Kids and TV: To Watch or Not to Watch?

Kids + TV = Bad or Good? 

If you’re a parent or someone working closely with children, the question above may have crossed your mind at least once. If you’re a conscientious parent, i.e. one who wants to practice “intentional parenting,” you most probably have done your research and made your own conclusions. 

The truth is, most, if not all parents, desire only what is best for their families, especially for their kids. Whether letting kids watch television is “best” for them is really is up to the parents – i.e. their beliefs, preferences and parenting philosophies.

Here, we’ve gathered some parents’ thoughts on what they think watching TV can (or cannot) do for their children:

“Yes” to Quality, Not Quantity, TV Time

Stay-at-home homeschooling mother of two Christine Amador says she believes that TV shows that kids watch have an impact on their development and in their demeanor or personality as grown people. “Whatever kids watch, they pick up. Whatever they watch everyday, the will certainly learn, and have an impact on them, especially in the language and personality development.“

That’s why Christine only allows her kids, Kyla, 7, and Toby, 4, to watch shows or movies that she had already pre-selected. Some of these are: “Ni Hao Kai-lan” because “it  introduces another language (Mandarin), and also shows good ways to deal with emotions;” “The Magic School Bus” because it “has good science lessons per episode;” “Handy Manny” because it “introduces good manners;” “The Cat in the Hat” because it is “educational;” and “Care Bears” because it “introduces good values.” 

Mommy Christine also believes that “less is best,” so she limits the kids’ TV watching to one show or movie per person a day. 

 

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Office manager / administrative assistant Eleanor Ann Chichioco-Bahoy, on the other hand, lets her three-year old daughter Josefina (“Fina” for short) watch TV for a maximum of 2 hours a day. She makes sure that this limited TV time is “maximum quality” by accompanying Fina, “so that when the characters on the TV show ask her a question, I can encourage her to answer them.” 

Mommy Eleanor believes that “it's important to monitor the TV shows kids are watching.”  She, like Christine, also believes that the shows kids watch have an impact on their development. 

“For example, on “Dora the Explorer,” they teach the phrase `Ayuda mé’ which means `Help me’ in Spanish,” Eleanor explains. “Fina uses the phrase `Ayuda mé’ all the time whenever she needs help with something.” This is helpful in their family’s case, since they are based in the US, where Spanish is the second language. “She actually uses some of the Spanish words she hears on Dora in her daily conversations with me.” Aside from the use of Spanish, Eleanor also likes it that the content of “Dora” “encourages critical thinking and learning about Science.”

Aside from Dora, Eleanor also lets Fina watch “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse” because she thinks “Disney is still relevant to kids, and it introduces the main characters in an educational way. Family trips to Disneyland can be made more worthwhile.  Also, it teaches basic math, colors, etc.”

“We also like `Yo Gabba Gabba!’ because it  teaches life lessons like `don't bite your friends,’ `always brush your teeth,’ and sharing,” Eleanor adds. “`Blue's Clues’ (which no longer airs on Nick Jr. in the Philippines, but is readily available on DVD in local malls and video stores) is another program that has educational information.” She also likes “The Fresh Beat Band”  because Fina is introduced to basic music principles. Its episodes are also “educational and wholesome.”

Stay-at-home mom and pro-blogger Mec Camitan Arevalo, mom to Rubeus Iakob, 3.6 years old, and Yannis Mikah, 14 months old, also seldom lets her sons watch TV. She either downloads or buys videos for them. “The kids only get to watch TV when they’re at my in-laws’ place,” she shares.

Of the limited shows her kids watch on TV, Mec says she likes “Word World,” “Chloe’s Closet,” and “Higglytown Heroes.” “I like that kids are taught to spell words, and am amazed at how they spell the word on the thing/creature's body,” she says about “Word World.” 

“'Chloe's Closet’ naman is all about imagination and playing `pretend’ - without any limits - just the way play should be for kids! As for `Higglytown Heroes,’ it encourages viewers to show appreciation for the different roles different people play in our society,” Mec adds.

 

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Quality Over Quantity PLUS Parental Supervision 

Mommy Michele Alignay, who also is a registered guidance counselor and parenting consultant at the Love Institute, is also for the “quality over quantity TV time” principle. 

“My kids are only allowed a maximum of 2 hours TV time. That already includes computer time,” she shares. “I abide by the recommendations set by the American Academy of Pediatrics regarding TV watching for kids,” she explains. “I believe that children should have a balance of activities including reading, writing, free play and outdoor time. With my son Migo, 5, the allowed time is about 2 hours. Maia, 2, has less TV time than her brother.”

