New Nielsen figures show that kids watch more than an entire day’s worth of television in an average week: 32 hours for kids 2 to 5 and 28 hours for kids 6 to 11. That’s an eight-year high, which is alarming pediatricians who warn that every minute spent in front of the tube is a minute not spent exercising, playing outside, or even reading books and, you know, interacting with other human beings.
While there’s absolutely no denying any of that, the increase can hardly come as a shock, given that the figures include DVR playback, DVD viewing, and video games. There’s more big-time entertainment aimed specifically at kids than ever, thanks to Disney Channel and Nickelodeon constantly competing for little eyeballs, not to mention an explosion of cross-promotional DVDs, games, and the like that tie in with kiddie-channel faves. Plus, we’ve got more ways to watch at any age than ever before — point being, we should be alarmed for all of us if we’re alarmed at all.
Then again, TV isn’t all bad, is it? Dora the Explorer expands kids’ horizons, Sesame Street taught us all Spanish before we started kidergarten, and even sitcoms like Wizards of Waverly Place offer solid morals and good, clean laughs. Experts have been warning against TV for kids since it began, but if they are going to watch (and history tells us they absolutely are), I’d rather have them watching stuff made for them than taking in CSI or Entourage.
What do you think, PopWatchers? Should kids’ TV time be strictly limited, or is this just a sign of the changing times? If so much TV didn’t cater specifically to kids, would they still watch as much? Are you as alarmed by these figures as experts are?
Photo Credit: Theo Wargo
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I let my twins (6 & 7) watch all the tv they want. I have yet to see any harmful side effects.
…wow, great parenting.
also, do you have two sets of twins?
Lani and Jani are 6 and Manny and Danny are 7. They are not fat. They do not cuss. TV is only evil if you let it.
really – when was the last time you actually spent time with your kids – can they put a sentence together without being “bleeped” – keep dreaming that these kids will be “bleepin” perfect because of the tv – BTW is your real name Kate G
How about their attention spans? Studies show that the more TV, movies, and videogames that kids are exposed to, the more likely that they will develop ADD and/or generally have a hard time focusing due to the constant flickering lights. My friend’s young children are a prime example of this: Too much TV and movies has sadly turned them into short-attention span kids. Seriously, you really need to consider the harm you are doing to your childrens’ brains by letting TV be your babysitter.
Are your kids fat?
Hey, I was raised on TV and I turned out TV!
turned out tv ?? wow that’s scary
my kids are not overweight, play organized sports, do their homework every night, have friends, we eat dinner together & yet they still watch a lot more TV & play more videogames then I ever did as a child. Most of the time they aren’t doing the above activities they are watching TV. They watch the same shows together and talk about the shows with each other & their friends. I allow so much TV because it gets them out of my hair for a few hours a week so I can do stuff around the house. I work full time and am away from the house for the same hours they are in school. It’s my time & I like it that way & don’t feel like I’m hurting my kids by doing so.
kids out of your hair – why not get the kids to help you do the stuff around the house – I like it that way – why did you have the kids in the first place if you can’t make them a part of your life and use the stupid tv as your distraction – you are not a good mom
wow really not a good mom because I like a few minutes alone??? I love my kids and spend a lot time with them, but yes I do enjoy having 30 minutes to myself every now and then. I suppose you think parents should spend every waking moment with their parents. As a parent I can tell you that a few minutes here and there without my kids keeps me sane. I enjoy doing the housework by myself because if I try to have them (or my husband help) then I have to listen to them complain. I enjoy the peace. You obviously have limited interaction with real humans if you think we should spend all our time together. You have maybe a cat as your only companion??
I meant parents should spend every waking moment with their KIDS, not parents. Too much TV as a child has made me incapable of keeping my thoughts clear, obviously!
When I was a kid, the TV might have been on, but it doesn’t mean I was actually watching everything. I was usually playing with toys or friends or something. Kids get so distracted with everything else they have to play with, they’re probably not actually consuming 32 hours of TV a week. It’s just on and Nielsen records it as so.
i was a latchkey kid who watched a ton of TV. i also took dance classes, played soccer, read a ton of books, and made it to graduate school. moderation is a good thing, if it can be enforced by the parents, but i learned a lot from my TV education.
What did you learn from your tv education? How not to CAPITILIZE your “I”
You spelled “capitalize” wrong while criticizing someone else’s spelling. Do you know what I learned from that? That you’re an idiot. And one doesn’t need to make that “i” a CAPITAL.
Annie didn’t utilize capitalization when using the pronoun “I.” So what? She did manage to correctly employ parallel structure, and she also attempted a compound sentence.
Looks like someone didn’t watch enough tv and can’t spell – next time try the National Spelling Bee – tv and a bonus – spelling lesson.
My son watches Nickelodeon a lot but he also goes outside to play, he does his homework and we spend time together. I guess it depends on what is considered “too much” TV.
I’m 14. I watch The Office, HIMYM, Big Bang Theory, 30 Rock, Glee, House, Bones, Flash Forward, and NCIS. Not to mention CNN and HLN.
I’m also a straight A student, in all honors, marching band, volleyball, and I hold down a job. T.V is only bad if you let it be.
Dear T.V Obsessed – and what are you learning from these shows – if you are in fact 14 years old and have a job – better not be in violation of child labor laws
LOL. Yeah, right.
Can I adopt you?
TV doesn’t make people fat – food does!
The first poster has a very legitimate point; TV is only as “evil” as you let it be. I was raised watching a lot of television and playing video games, but that wasn’t just me time, it also proved good family time. My brother and I played video games together and my family and I sat down together Sunday nights for the ABC movie. But on top of that, I also spent a lot of my youth outside, making up games, pretending to be James Bond, and the like. It doesn’t have to be TV OR exercise OR friends, you can mostly certainly have a childhood with all three. I know that I did.
Show me kids that don’t watch tv at all and I’ll bet they have an au pair or a nanny to keep them occupied instead of television. My kids do watch tv, but they also do many other things as well. We also don’t allow tv on school nights. That is the only way to make sure they do a good job on their homework. That is a personal choice because my kids rushed too much on their homework so they could watch tv. It’s all about moderation.
When I was kid we were one of the first families to get cable. I watched tv constantly. It kept me from doing my homework and still its a vice I cant give up. I love it and yet I know that I could be doing so much more with 4-5 hours a day I waste watching tv. Cleaning, exercise, socialization, preparing for grad school, and I’ve always wanted to write. Don’t let your kids watch too much tv, it makes them lazy and complacent, its the new opiate of the masses.
I feel a little hypocritical telling kids not to watch that much TV when I do. Don’t I need to exercise too?
But seriously, I hope kids aren’t watching TV this much in the summer. That’s inexcusable.
I watched way too much TV as a kid and now I have a successful job in children’s media marketing. Pros and cons, people…
So you are responsible for advertsing high sugar products to kids – sounds like con to me
TV is ok, but it should not be used as a babysitter. Kids are fat because parents don’t take them to the park or pay so they can join spotts teams or learn martial arts, to swim and Ballet.
Park around here means you might get shot…tv as babysitter is always wrong, tv as family time activity after chores and homework is fine – but Bones, NCIS – that is not appropriate for all ages – and to the 14 yr old – really not for you