A mom writes in asking for advice about televisions. She says she and her husband are considering, at the request of their 8-year-old daughter, putting a TV in her room. Though she is considering it, she is definitely not sure. She is concerned her daughter may end up watching too much TV and that screen time can’t be monitored as well. What are other moms’ thoughts on putting TVs in kids’ rooms?
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A member of the community asks:
“Thoughts on kids having a TV in their room?”
“Who has TVs in their kid’s rooms? Do you worry about how much TV they’re watching? My eight-year-old wants one, and my husband and I are on the fence.”
– Mamas Uncut Community Member
Community Advice for This Mom Conflicted About Putting a TV in Her Daughter’s Room
To see what advice the Mamas Uncut Facebook community has for this mom in need, read the comments of the post embedded below.
Advice Summary
The community offered this mom in need a lot of great advice. Read some of their responses below.
“My kids have had one since they were toddlers…but honestly they don’t watch their TVs as much as I thought they would. My kids prefer to be more active outside and watch movies in the living room with us.”
“My daughter has a tv in her room with an Xbox which she uses for games and Netflix and DVDs. She doesn’t know how to switch it on so it’s only on when I switch it on. She doesn’t use it every day though.”
“My kids (9 and 4) have had one in their room almost their entire lives. I take the remotes during the week (we have a no screens rule Monday-Thursday) and they are only allowed an hour or two each day on the weekend for movies/video games.”
“My older girls ages 7 and 10 have one in their room. They can watch it after schoolwork. And on weekends. They usually just watch it at bedtime though. I tell them if they go to bed at 7 they can watch a movie before bed. Gives me a little alone time to get the house cleaned up before bed without being up till 10 pm cleaning but the TV goes off at 830 on school nights. Also a great bargaining tool, something to take away if they don’t listen.”
“My almost 2-year-old has one in his room. Disney and kids Netflix only. No cable box in his room. And he doesn’t use it too much. Mainly when we’re all in his room hanging out we will watch a movie together or something. Once in a while when he’s playing with his toys but that’s about it.”
“My 7-year-old doesn’t have one because she gets sucked in whenever the TV is on. My 3-year-old however won’t settle down at night if there isn’t a show on. So, the 3-year-old has a TV in her room that we turn on for bedtime with a bedtime show.”
“I personally have never seen the need. With four kids I feel that it would be overkill for the fact that if one gets something… Well. You know the rest lol. I have a large screen in the living room that they all compromise together taking turns to choose content that everyone will enjoy and that is appropriate. I also have a tv in my bedroom that I occasionally allow to be enjoyed from my bed. It’s a treat and I use that opportunity to connect one on one with whichever kid seems to need it…
… My oldest has a laptop that she keeps in her bedroom and uses individually. I don’t have cable and never have. Our DVD collection guarantees that the selection is approved by me and gives them the ability to decide when it’s their turn without the age gaps being a concern. We are constantly surrounded by technology and media and I truly feel that the outside world is complicated enough. Their bedrooms should be peaceful spaces.”
“Two of ours do, one does not. The youngest (now 10) is just not able to control herself with it and would be up during the night watching. She used to have a small flat screen. She’d also play with the tv stand. Once she knocked over the stand and broke the tv two years ago, we just never replaced it.”
“No TV in bedrooms, no technology in bedrooms. I do this so it’s fair for all the kiddos. If they have phones or other technology they know it goes on the charger at a specified time each night.”
Do you have any advice for this mom? Leave a comment to help another mom out!
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