UK children watch an average of more than two and a half hours of television a day and spend an hour and 50 minutes online a day, a poll suggests.
A survey of 2,445 children aged five to 16 by Child Wise found almost two in three have their own computer (62%).
And nearly half have Internet access in their own room (46%). (!!!!!!!!)
What the hell is that about? What % of their time was spent bike riding, making a den, getting really muddy, reading from a book? (A what?) A book... And what about helping with dinner, and I don't mean just waiting for the microwave to ping. Then there are pets to feed/clean, homework to do and, if you've done all that, what about setting the table?
I'm clearly living in an alternative universe.... fortunately it is with my husband and our children.
Good company in your universe to be sure. One of the best things about blogging is discovering there are still some who share your values.
ReplyDeleteIt's a battle over here in the states. Our local library recently installed computers in the kiddies reading room and the school sets assignments for reading that have to be accessed by the computer. Legend jnr is on a pretty tight rope though. He's a big helper with whatever you are doing and loves his bike. Kids here don't play out much because their parents don't let them. They take them to organized football, or organized baseball. No one just goes out to play.
ReplyDeleteI'm every day thankful for having grown up in the 70's and 80's, where life rolled at a different pace... living in the countryside and then a small town also helped. I feel sorry for today's kids, really, specially the ones stuck in big cities :-/
ReplyDeleteI gave up the battle - and mine do watch tons of telly and play on the 'puter BUT I am also gladdened (weirdly) by the sight of all my tupperware abandoned in the garden full of worms, or clay smeared all over my table, or all the chairs in the house propped at odd angles tied together with old curtains and ten tons of screwed up home-made magazines discarded across my Minx's bedroom floor. I still tut and moan about the mess - because if they knew I was pleased they might stop! The more I moaned about the telly - the more they seemed to do it. (Having said that....what am I thinking....... you don't have to tidy up the telly. No - Bad Muvva.) Minx is currently 'saving up' (ha ha ha ha yeah right love....) for a telly to go in her room. The Shoulder Devil says 'Yay - no more American crap teen noise down here!' The Shoulder Angel says 'Eeeeeeeeeeeeek!!!!!!!!!!!' She'd NEVER go to bloody sleep! It's bad enough listening to all the scribbling she does into the wee hours........ but what if all that should stop - Worse!
ReplyDeleteIt's a problem to be sure. In secondary school so much of the work has to be accessed and researched online. We've only had one computer up until recently but with the homework issue and two kids fighting over whose homework was more important we've had to succumb to one each. Neither of mine really watch TV but they do spend quite a bit of time online to friends in the evening but then, on the other hand, The Boy goes to the gym 3 nights a week, has rugby twice and Muay Thai once while The Girl has music and drama several nights. She's got into Twitter which I think is the Devil's handwork. Get thee off it!!! It's all about balance.... although that 'balance' doesn't seem to extend to doing the washing up after dinner!
ReplyDeleteJames: Oh thanks... I did suddenly wonder, after posting, that it may just be me who thinks this way...I'm gladdened to know there's two of us!
ReplyDeletelegend in his own lunchtime: I suppose we are fortunate that ours can cycle and run about here in the middle of nowhere, at the moment they are very young (6 and 8) so we can dictate about TV and DSi and the internet... soon we may come to blows over it. The bad thing about the countryside freedom is that we have to import their friends to our outpost for playdates and sleepovers. I dread to think of the taxi service we will become in later years!
Technodoll: I agree, to live in a town or city where I didn't feel comfortable letting the sproglets play out, would really hurt. Mind you I remember being desperate to run away to London when I was about 11 or 12. I eventually lived there, aged 22, but soon escaped to Europe.. I couldn't live in London now.
MadamSmokinGun: (Sorry I took so long to publish.. the wind has a strange effect on me!!) You're right, there is a balance and probably I'm too strict. The thing is, if I felt they were missing out on something really good on TV that was suitable for 6/8yos I'd Sky+ it and we'd watch it, but in truth I just can't see anything on Sky or CBBC that looks worth it. Some of the programmes we've watched resulted in a surge in 'attitude' - 'speak to the hand cos the face ain't listening' type of stuff..
I've even noticed boy getting more aggressive after he plays Lego Batman/Star Wars/Indianna Jones, yet not so when he plays Mario Olympics; which is competitive but doesn't seem to focus on bashing up your opponent.
In the end I just want to be the mum who isn't afraid to be unpopular if I think something is bad for the family... I'm really good at being unpopular!
Wylye Girl: We're just starting to get to the 'do projects at home using the internet' so I know it's coming.
It would frighten me if mine wanted to use Facebook and Twitter, both of which I hate but use, (double standards me????) and I keep saying that it doesn't really apply yet because mine are 6 and 8, but I'm being told by other mums that loads of 8/9yolds have TV in their rooms.... I really can't see me caving on that one anytime soon.
Never mind the washing up! I'd just like someone to say 'Thank you' for dinner once in a while. 2 hours to cook it, 30 seconds to devour it while asking "Is there a pudding?" ..... gripe, gripe...
Oops -sorry I posted twice! I thought I'd done summit stoopid! If you ever check back on 'old' comments - then check out this youtube clip - don't know if my copy/paste thing worked actually - it doesn't look right.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAQrsA3m8Bg
Or just look up The Love Police on Youtube then - it's jolly funny.