How Much TV Should You Let Your Kids Watch?

It’s one of the most contentious issues when it comes to raising children – how much TV is too much? It’s a good way to keep them quiet on a wet afternoon and they can undoubtedly learn from it, but we all know that too much time in front of a screen is unhealthy. Whether it’s Peppa Pig or Fireman Sam, how much TV should you let your kids watch?

Image Credit
The Health Risks

Watching too much TV carries health risks for children and adults alike, but the risk of obesity is much greater for kids. Spending too much time in front of the box means they’re not out and about, running around and burning off calories as kids should do.
Screen time eats into valuable play time and exercise, while TV watching often goes hand in hand with meals or snacks. There’s also the danger that the longer your kids spend in front of the box, the more adverts for high-sugar, high-fat foods they’re likely to be exposed to. Not only are they then more likely to pester you to buy them, but research has shown that being bombarded by junk food adverts makes people consume more.

Image Credit
Too much time in front of the TV also affects children’s mental development. Screen time takes away from other activities which stimulate creativity and the imagination, meaning they’re not stretching their minds and learning those all-important life skills. They’re also missing out on socialising, so they’re not fully developing the social skills which would benefit them later in life.
How Much is too Much?

While it is tempting to simply plonk your kids down in front of the screen in order to get a little peace and quiet, you also run the risk of them becoming addicted to it. That means that if things go wrong with your TV set and you find yourself in need of Worcester TV aerial repair or even a replacement set, you’ll have a harder time keeping them occupied. Hiring professionals such as https://steveunettaerials.co.uk/services/tv-aerials-repair-installation-worcester/ means the problem can be quickly fixed, but you need to entertain them in the interim.
Experts recommend children should watch no more than an hour and a half to two hours of television a day. Getting them up and active will help them develop both physically and mentally.