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    Alty's Avatar
    Alty Posts: 28,317, Reputation: 5972
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    #1

    Feb 26, 2008, 04:35 PM
    What would our kids do without TV?
    My 9 year old son just came home from school and said "Mom, I found out today that Aaron's mom and dad don't let him watch any television at all, not even kids cartoons. They don't even have a TV, isn't that child abuse?"

    What has this world come to, heck, what has my household come to, that my son thinks that not having a television is child abuse. I'm really close to selling our TV's right now and never looking back.

    How much TV does the average child watch in a week? How much TV does your child watch in a week. Be honest, I won't judge you because I'm guilty too.

    My daughter (5) watches probably around 24hours of TV/week.
    My son (9)watches around 26 hours/week (mostly on the weekends when it's cold outside)

    I'm going to start limiting the time, obviously it's too much.
    N0help4u's Avatar
    N0help4u Posts: 19,823, Reputation: 2035
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    #2

    Feb 26, 2008, 04:45 PM
    Yeah you figure xxx amount of hrs TV
    Xxx amount PSP, Playstation, computer
    stardust713's Avatar
    stardust713 Posts: 334, Reputation: 65
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    #3

    Feb 26, 2008, 04:49 PM
    I took a child psychology class last semester and we had a lot of assignments based on he effects of TV on children. The average child watches 4-5 hours of TV a day. Here's a site that can give you some information. You can Google it find lots of information because this is such a controversial topic in America today. It is really sad that kids would rather sit on the couch and watch TV all day instead of going out and playing. Especially when you consider the garbage that they show now a days. The shows now are nothing like they used to be. Too much TV can cause some pretty serious problems in children, even affecting their literacy and intelligence. I'd definitely suggest limiting their TV time.
    Alty's Avatar
    Alty Posts: 28,317, Reputation: 5972
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    #4

    Feb 26, 2008, 04:52 PM
    Maybe I should force them to watch re-runs of "Little House on the Prairie". No violence, no swearing, no blood and guts, a nice healthy family show. Bet you if I did that they'd be running to get their coats before the end of the week.
    shygrneyzs's Avatar
    shygrneyzs Posts: 5,017, Reputation: 936
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    #5

    Feb 26, 2008, 06:45 PM
    For many years we had no television. We (I was married then) took a challenge from our church to see how long we could be without a TV. Then to record the activities we did instead of watching the tube. It was really hard at first. The first week was tough. I loved Full House and just HAD to watch it. My oldest son, who was most likely not even five yet, mourned over the loss of Saturday Morning cartoons. My husband would laugh at us anf say he was going to see his Mom. Ha ha! He would go there and watch TV!

    All in all, we went without a TV for almost 10 years. We did keep the TV and vcr and our treat was to rent a movie on Friday evening. I do have a TV now but seldom watch it. Have tried to get interested in some of the programs but there is clearly a lot of garbage on TV.
    terellowens's Avatar
    terellowens Posts: 123, Reputation: 9
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    #6

    Feb 26, 2008, 06:52 PM
    I have played Video Games all my life excessively also

    And always been a B grade student yeah I could have done better and fluffed some real important exams but if I wanted to stop playing at any moment I could have I have gone 3-9 months without touching video games and non stop playing for 3 weeks... with buddies just how I am feeling.

    However if they are on it all day everyday and not doing school work or going outside at age 9-15 then Ban it...


    I used to play sports all day when I was 7-15 video games was a weekend thing I did at my friends house or if they came over we would just play for 10-12 hours yeah crazy but we were still socialising just that video games was our hub of entertainment.

    I also asked this question to my teacher who would not let her kids watch TV and I thought it was harsh kids need some downtime... obviously not too much..


    Same goes for watching television or the internet sometimes I don't need it for weeks then I need it for hours depending on mood,free time... etc and if a good video game came out, program, social life at the time... kids do watch too much TV but that's because they isn't doing enough running... about to make up for it ;P
    jessb's Avatar
    jessb Posts: 290, Reputation: 51
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    #7

