How Much TV Should My Child Be Watching?

By: Susanne Myers

What did we ever do before the boob tube? Television has taken the “family” out of family time. Everyone’s eyes are glued to the television set and no one is talking. By setting a few guidelines, you can keep your kids from becoming strangers in their own home.

Set specific times for watching television. Some kids turn the television on as soon as they get in the house in the afternoons. On Saturday, they get out of bed and plop on the couch with the remote control. If left unregulated, television will take over your child’s life. During the week, television viewing should be kept to a maximum of two to two and a half hours. When kids get home, they have homework and chores that need to be done first.

Turn the television off during dinner. I have been guilty of this myself. We grab out plates and a TV (how funny!) tray and head for the living room to continue watching our favorite show. Dinner time is family time. Everyone should sit at the table without the television and discuss their day. Something exciting may have happened at school or your husband may have gotten a raise. We miss out on getting to know each other if we don’t spend time talking to one another. The one truly sacred time we have for that is at the dinner table.

We are a world that is getting fatter by the day. When I was a kid, we played outside until the street lights came on. Kids stay in the house and play video games or watch television. When do people tend to overeat? They don’t pay attention to how much they are putting in their mouths when they are doing something else, like watching TV. Kids are too young to be inactive. They are the largest growing segment of the population suffering from obesity. Children are becoming couch potatoes from watching too much television.

Rules need to be established for watching television in the bedroom. Most kids do have televisions in their bedrooms. Sitting up all night watching the late, late show is a no-no. If kids choose to use their television time right before bed, set the sleep timer on the set. This way, the television will automatically shut off at their bedtime hour so they can get a good night’s sleep.

What a child watches on television is as important as how much. There are all sorts of reality shows and nighttime television dramas that are not appropriate for children under the age of thirteen. Some are inappropriate for children under eighteen. Cable and satellite don’t make it any easier to monitor what they watch. On regular television, most programs with mature subject matter don’t air until eleven o’clock or later. On cable, they can air all evening. Those stations are not regulated like the local channels; therefore as a parent, actively paying attention to what your kids are watching is important.

If you can’t be home with your kids at all times, you can block certain channels on the television. Stations that air shows that you feel are inappropriate for your child’s age cannot be accessed by them if you block the channel. You can call your local cable or satellite company to find out how to go about doing this with their service. If your kids complain, sit them down and explain why they can’t watch the channel. Entering into a healthy discussion about TV programs is important. As your kids age, they can handle heavier subject matter, but that is the decision of the parent.

Television is meant to be entertaining, but not to take over your life. Children need to be active not sedentary. Parents need to regulate television time for their kids. Instead, go to the park or the zoo. Real life is much more interesting than anything on TV.

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