TV is the new babysitter

A poll of 1,000 parents was conducted as part of the Hello campaign – a trust set up to make speech, language and listening for all children and young people a priority in homes and schools across the UK – to find out about TV habits in the home.

The research showed a third of parents of under-fives admit to regularly using TV as a ‘babysitter’ and most don’t monitor what the kids watch. In fact, 54 per cent say they allow their children to see programmes which are created for adults like soap operas Coronations Street and Eastenders. These soap operas regularly have content with hard hitting subjects like rape, child abuse and drug and drink addiction.

Nearly eight out of ten children watch TV for an estimated two hours a day alone with two thirds of parents confessing to not knowing anything about the stories or characters the kids are watching

Nearly eight out of ten children watch TV for around two hours a day alone with two thirds of parents confessing to not knowing anything about the stories or characters the kids are watching.  When parents are viewing programmes with their kids, only fifteen per cent use them to start a conversation.  A fifth say they sit in silence with their children.

The poll found that 70 per cent of the mothers and fathers said they didn’t feel guilty about allowing their children to watch TV with 42 per cent think it is a great way for children to learn.

The Hello campaign published a ten-point plan guide for parents of children at pre-school.  It encourages that they to get more involved in what the kids are watching, that they ask questions on subjects raised, make sure that the programmes are age appropriate and to ensure that the TV is switched off for all important play time. 

Spokeswoman for the campaign, Wendy Lee - a speech and language therapist said: “Parents play a crucial role in supporting their children’s communication development. This survey highlights they are not suffering from ‘guilt overload’ but there are areas where parents would benefit from more information and advice".

“TV can be used as a fantastic opportunity” adding “chatting about characters, making up stories and even acting out adventures can help parents develop their child's language and communication whilst bringing children's favourite characters and shows to life beyond the box as well.”

For more information on the campaign go to www.thecommunicationtrust.org.uk