NEED a television in her room, television has been linked to sleep disorders in children, as well as sleep deprivation resutling in, mood swings, bad behavior, falling asleep in school, changes in eating habits because the television prevents REM sleep with the flickering light and noise.  The ONLY place a television belongs is the family room where viewing or game playing can be monitored and supervised by the parents who should be doing their jobs and paying attention to what their children are doing.

Answer 6

I believe tv can disturb the sleep of a child,because he or she can turn it off and on like they like and look at tv instead of sleeping.....I never had a tv(30) in my room....but I did have a radio and a cassette player(yeah! I am old,lolll).....my son will be allowed this stuff but no tv till he can by his own.....

Answer 7

No electronic gadgets in own room until about 17.

Answer 8

i would not have a tv in a kid's bedroom at any age; i'd much rather have tv viewing be in a public space where people are drawn together and i can supervise what a child is watching.  ditto the dvds.

As for music, again, I'd put it in a public space because I want my kids dancing in the living room (my oldest is just turning 9) ... in our house the bedrooms are pretty much just used for sleeping and I like it that way.  But I think that's a closer judgment call.  Considering some lyrics on the radio these days (and statement on talk shows, etc.) I'd probably consider that (as opposed to the cd player) rather like watching tv with a cable connection ... you never know what they'll be hearing.