Kids And TV: A Quick Guide For Parents

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As parents, we all know that our kids shouldn’t spend too much time in front of the TV each day. But watching TV shouldn’t always be seen in such a negative light. It’s a chance for your family to spend time together, learn new things and have fun. A few hours spent watching a TV show or a movie can also be a great way of interacting with one another. However, if your kids become too reliant on the TV or start to watch inappropriate things, it could affect their development. So to help you kids develop a positive attitude towards the TV and to keep them safe, take a look at this quick guide.

Create a suitable environment

One of the best ways of keeping your kids safe when they watch the TV is by creating a suitable watching environment. Make sure they aren’t seated to close to the TV as this can cause eye, neck and back strain. You should also make sure that the volume on your internal and external tv speakers is at an appropriate level. Having it too loud could damage your children’s delicate ears and cause temporary hearing loss. Add cushions and blankets to your sofa to provide your children with comfort, support and warmth too.

Do checks first

If your kids want to watch a new movie or TV show that you’ve not seen before, alway check to make sure it is suitable. You can do this by using age rating websites or by reading online reviews made by other parents. This will help you establish whether or not the film might be too mature or scary for them to watch by telling you more about the content. These are often very detailed and usually, provide a recommended age rating. In addition to this, you could also put a pin code onto your TV for extra safety. This will prevent your kids from accidentally accessing channels and shows they are too young to see. Always make sure this lock is active when your kids are using the TV on their own.

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Use a timer

To help you stick to recommended two-hour viewing time, use an egg timer or your phone. It might seem strict, but it will get your kids into a routine and stop them from being stationary for too long. Once they time goes off, they can go outside or play a musical instrument instead. If you enjoy watching TV at night, doing this will also ensure your kids go to bed at a suitable time. As they get older, you can slightly lengthen the amount of viewing time they get. Never offer TV viewing as a reward or as a punishment as this give it too much importance.

Hopefully, this guide will help you set some boundaries and keep your kids safe when watching the TV. Let your kids see how amazing the TV can be by hosting a movie night or using it for learning. But also make sure they know how to have fun in other ways too.