Most of us know that but still many a times knowingly or unknowingly use TV as a babysitter. Watching TV is not a problem but only if it is used in moderation. As long as kids are watching age appropriate programs for a limited amount of time it is refreshing for them. This becomes a problem when kids are allowed to watch unsupervised television for long hours.

Why is it harmful ?

• Staring at the TV for long hours or sitting too close to it weakens children’s eye muscles. Of course, TV is not the only reason for weak eyes. There are other factors like poor nutrition and genetics that also play a part . But a lot of times, TV does the damage.
• It also hampers creativity as there is so much happening in front of them so quickly that there is no time to think or imagine. For example when they read books they are reading at their own pace and trying to visualize the characters.
• Most worrying of all is the physical activity time that the TV eats up. Children lack the Stamina that is built with lots of physical play. Also it  builds up lethargy and causes aggression ( in case the child is watching aggressive programs).

What can we do?

• For any rule to work, consistency is the key. Once you set a rule don’t change it now and then as no rule works without consistency.
• Set timings for watching TV which should be no more than an hour in a day. No negotiations on this one.
• Supervise what the kid is watching. Parental control is a must, the TV world is not a very safe place these days.

Always remember TV can’t do our job. It is difficult to resist the temptation to use the idiot box especially when we are in middle of a migraine, or when the house help ditches or there is a pile of work at office. But remember it can do more harm than good.

We can’t throw the TV out of the house but at least we can limit the usage.