Parenting Content // Should You Have a TV in Your Child’s Bedroom?*

There are all sorts of different views from parents on if and when you should introduce a television in your child’s bedroom. Some don’t see a problem with it whilst others don’t believe it’s a good idea at all.

Here are the arguments for and against putting a TV in your child’s room so you can decide for yourself…

For
· They can relax on their own – your child can take themselves off to their room if they just want to relax on their own and watch something they like

· Fewer arguments on what to watch – You want to watch one thing but they want to watch something else. This is the perfect solution.

· It doesn’t have to cost the Earth – small TVs are pretty affordable these days so you can save your money for the massive 4K Ultra HD TVs and Blu-ray players to go in the living room.

· It can provide respite from siblings – if they’re getting annoyed at a brother or sister then it’s something they can do to separate themselves from them.

· It might make them feel more grown up – Showing that you trust them enough to have their own TV will make them feel just like you!

· You don’t have to suffer through endless kids’ TV shows – Says it all really.

· You could use it as a reward – you could use TV time as a reward for good behaviour or good school work.

Against

· Will it make them antisocial? – Many parents worry that putting a TV in their child’s room will make them more lazy and antisocial.

· They might stay awake at night – There’s always the worry that they could try and watch TV at night rather than go to sleep when you told them to.

· They might break it – There’s always a chance that they could break the TV, turning it into a waste of money.

· They might be more reluctant to go outside – if they get into the habit of sitting in their room watching television then they might not want to go and play outside and do exercise.

· You have less control over what they watch – they might end up watching something that you don’t think is appropriate for them.

· Reduce clutter – Kids’ bedrooms are always the messiest rooms in the house anyway, so adding something else to the room (probably with countless DVDs) will cause more clutter.

· Less electricity usage – You can save a little extra energy and money by reducing the number of electrical items in the house, so that might be one you feel you can do without.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of pros and cons and each parent may be able to add personal points to the list, but it does give an overview of the main points that might be crossing your mind. Hopefully this will help make up your mind if you’re unsure of what to do.