Kick the TV Habit

  • My favorite story about parents, kids and TV comes from Linda Ellerbee, the producer of children's public-affairs shows for Nickelodeon. One night Ellerbee was trying to get the attention of her two children, who were glued to the TV. In desperation, she yanked the set out of the wall and tossed it out a second-story window. Hours later she guiltily found it lying in a heap on the lawn. She brought it inside and plugged it in. To her horror, it still worked. "Damn!" she said. "You can't even kill the sucker!"

    Three related new studies by the Annenberg Public Policy Center (available at https://appcpenn.org ) illuminate TV's power to make parents crazy. Technology such as the V chip allows parents to block shows, and ratings are attached to many programs, but very few parents use either of them. Nine of 10 parents could not accurately identify the age ratings for a sampling of programs their children watched. And parents reported to researchers that they felt powerless to control their kids' media consumption.

    Though the V chip is mandatory on all new televisions, producers and broadcasters have done a lousy job of rating their shows, making the ratings understandable and providing the mandatory three hours a week of "educational and informative" programming for children. Such programs are identified by an E/I icon on the screen, and include heady offerings like NBA: Inside Stuff. (Parents with questions about the V chip and ratings can call 1-877-282-4478 or check https://cme.org .)

    Amy Jordan, mother of three and lead researcher for one of the Annenberg studies, says her work shows the importance of parental example. Parents who are heavy TV viewers have children who spend an average of 4.5 hours a day with the Internet, video games or TV. Families in the study reported that when there was a conflict over TV, kids simply retreated to their rooms, where 57% have TVs and 11% have Internet hookups. Giving a child her own TV might seem a handy way to avoid scuffles over the remote, but it is a terrible idea. TVs and computers should be in a central location so parents who can't figure out the V chip can at least know what TV their kids watch, and how much.

    Or families can try something radical. Not long ago, I realized that in my home, the TV had become like wallpaper. One of our three sets was on virtually all the time. So five weeks ago, I decided to try a modified Ellerbee--pulling the plug without tossing the set. My daughter smugly (and correctly) predicted the loss would be hardest on me. Those first few evenings without the tube seemed to last forever. But we've been reading more, playing cards and going out for ice cream after dinner. As I write this, the kid is in the other room teaching herself to play the piano.

    On a recent camping trip with our TV-addicted extended family, we alone knew how to entertain ourselves. Our first night in the woods, we suggested playing charades, and it became our hilarious nightly ritual. On our last night, we held a "no-talent show," in which each person sang or told stories for the group. I don't know how long my daughter and I can hold out without TV, but we've learned some discipline and some alternatives. Maybe we can't kill the sucker--but we can control it.

    You can e-mail Amy at Timefamily@aol.com