Be honest- how much "screen time" do your kids get per day?

[Anonymous]

None. Not any. Zero. No TVs in the house. It isn't good for children. It probably isn't good for you either. And it's definitely hard to stop once you let it begin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:None. Not any. Zero. No TVs in the house. It isn't good for children. It probably isn't good for you either. And it's definitely hard to stop once you let it begin.

Ahh. The sanctimony. Live and let live.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:None. Not any. Zero. No TVs in the house. It isn't good for children. It probably isn't good for you either. And it's definitely hard to stop once you let it begin.

It's not hard to stop. It's tv, not drugs. As the parent I simply say, "no tv tonight". End of "discussion" at our house.

[Anonymous]

Like a lot of other posters, none during the week (M-Th) and then whatever works with our schedule on weekends. Our kids always use their handhelds while we go out for meals, and can watch TV, as well as play with iPad at home. Not unlimited but not highly regimented. Often like, "OK, you two can each pick a show." But I like my SIL's approach. I don't think she really keeps track of it but every now and then when I've been at their house she's bellowed, "Get outside and play, you've been watching TV all day!" I tend to do the same thing - let em watch for awhile but then kick them off and tell them to do other stuff if they have been watching for hours (which frankly happens most often if I am stuck working from home and have not enough child care).

[Anonymous]

Several hours a day. They read a lot while the TV is on.

[Anonymous]

2 kids, 2 and 4 y.o. They watch about 1.5 hours on weekdays, usually less on weekends (just because we're out and about more). They generally watch 45 minutes after naptime and another 45 minutes after bath. They each get to choose an episode of something on Netflix and each episode is a little over 20 minutes long, so 45 minutes per session.

On the positive side, they never expect to watch TV except for those times.

We don't watch TV in the car and don't have an iPad. The 4 yo sometimes plays games on Sesame Street.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Several hours a day. They read a lot while the TV is on.

Is that a good thing?

[Anonymous]

5th grader and 8th grader -- none during the week unless need computer for hw. Weekends -- a soccer game or a movie but that is it.

[Anonymous]

Zero during the week. One or two dvds with the family on the weekend. ipad for the last 10 minutes of a sports game for the sibling who had to tag along.

(Elementary school aged kids)

[Anonymous]

I don't have a tv either, I watch stuff on the internet occasionally but the only thing that holds dd's interest enough for her to look is John Stewart of Stephen Colbert (probably because they look into the screen at the audience).

DD is 1, she already has good taste!

[Anonymous]

Huh. I was beating myself up about our tv viewing - seems like we're in the normal range though.

DD (3) get <10 minutes in the morning to make it easier to get out of the house. No TV in the evenings. She gets the phone/iPad once in a long while if I have to get some work done. An hour of TV, tops, on weekends.

So, maybe 3.5 hours at the most, over the course of the week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:None. Not any. Zero. No TVs in the house. It isn't good for children. It probably isn't good for you either. And it's definitely hard to stop once you let it begin.

But DCUM is brain food, eh?

[Anonymous]

Ranges from 1 to 3 hours a day (longest on weekends...we go then chill in front of TV together)......frankly, it sometimes helps me get things done as a single mom. Watches while eating breakfast and getting dressed in AM - rest at night. Mostly PBS but a little Sprout/Sponge Bob sneak in there too.


No ipad, TV in car, and DVD only for trips.

[Anonymous]

OK - haven't read any of the previous posts. I'll be totally honest - either zero or crazy amounts of screen time depending on what's going on in our lives.

The worst - a recent weekend where we both had to work lots and our kids were glued to screens all weekend. They had some outdoor play and arts & crafts mixed in and sports games, but I just wanted to post for real people - we've all been there, right?

[Anonymous]

DS is 2 and we are still at zero. (except skyping relatives in the UK, which it never would have even occurred to me to count!)

Like other posters have said, I'm just not anxious to start the whole begging for the TV to be on yet! Plus I really hate the TV on as background noise thing, so unless we are sitting down to watch a dvr'd program after DS is asleep, our TV is off. Luckily DH and I are very compatible on this...though he does love his "American Football" in season (just the Skins games, also dvr'd)