As a parenting counselor and a mom, Michele suggests that parents make TV time “quality” by sitting down with their kids when they watch TV. “If parents are busy with other activities, being in the same room with the child would facilitate the parents’ involvement, for example, they could ask the child questions about what they are watching. This way, parents can also monitor the show itself, and the commercials shown in between.”

She further says: “Personally, I prefer letting my children watch videos over television.  This way, I would have already sorted and screened what they can watch, each show has a particular time frame, and more importantly, the kids have limited exposure to TV commercials (which incites them to watch other shows or get new toys/products).”

Michele shares with us her preferred kids’ shows, available on video: • “Barney and Friends” - “Good old Barney is still so well-loved by kids!  I like the fact that Barney teaches basic preschool lessons, encourages kids to behave appropriately, and enjoins the kids to sing and have a positive disposition.” 

• “Dora the Explorer” and “Diego” – “They teach kids about the world and how to speak in Spanish. The pace and content is appropriate for kids.”

• “Hi-5!” – “We like the music and the interaction.”

Just like most of the people we interviewed for this topic, Michele believes that TV shows have a great impact on kids’ behavior. “The conditioning they get from regular exposure to shows that are not appropriate for them results in behavior that is not fitting for their age,” she explains. 

 

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“Being exposed to TV shows with violent content and foul language allows kids to see these as acceptable, and, most likely, part of the way of life,” Michele says. “This holds true especially for kids who are left to the care of caregivers who do not monitor the kids’ TV-watching patterns and the shows they watch, as well as those kids whose parents fail to process/discuss with the kids the shows they watch, and teach them what is acceptable and what’s not.”  

As a guidance counselor, Michele says she has had “many cases of students who fail to focus and do well in school due to too much exposure to TV, coupled with Internet and gaming.” 

“More importantly, the exposure of kids, especially as early as infancy, to shows that have fast-changing patterns and scenes contributes to their lack of focus in regular activities, especially when the kids enter school,” she emphasizes. “TV shows and commercials involve the rapid changing of visual scenes, which may be too much for young kids, particularly infants and toddlers. This kind of exposure is not appropriate for their visual – brain development.”  

Therefore, mommy Michele suggests that parents be wary of the “age-appropriateness of shows” their kids watch or are exposed to. “It is best to choose shows that have scenes and visuals that are patterned according to real-life pace and have a preferable setting for kids.”

As a mom, Michele laments the fact that although research about the effects of kids’ exposure TV shows with violence has already been established, there are still many shows which contain  violence, negativity  and sexual undertones on TV. “If children are not properly guided, and are regularly exposed to such things on TV, it is likely that, due to their susceptibility to modeling what they see, they would imbibe the things they watch.”

When interviewed on this topic, consultant Toni Tiu, mom to Timmy, age 2, candidly admitted: “I'm  not conscious of the hours my son watches TV, but I'm conscious of the number of shows watched. He can watch up to 2 films a day (one in the morning, one in the evening) and some shows over mealtime. I'm not very strict with TV hours.”

However, Toni is quick to add: “While I'm not strict on TV time, I'm a little strict on quality. He watches only shows I think are beneficial to him, so NO `SPONGEBOB’!”

 

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Instead, Mommy Toni lets Timmy watch her shows of choice, namely, “Team Umizoomi,” which “teaches Math skills in an engaging way; “Yo Gabba Gabba,” because she and Timmy “love the songs and the lessons the characters teach;” and “Handy Manny,” because they “love the neighborhood aspect of it.” She adds: “We watch mostly educational DVDs, not much TV anyway.”

Like the other moms quoted in this article, Toni thinks TV shows do affect a child's development. “You show him garbage, he'll tell you garbage. You show him stupidity on TV (I'm really not a `Spongebob’ fan), he'll show you Spongebob's antics -- not cute,” Toni quips. 

“I enjoy watching `Sesame Street’ DVDs with Timmy, as well as `Brainy Baby’ ones. I don't think they'll make him smarter ala Einstein, but I believe they can help him understand the alphabet or numbers better. I also make sure I'm by his side when he watches so there's interaction between us. I think that makes for a healthy development,” she adds. 

Real estate agent and former Kids for Christ fulltime pastoral worker Michelle Siaotong-Llaban, mom to Sev Philip, 4, and Kaitlyn Faith, 2, also believes that TV-watching must be done “in moderation.” More importantly, she believes that parents must “be very discerning in shows their kids watch as they learn so quickly from words spoken and actions done.” 