    Feb 27, 2008, 01:25 AM
    My niece is 4 yrs old, and her mother, my sister will lett her watch the cartoon network before bed or in the morning while she getts ready for work, and even in those kids shows, there are grown up suggestions that a 4+ yr old shouldn't need to worry about.. She already thinks that the thin girls with blonde hair and skimpy clothes are the pretty one's. She doesn't relize that its bad taste. and there is more to beuty then that. Why do cartoons feel the need to give the characters boyfriends and girlfriends? Why is everything on the kid's network getting so sexually orientated? And these Barbie's, and brats dolls! All the makeup and skimpy outfits they put them in.. What are they really try to suggest with these toys and shows today..? That's why I don't believe in young kids watching TV or having excessive toys that aren't beneficial to there growth mentally. That's why this generation is so clueless to wats going on in the rest of the world. Their to busy wanting to be gangster and hoe's... I live 5 min from Philadelphia; over the weekend two teenagers were shot and killed. 1 over a snowball fight, and the 2nd because he refused to buy drugs off a dealer.. Every yr in Philadelphia there is more murders then there are days in a year..! There mostly all teenagers to young adults... maybe if we excluded so much violence, and sexuality from movies and TV, that might help the next generation. Don't get me wrong I enjoy watching my shows, and I love movies... but I'm also 27yrs old and I know the difference between right and wrong. But I was lucky enough to be taught that from a very wonderful and supportive family. Not all parents have the time for that. But at such young age, these kids are taking pure entertainment and getting it confused with reality. All these kids want to do is be singers and actors, etc.. Because it pays soooo much. Im in security and E.M.S I save lives everyday, I get paid squat, just like all the other labor workers do. If you are an actor, and help corrupt the minds of kids you're a millionaire. Modanna made 72 million dollars last year… for what, Because she can entertain you for an hour or so at a concert? The world is going backwards, its putting the wrong things in the spotlight, who care's that the writers were on strike, and the grammys or whatever weren't televised. What about the important stuff, like poverty, and war, and global warming? Werid.. wats your number one priority?
    rpg219's Avatar
    rpg219 Posts: 504, Reputation: 81
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    #8

    Feb 27, 2008, 02:35 AM
    Well, honestly... we (my husband, our 2.5yo and myself) never turn our tv's (yes plural) off. Bad, huh?

    Our son is very advanced for his age (so we are told). He already can count to ten, knows most of his colors, can sing his abc's and can hold a very literate conversation with you. (However, some of his speech is not very clear yet) This being said only to prove the point that maybe TV doesn't ruin your mind if you don't let it. Just because a TV is playing in the background, doesn't mean that you can't sit down and read or learn at the same time. Right?

    However, I agree that it may WHAT you watch. I do not allow violence shows... most of the time we are all watching Noggin... a channel for toddlers... mostly educational shows.

    So my answer would have to be, honestly, 24 hours a day (even when we are gone at least one of the tv's gets left on, lol)
    Alty's Avatar
    Alty Posts: 28,317, Reputation: 5972
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    #9

    Feb 27, 2008, 07:45 AM
    My kids watch Treehouse. It's a commercial free kids channel that plays shows like, Dora the Explorer, Go Diego Go, Max and Ruby etc. My daughter can count to 10 in spanish and knows many other spanish words, it never ceases to amaze me, the stuff she learns from those shows. In the summer our television watching drops amazingly, it's actually warm enough to play outside and that's what the kids do. I just remember when I was a kid, we had one TV with only 3 channels (I walked to school everyday, 10 miles there, 12 miles back, uphill both ways) and I was perfectly happy. I read, I colored, I played. Kids today watch so much television that they don't know how to play independently, that's a big concern to me.
    George_1950's Avatar
    George_1950 Posts: 3,099, Reputation: 236
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    #10

    Feb 27, 2008, 07:56 AM
    Quote Originally Posted by Altenweg
    My 9 year old son just came home from school and said "Mom, I found out today that Aaron's mom and dad don't let him watch any television at all, not even kids cartoons. They don't even have a TV, isn't that child abuse?"

    What has this world come to, heck, what has my household come to, that my son thinks that not having a television is child abuse. I'm really close to selling our TV's right now and never looking back.

    How much TV does the average child watch in a week? How much TV does your child watch in a week. Be honest, I won't judge you because I'm guilty too.

    My daughter (5) watches probably around 24hours of TV/week.
    My son (9)watches around 26 hours/week (mostly on the weekends when it's cold outside)

    I'm going to start limiting the time, obviously it's to much.
    I agree with your son, that a "No TV" policy is abusive, somewhat. The proper focus should be the proper management of the child's time by his parents because it is too easy to place kids in front of a TV, which is abusive as well.
    spitvenom's Avatar
    spitvenom Posts: 1,266, Reputation: 373
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    #11

    Feb 27, 2008, 08:17 AM
    Growing up my TV time was very restricted. I was so into sports I never really had time to watch TV. I was to busy in College to watch Tv cause I had to pay my own way through college.

    So now I finally have a great Job and I said I am going to go all out. I spent about oh $5,000.00 on my "entertainment System" I got a 40" Flat screen LCD TV, Surround sound that people two blocks away could hear. A remote control that can control everything, and a TiVo . I even got Verizon FIOS to make my TV that much better!! What I came to Realize is I HATE TV SHOWS. They are so stupid and pointless. The only thing I watch now is Basketball, football, baseball, and Boxing (by the way they do look Unbelievable on my system) . Other then That I listen to music cause that was my entertainment growing up.

    I always felt like I was missing out when people would talk about their favorite TV shows but now that I really have time to watch TV I realized they were the one's missing out on life.
    Alty's Avatar
    Alty Posts: 28,317, Reputation: 5972
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    #12

    Feb 27, 2008, 08:24 AM
    Spit- Great story, sorry you spent so much money before you realized that TV isn't really for you. I myself don't watch allot of TV, I do sit with my kids sometimes to watch their shows, I want them to know that I'm interested in the things they like.

