Parents often wonder about when the right time is to put a TV in their child’s bedroom, and whether introducing the small screen in the child’s room is bad or good for their development.
There are some factors to consider before you buy a new TV for your child’s sleeping area.
We’ll take a look at the pros and cons of putting a TV in your kid’s room, whether that’s a basic TV or Smart TV, and how to set the right boundaries to help him fall asleep easily.
What UK Parents Said About TV in Children’s Bedrooms
Deciding when to place a TV in your child’s bedroom can be a pivotal decision. When the time is right, consider investing in a Samsung Frame TV. This unique television seamlessly blends into your child’s room decor, appearing as a piece of art when not in use.
Its innovative design not only enhances the aesthetic of the space but also offers a range of parental controls, helping you monitor and manage your child’s viewing habits effectively.
Reliant have put together some data after surveying over 600 parents based in the UK, to find out more about families’ experiences on the issue of TVs in bedrooms for kids.
If you are looking to update your child’s bedroom with a TV, why not look into upgrading the bed and purchasing a TV Bed. This way your are updating and modernising the bed whilst also adding a tv in the room which can be hidden away.
75% of children want a TV in their room, which is no surprise as TV has always been popular with kids.
Kids start asking for a TV when they are in infant school, so anywhere between the ages of 5-7. This seems accurate to me as my 6 year old daughter has recently been asking, although we have held off for now.
45% of parents wish they’d waited to put a TV in their child’s room, so if you are on the fence, we would recommend you wait and see just a little longer until you feel more certain about the decision.
50% of children are still watching live television, meaning the other half are watching on demand via streaming services such as Netflix of Amazon video. The on demand TV services are definitely more popular with the kids in my family, apart from football which they will watch live.
54% of children have an iPad or tablet, which obviously is portable so could be watched in any room of the house including the bedroom and 8% of children don’t watch any TV programmes at all. This probably includes the groups of both those who prefer to watch only YouTube, and those who don’t watch anything on screens at all.
The research shows that 45% of children watch TV to fall asleep, so these group may include children who do have a TV in their room already as well as some toddlers who watch tv in the sofa to fall asleep and then are transferred to bed by their parents.
Pros and Cons of TV in Your Child’s Bedroom
When considering the best time to introduce a TV in your child’s bedroom, understanding the right balance is crucial, and for those exploring options, TV rentals can be a flexible solution.
Allowing your child to have TV in the bedroom, one of the main concerns is what type of content they will be able to access, especially since they would have more opportunities to access this unsupervised, away from the main living areas.
Limiting Content
Using smart TV and adding certain TV streaming apps like Netflix, BBC Iplayer or Amazon video and then locking down the account to child profiles only, actually gives parents a lot more peace of mind than just having access to live TV.
Setting Boundaries
If you want to restrict the amount of TV your child watches each day, it’s important to have a discussion and come up with some suitable limits together, and agree on your boundaries.
Artificial Light
As the research shows, nearly half of children do fall asleep watching television but lots of research also shows that the blue light exposure right before sleeping time is not the best.
It’s artificial light exposure at the wrong times, at night when the body needs darkness to facilitate sleep, that poses a threat to nightly rest and to your body’s bio clock. This is the case whatever your age!
Bedtime Routine
This can be combatted by turning the TV off at least an hour before bedtime, and then getting started on a peaceful sleeping routine with a warm bath, and bedtime story before settling down. Having a TV in the room does not have to equate to falling asleep in front of the TV each night.
Where else could you put the TV?
Maybe your child wants TV in their own space so they can watch freely when other family members are watching television.
This problem could be solved with adding a second TV in the playroom or other areas of the house rather than going straight for the bedroom. We also added an extra TV in the home gym in the garage where the kids like to exercise and play football, that way they can watch things like cosmic kids yoga on YouTube or play music videos while they work out.
Effects on Family Time
Watching TV or movies together is an important family bonding activity for many families, but adding the extra TV to your child’s bedroom doesn’t mean that this can’t continue.
Usually, parents would add a smaller tv to the bedroom so when it’s time for movie night your child will still come together and watch on the bigger screen with the entire family.
Freedom and Privileges for Your Growing Child
After considering all the factors, your child may finally be ready for a TV in his or her bedroom. As our kids get older, and show they are able to respect boundaries and make good decisions for their lives in terms of sleeping on time, and balancing TV with study time, then we can show them we trust them and give them responsibility and privileges – like having their own TV in their own bedroom.
Parenting is full of tricky decisions, but with careful consideration we’re sure you will come to the solution that is right for you and your family.