Does Television Have Any Place in a Child’s Bedroom?
Television. TV. The Boob Tube. The Idiot Box. So many terms of endearment, it almost makes this hunk of technology seem so innocent.
But it’s not.
According to this article on NewYorkTimes.com, an astonishing HALF of American children have televisions in their bedrooms. Half! In fact, one study found that a whopping 70 percent of third graders had TVs in their rooms. Whoa.
This type of statistic may be particularly disturbing since mounting research draws strong associations between children having a TV in their bedroom and a myriad of health and educational problems. Take a look:
* Kids with TVs in their bedrooms score lower on school tests and are more likely to have sleep problems. (Makes sense.)
* Having a television in the bedroom is tied strongly to being overweight and a higher risk for smoking.
* The correlation between television and weight suggested that boys may be especially at risk. In fact, in a study of French adolescents, boys with a bedroom television were more likely than their peers to have a larger waist size and BMI (body mass index).
* Not surprisingly, those children (both boys and girls) with bedroom TVs spent less time reading than their no-TV counterparts.
* In a study of almost 400 Northern California kids, those who had their own bedroom TV score significantly (and consistently) lower on math, reading and language arts tests.
* Yet another study of more than 700 middle-school students found that those with TVs in their bedroom were twice as likely to start smoking.
Pretty scary stuff. With all this in mind, I turn the floor over to you: Does your child have a TV in his/her bedroom? What were/are your reasons for the decision you made? What other types of health/emotional/educational side effects might a bedroom TV contribute to? Leave your comments below. Can’t wait to hear your thoughts.
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POSTED IN: A Mother's Wisdom, Children, Exercise, Media, Obesity, Psychology, Relationships, Technology
4 opinions for Does Television Have Any Place in a Child’s Bedroom?
Marijke
Mar 5, 2008 at 9:34 pm
NOOOOOOO!!
I am *so* against TVs in kids’ rooms, it’s not funny. I’m also against computers and video games in bedrooms.
First of all, good sleep hygiene is the first step to good sleep habits, so it’s not good to have all that stuff in the bedrooms. Second, families have less and less time to interact as we get so busy. When kids have tvs in their bedrooms, there’s yet another excuse for lack of interaction.
I’m also a HUGE proponent of monitoring your children’s activities and you can’t keep track of them if they’re in their room with their electronic toys. TV is isolating enough, we shouldn’t make it more isolating an activity. At least if you watch tv together, you can make comments, even chat during commercials.
NOOOOO! no tv in bedrooms….
(too subtle? {grin} )
Lynn
Mar 5, 2008 at 11:16 pm
I must say, I don’t feel that TV is the culprit here. I believe the real issue behind the above stats is a lack of proper parenting skills. Perhaps the reason behind the correlation between TV and smoking is because parents aren’t being active in their children’s lives. Same goes for the obesity factor. If parents are ok with their kids sitting in front of a TV for hours on end, then they’re obviously not encouraging their kids to get outside and be active.
I had a TV in my room when I was growing up (which wasn’t that long ago) and I think I turned out pretty good - I don’t smoke, I’m not obese, I’m intelligent. The only time I ever used the TV was if I was watching movies with friends or looking for a way to unwind before bed. My parents, however, encouraged me to do well in school and be active.
So really, who’s at fault here? The TV or the parents?
Me
Mar 9, 2008 at 1:22 pm
All of my kids have TV in their rooms. Their rooms are where they play-together and by themselves. They also have video games, dvd players/vcr’s & one has a computer. They also have bookshelves packed with books, which they read constantly. Well, the twins are too young to read, but they practice reading. They do not watch TV or play video games constantly. We have family movie night every Friday and we also have shows we watch together as a family. We also play games, swim, hike in the woods, ride bikes. We do lots of things together. The TVs in their rooms aren’t a problem. Maybe it is for some kids, but that is obviously just a sympton of a larger problem. Its just like everything else, moderation is key. But in America, moderation for everyone and everything seems to be a challenge. Really, these ’studies’ should focus on the actual problem before reporting, for those of ‘us’ not bright enough to figure it out.
Dan
Mar 9, 2008 at 4:34 pm
You may recall that great people have created these normally hard covered solid objects with several peices of pages attached inside of them. On these pages, are what are called words, and who created them put much effort into this endeavor. They are called books, and they are capable of awakening one who views the words contained in them. So, arguably, these items are clearly more beneficial for anyone, unless you wish to become as appealing to those others with a common demoninator and exist in idleness.
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