Limit TV watching
for everyone’s sake

Judy Hetterman

 

TV is your child watching each day? According to a large national research study,

(Strong Families, Strong Schools, U.S. Department of Education, 1994),

academic achievement drops sharply for children who watch TV more than

10 hours a week. Many children watch four to six hours a day or more. Today’s

parents have grown up with TV. It is not always easy to imagine life without the

TV. However, most parents would like to enhance the quality of their family’s life.

You can make a positive difference in the quality of your family-life by controlling

how the television is used and providing alternative activities.
Here are some suggestions for living a more balanced life with the small screen:
1. Try to cut down on your own viewing hours. Parents are their children’s

most important role models.
2. Turn the TV off when no one is watching it. The constant noise and fleeting

images dull the senses.
3. With your child’s input, set firm rules for limited TV watching, quiet homework

time, active playtime, family meals, bedtime, etc.
4. Ask your child’s opinion about the benefits and hazards of watching TV. Do you

think he or she might actually agree that too much TV is harmful?
5. Take your child’s TV out of the bedroom and into rooms where you can monitor

when and what he or she watches. Remember — your child is not mature enough to

continually monitor use of the TV in a closed room.
6. Make a list with your child of a few specific, acceptable programs that you both

will watch. Let him or her write the list. Make sure the programs you select are also

suitable for your child to see. Agree that the TV will stay off the rest of the time.
7. Think about other ground rules for TV uses. For example:
•Meal times — Agree to turn off the TV and converse while you eat meals together.

Research shows that the more families eat together, the higher children’s grades are.
•Homework — Homework must be done before the TV can be turned on, even

considering acceptable programs. Homework will get done more quickly.
•Clean bedroom — The bedroom must be clean before the TV can be turned on, which

is located in the family room. Think about the difference in the appearance of the bedroom.
8. Discuss ground rules for viewing television at other people’s houses.
9. Use logical consequences when your child violates the TV rules. For example, the

TV will stay off entirely for a certain length of time.
10. If the TV is off, you can be sure you and your children will find other

interesting things to do.
11. Show that you are having fun with the alternative activities you choose to do when

the TV is off. You can prove that life is better without the constant presences of the

television.
Remember, as the parent, you are the leader at home. By regulating television use,

you are doing your child a big favor that may affect his or her life for years to come.