The Australian Government is to issue guidelines advising parents and carers to prevent children under two years old from watching television.

Many parents respond to criticisms about allowing their children to watch TV, by stating that the programmes are educational and fun.  They claim that their children learn colours, letters, numbers and even foreign languages (as in Dora The Explorer and Diego).

The Baby Einstein product range has been designed to introduce babies to music, art and poetry.

However, some critics remain adamant that television media, even those designed specifically for children do more harm than good.

Well, this is where I step in to give my tuppence worth!…

I have five-year old twin daughters, who are bright, intelligent and social little girls.  Currently in Primary One at school, they received glowing reports from the Nursery School in the two years that they were there.

I purchased three Baby Einstein DVDs for my girls, when they were approximately six months old.  I would place the girls in their little bouncy chairs in front of the TV, while I caught up on household chores, prepared dinner or (shock, horror!) simply to allow me half an hour to put my feet up with a cuppa and read the paper!  The girls enjoyed the DVDs.  This was evident from their little faces and the noises and movements coming from those bouncy chairs! 

The Baby Einstein DVDs are, quite simply, works of art!  They provide an audio-visual feast of delight! They are sheer genius.  I found that the classical music was a calming influence, not only on the children, but also on me!   

As my daughters got older, I allowed them to watch some programmes from the cBeebies channel.  These programmes are good fun, and provided you watch along with them, they can open up discussions on nature, art, technology, etc.  Some programmes feature silly songs and rhymes, others teach the children dance moves, and some show arts and crafts.  If you watch the programmes alongside your children it can provide inspiration for lots of activities away from the TV.  Many programmes also reinforce morals in your children, with characters such as the Tweenies learning what is right and wrong and having to deal with the consequences of their behaviour.

I certainly believe that my daughters gained a lot from watching such television programmes, not least immense enjoyment.

I defy any “expert” to prove that watching any programme with Children’s favourite, Justin Fletcher, is harmful to their development.  Justin Fletcher is an absolute genius when it comes to children’s television.  Quite simply all young children adore him!  It’s easy to see why, when you watch him in action in cBeebies programmes such as Tikkabilla and Something Special. 

My daughters received two “Justin” DVDs from Santa when they were two years old.  In one DVD, “Let’s Sing Nursery Rhymes”, Justin takes you on a magical tour through Nursery Rhyme Land.  The other DVD was a recording of a live show where Justin and his helpers sing lots of fun children’s songs, with comic capers and audience participation along the way.  My daughters still enjoy watching these DVDs.

My girls now enjoy watching the Nick Junior, Playhouse Disney or Boomerang channels, with their favourites being Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Tom and Jerry or Dora The Explorer.   Monday to Friday, they watch no more than one hour of television, sometimes none at all.  However, they do watch a little more TV at weekends.  They even enjoy watching the Simpsons and The X Factor with Mummy and Daddy.

However, I’d like to point out that my daughters also spend a lot of time painting and drawing, and playing with their toys together.  They also love books and are coming on great with their reading and writing.

I honestly feel that children (even the under those under 2) can enjoy television.  However, I feel that it’s important to watch along with your children, so that you can discuss and explain things as they crop up.  Sometimes, it’s necessary to leave them to watch TV while you prepare dinner or perform some other household chore. In the main, though, your child’s TV viewing should be supervised.

One thing I do vehemently oppose though, is young children having TVs in their bedrooms.  There is absolutley no need for a pre-schooler to have a TV in their room.  Children of that age should not be left unsupervised anyway! 

My daughters will not have a TV in their bedroom until they are in High School.   This is something I feel very strongly about.  I feel that children’s television viewing needs to be supervised, so that you can be sure that they are watching suitable programmes, and this cannot be done if the child has their own TV in their room.

I know of some parents, who think nothing of allowing their children to watch TV in their beds until they fall asleep.  Personally, I think this is an appalling idea.  I feel this is a bad habit for children to fall into, which is not conducive to good sleeping patterns.  I prefer the ‘old-fashioned’ bedtime routine of reading your child a bedtime story.

Similarly, I have no intentions of installing computers in my daughters’ bedroom until they are of  High School age and, even then, I will be restricitng their Internet access.  This is another activity that I feel parents should be supervising.

Do you agree that TV is bad for children and if so, do you forbid your children from watching it?

Or do you feel that television is just harmless entertainment that children should be allowed to enjoy?

This is certainly a subject which provokes much debate, and I would like to hear what your opinions are.