    Since posting this thread I have told my kids that TV will be cut down. During the school week they are allowed to watch 1 hour of TV each night, no more than that. During the weekend they are allowed to watch 2 hours each day, less if it's nice out. Am I being unreasonable?
    rpg219's Avatar
    rpg219 Posts: 504, Reputation: 81
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    #13

    Feb 27, 2008, 08:27 AM
    I guess we just use the TV as a waste of power, lol. We don't actually watch it 24 hours a day... it is just on 24 hours a day.
    mynamezdeb's Avatar
    mynamezdeb Posts: 17, Reputation: 0
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    #14

    Feb 27, 2008, 08:35 AM
    Not watching TV is not child abuse. It should be limited as well as the video games. My son is very limited in these activities. Instead he goes outdoors, draws, reads, does not ever get on the internet, uses his imagination. Thank goodness Edison, Ford, Einstein, Motzart... etc... didn't sit in from of TV and video games all day. There is more to life.
    spitvenom's Avatar
    spitvenom Posts: 1,266, Reputation: 373
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    #15

    Feb 27, 2008, 08:43 AM
    I don't think that is unreasonable. If your kids get into any activities like sports clubs in school it will make the transition easier. I am sure you are going to catch some lip from your 9 year old since he thinks it is child abuse (that's VERY funny he thinks it is). But if he really gets into to something new he will forget all about TV.

    I kind of wish I didn't spend all that money on my equipment but I do like having people over and When there is a big game on my house jumping all night. So I have convinced myself that it was worth it ;) now if I can get my GF to think it is was worth it everything would be fine! She is not a TV watcher either. Although for some reason she is addicted to American Idol and That's SHOW DRIVES ME CRAZY!!
    Alty's Avatar
    Alty Posts: 28,317, Reputation: 5972
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    #16

    Feb 27, 2008, 08:55 AM
    I agree about American Idol, although I do love watching the auditions and all the people who truly believe they can sing.

    My son loves soccer and he will be playing starting this spring, I hope he doesn't have my abilities, otherwise he'll be laughed off the field.

    My daughter wants to take ballet and tap, she's only five and I'm trying to find a dance school that is all about having fun, most of them are looking for the next Prima Ballerina and they expect these kids to live, eat, breath dance. She's to young for that.

    I do love "Survivor" and I can't miss "House", the rest of it I can do without. Today the kids are going outside to help me shovel some snow and to jump in some puddles (the snow is finally melting).

    I wonder what it would be like to watch Survivor on a 40" Flat screen LCD, where do you live Spit?
    spitvenom's Avatar
    spitvenom Posts: 1,266, Reputation: 373
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    #17

    Feb 27, 2008, 09:27 AM
    I have watched Survivor on it and it is very cool. Come on down to beautiful Philadelphia just remember to bring a bullet proof vest.
    terellowens's Avatar
    terellowens Posts: 123, Reputation: 9
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    #18

    Feb 27, 2008, 10:47 AM
    Quote Originally Posted by Altenweg
    Spit- Great story, sorry you spent so much money before you realized that TV isn't really for you. I myself don't watch allot of TV, I do sit with my kids sometimes to watch their shows, I want them to know that I'm interested in the things they like.

    Since posting this thread I have told my kids that TV will be cut down. During the school week they are allowed to watch 1 hour of TV each night, no more than that. During the weekend they are allowed to watch 2 hours each day, less if it's nice out. Am I being unreasonable?

    I think it's a bit limited most especially the weekends what if they don't want to go outside etc I would say 2 on a weekday and 4 on the weekends but I guess I used to love the old cartoons and restrictions would have made me slightly rebelious but do your kids still go outside and play sports etc I used to do that everyday! More than anything and still do for the most part (football aka soccer) was is and always will be no.1 in my life

    Internet,Video Games,Television, Outdoors haha I play football
    jubbernaut's Avatar
    jubbernaut Posts: 4, Reputation: 1
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    #19

    Mar 5, 2008, 09:57 AM
    Quote Originally Posted by George_1950
    I agree with your son, that a "No TV" policy is abusive, somewhat. The proper focus should be the proper management of the child's time by his parents because it is too easy to place kids in front of a TV, which is abusive as well.

    I'd have to disagree with this. By not allowing your child to use a certain technology, TV, (which is currently largely debated over its positive/negative effects) is definitely not abuse. It's a parent's right (duty?) to decide what things your child should be exposed to. And most of the data is showing support for the negative aspects of TV watching, anyway!

    The only reason it seems like a bad thing to do (banning tv) is because we have become a nation so dependent on it, that it seems like something every human being needs to have (like a toilet or a fridge)... a TV is a machine that we use for entertainment, and its definitely not the best way to get entertainment!. Same goes for cell phones. Its not the end of the world if we never see a TV or a cell phone for the rest of our lives. Not even a hundred years ago, most people lived without these things, and still many people do!

    Abuse? Not even. I'd call it proper parenting.

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