Michelle shares: “Kids nowadays are very receptive to what they hear and see. They learn a lot of things from the shows and it has to be complemented by the parents. Case in point, a friend of mine, whose three-year old kid is left watching music videos at home (like those on MTV or Myx), has become so comfortable singing rock songs that he detests hearing nursery rhymes!”

That’s why Michelle herself is quite choosy with the shows her young kids watch. She and her husband, Kirby, make sure they watch only the appropriate shows for their age. “Sometimes we watch TV with them and have our bonding moments over the shows. The kids are allowed to watch TV about 3 hours a day, distributed between the morning and the afternoon.”

“Our son Sev Philip likes `Handy Manny’ so much that he got excited to do things in the house,” Michelle shares. “It also empowers him to always help other people in need.” 

“Sev also loves the tricks of `Mickey Mouse Clubhouse’ and `Word World’ because he learns a lot of new words – it even helps him spell out words!” she says. “Our little girl, Kaitlyn, on the other hand, loves Barney and his songs. She loves to dance along with Barney, too.”

 

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No TV at All?! – Yes, It’s Possible!

If you think that this article aims to advocate responsible TV-watching for children among parents, you are partially correct. As previously mentioned at the beginning though, we believe that it is ultimately up to the parents to decide on what, when and how long their kids watch TV.

There are, however, a “different breed” of parents, who choose NOT to let their children watch ANY TV at all – or don’t even have a television set in their homes! The reasons they give for doing so are quite commendable, and every parent might want to consider reflecting upon them.

Ken and Christine Neijstrom, parents to 19-month old Marta, are Americans based in Manila, and, according to Christine, “we don't watch TV...ever. We stopped watching TV over Lent a few years ago, and it became a tradition during Lent, and then we just stopped watching it altogether after Marta was born.”

She adds that, at that time, she and Ken found they were having too much fun enjoying life with their new baby to sit on the couch and follow shows. That realization still holds true today. “We listen to NPR and BBC Online for news and some entertainment. We read lots of books and try to spend time outside everyday,” she shares. “Our lives are so much richer now that we don't watch TV. We have a television but it’s sitting in a box in a room of storage items waiting to be sold.”  

“Marta has never really watched TV and when she sees them in waiting rooms or shops or other people's houses she's not interested at all - neither are we,” she happily admits. “I think going TV-free has been one of the best choices our family has made - we're not bombarded with advertisements and unwelcome messages, and we have lots of time to be together. Our house is quiet and peaceful and we can arrange the furniture any way we want (not around the `TV altar’).”

Stef Patag, a Filipina mom based in Cincinnati, Ohio, who describes herself as “a Catholic homeschooling mom of four, ages 2-15, plus 1 in college” (namely, Aisa, 20; Paco, 14; Migi, 12; Yena, 9; and Nino, 2), also says that they don’t watch TV in their home. “We do subscribe to Netflix and watch as a family from time to time, pero we handpick the movies, and we usually don't go for TV shows, kasi madalas may hidden agenda.”  

Maricel Cua, co-owner of “Medela Moms,” the exclusive authorized Medela distributor in the Philippines, and homeschool mom to Lia, 6, says they own a TV, however, just like Stef and Christine, they don't watch TV shows that often. 

“At first, it was a conscious effort on our part when Lia was born, then it just sort of became a natural thing to do,” she shares. “There's simply no time to just sit down and watch a full TV show when there are so many other things to do! Lia never clamors for TV time. During our time together, we either read, play, make crafts, or do outdoor stuff.” 

“We do use the TV to play educational videos though, like those that teach Mandarin, mostly because we haven't found a suitable teacher for Lia yet, and the grandparents have been reminding us that she needs to learn the Chinese language,” Maricel adds.  Writer and internet marketer Marvin Isidore Macatol, who also happens to be a Catholic homeschooling parent, along with his wife, Rhia, says that their kids, Maurice John, 8, and Maegan Magdalene, 3, don’t watch TV either. Instead, their family chooses to watch DVDs of pre-selected titles.

 

How about you, dear readers? What are your opinions, thoughts, and experiences when it comes to kids and watching TV? Feel free to leave your comments below!

Watch out for the second part of this article-series, where we feature interviews with educators and developmental pediatricians. Coming soon!

Photo by hoyasmeg via flickr creative commons