We've got a 5yr old and a 3yr old, and we have had a no-TV policy from day one. Our kids, of course, have seen TVs in restaurants and other people's homes, and they have even seen short videos (like a space shuttle launch) on our computer. Because it's not a routine part of their life (or even casually available to them), they don't even think to ask for it. They both have amazing imaginations and can entertain themselves even on long car rides. Instead of TV, we read books, color, play outside, go to the pool or park, build with LEGO - you know, the same stuff we did when we were kids.
The hardest thing for me has been young children begging, just begging, for screen time. It's heartbreaking and I know very few parents who have managed to make no mean no. I grew up watching TV but then, TV was mostly for adults and I only paid attention those few hours it was child-friendly. I spent almost the entire decade of the 90s without a television, only going to the movies or the occasional VHS. Even today, while I'm on my computer for 8 hours/5 days a week, I read books when I stop work or cook or just sit and talk. I turn off the screen, close the laptop and turn off wifi on my phone. I worry for the attention span our kids won't have.
When was the last time you let a child just get bored, so they might entertain themselves with their imagination?
On the other side, when we go out for walks or camping or away from tech, it really doesn't take long for the kids to adjust.
Yup. Man I remember my childhood and it was awesome ... no planned sports, regular family meal times and plenty of time to just play or read or ride my bike or walk for miles in the local fields. I try to provide something close to this for my kids.
Step number one: no TV!
Step number two: remind them that boredom is life's way of encouraging them to be more creative!
Watching television is not free time that can be switched out for other activities. Much of the television watching happens after the kids have gone to sleep as a wind down activity. Also popular is tv before work in the background on a morning show or tv in the background while cooking or cleaning.
Trying to teach your kids how to read or reading them a story cannot happen when much of the tv is consumed.
30 years ago my afternoon consisted of getting home at 2:30, watching The Disney Afternoon until about 5:00, then watching Square One, Reading Rainbow, and ideally 3-2-1 Contact (though it conflicted with The Mcneil-Lehrer News Hour that my mom always wanted to watch). Then it'd be on to The Cosby Show or Star Trek or some other sitcom. I think I averaged between 3.5-5 hours of TV per day. No cable.
I basically don't want TV anymore, and my kids are limited to 3 hours of screentime per day, which they basically only get on weekends. (They get maybe an hour during the weekday, but that's because their school/daycare/aftercare days are much longer than mine were as a kid). I do set limits for them, but both of them (preschool-age) are able to turn off the tablets on their own if faced with the choice of doing it themselves or having mommy & daddy do it.
I've heard of a few parents who have gone TV free but allow their kids phones, iPads and laptops for homework, etc. End result, they see less of their kids because they're all in their rooms watching streaming TV or videos.
Results may vary of course
I raised my kids without cable or broadcast tv, and they had limited access to computer games. However I did have a tv, later a digital projector and we would watch vhs tapes and dvds. They had a tandy 102 they could play with as much as they wanted. I think the problem is not so much screens, but a screen activity without a defined beginning and end, and in isolation. I had a lot of fun watching star trek, etc with my kids. Later as teenagers there was streaming etc, and at that point well they are just like me. The only kind of hard thing is when they felt kind of left out, like not knowing the shows other kids were talking about, or the games etc. I know it's not a easy choice for everyone to make, but at least for me I think it was a pretty good one. I more or less grew up watching tv every night, and what can I say, I know the lyrics to many tv sitcoms. It didn't wreck my life or anything, but it certainly didn't help it.
We don't have a TV in our house, but we do have iPads. I would argue that an iPad is a much better TV - given the right app, it can really help a child sit down, focus, and learn things under their own steam, without that Brave New World programming that comes from most TV sets.
Its a matter of balance, though. My kids get tons of time with the blocks and marbles (we play "kügel-bahn" like mad in our Austrian household - a form of "real-world" Marble Madness) but then we're also partial to a little Pacman now and then. The kids love both options, but given the choice, and if the sun is shining, they'd much rather be outside kicking dirt and climbing trees. The point is: engage your kids, and don't ever leave them alone watching TV. That is pure evil.
We got rid of cable tv years ago and tv watching dropped off sharply after that. These days we barely turn it on, although the kids play XBox here and there. The iPads they have are a nuisance, though. We excised the worst demon, but Youtube has some pretty vapid crap, too. It's a process. I don't want to entirely cut them off because they do learn from it here and there. It's a tool, not a drug.
For my family it’s just about finding a balance. I have a 4 and 6 year old. During the school year there’s no TV during the weekdays. When they wake up on the weekend they can watch TV in the morning until the house is up and ready to start the day. This is also good for my wife and I because we can sleep past 6am.
Our family is usually pretty busy with sports, parties, and other activities on the weekend so there are fewer chances for screen time throughout the day. But we don’t mind an hour here or there between activities or at the end of the day.
Both my kids have Kindle Fires. It gets used on airplanes, drives longer than 4 hours, or if they can’t agree on something to watch or want to play a game instead of using the family TV. We don’t allow the use of screens at restaurants or in the car.
During the summer they go to camp from 8:30am-4:30pm. They usually come home and watch TV for 1-2 hours and relax from a day of being outside and running around.
Sick days are TV days.
I’d love for them to maybe have a little less screen time. That’s also coming from someone who’s watched almost zero TV in the last 6 months but spends 12+ hrs a day on a computer. But I feel like we’ve found a decent enough balance. My kids do there school work and are active and have other interests. They don’t put up a fight when we tell them to turn the screen off.
Grew up without TV at home. In fact, no electricity at home until mid-teens. Still can’t watch TV to this day. My kind of fun was always out there with kids from the neighborhood running around, kicking a ball, getting tired and getting dirty in the process. As an adult it has been replaced with team sports and physical activities. I want the same experience for my kids. Essentially have fun programs that require them engage in an active way: play music instruments, play a couple of sports, paint, spend a lot of time outdoors.
Wait. Your son is currently only in front of a screen for 30 minutes a day? Tha is pretty good, IMO. Heck, when I was 5 I was watching more TV than that.
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