Films, TV shows and their certification, etc - a watching guide for parents.

Do you restrict your kids watching habits? Did your parents restrict yours?

And why do certificate 12A films in the UK become 12 when they go to DVD?

First film I got taken to see was Diamonds Are Forever - I was 7 and don't remember much about it except that I really wanted a cigerette afterwards.

We had our cable turned off when Sarah was born and restricted her tv to a little bit of PBS (just Reading Rainbow, really) and a few videotapes for the first five years. I'm prideful to the point of being an insufferable dick about how much that helped her -- learning to read, learning to amuse herself instead of needing the electronic nanny, etc.

We don't have cable but until the recent switch to digital we actually got a few stations on our bunny ears. All we watch is football, though, so this matters only half the year. Still, the ads on Fox are pretty intense! Regarding films, they just watch the usual Disney stuff that people send us as gifts...or the music films I watch. We're not much of a film or tv family. At some point my kids will encounter friends who find this weird, but so far it's been no big deal.

Howie just gets half an hour of CBeebies before bedtime, while I run his bath -- normally Bob The Builder and Balamory. I love Balamory -- it's very funny and clearly written to appeal to adults as well. I don't mind CBeebies because it doesn't have any adverts on it. But I do have to restrict it because otherwise he demands "Beebies on! Beebies on!" constantly.

He hasn't watched any films yet. I would feel a bit weird putting him in front of the telly for more than half an hour.

I am aware that this preciousness about having the TV on might not last long after the arrival of no.2, however...

Beeps watches a lot of television and 99% of that is the wonder pets. You'll hear 'ming ming? ming ming?' around our house multiple times a day. On a good day she watches 2 episodes between 5:30-6:30pm at night. On weekends its a lot more. I wouldnt call it a nanny since we mostly sit there watching her watch wonder pets. She really enjoys it and she plays outside, does art, reads and plays everyday so I think its fine. Honestly, I have a lot of trouble buying the tv makes your kid dumb theory.

I didn't, and wouldn't, say that tv makes kids dumb. But I do believe it's more an obstacle than an aid to successful child rearing. Great kids turn out great despite the tv, not because of it.

...I've been mostly staying off this board because mine's grown up, my babby-forming years are long gone and I know how obnoxious it can across. "Helpful people are a nuisance," sayeth the Fripp. I don't want "this is what we did" to come across as "this is what you should do".

Great kids turn out great despite the tv, not because of it.

You can substitute practically anything for "the tv" in this sentence and it will still be true.

including 'parents'

Oh WmC I didnt mean you! I just meant in general all the sketchy studies about kids who watch tv not being able to read well later etc etc

At this point im all about making her happy. As long as her development remains on track then im happy to let her do what she wants.

Actually when I think back to when she first started watching wonder pets I did use tv as a nanny for an hour or so a night when pp was crashed out from chemo and i just needed a freakin' break.

but, yeah, there are a lot of despites.

frightening creature thread is making me think of this: the most dangerous show in children's television is go, diego, go. in case you are unfamiliar, he is dora the explorer's sidekick. his spinoff show involves him hanging around and saving cute baby animals like BEARS AND SHARKS.

that's good nickelodeon, thanks for teaching my kids to go make friends with baby bears. can't wait for your "dora plays with matches" special.

ha, sponsored by Janeway Toys' Big Bag O' Broken Glass

it wouldn't be troublesome if the show didn't have an "educational tv" slant, but diego is supposed to be some jr. zoologist teaching us about animal science

first rule of animal science is DON'T PLAY WITH BABY BEARS

Beeps watches a lot of television and 99% of that is the wonder pets.

What is it with Wonder Pets? Megan loves it too, and so do all of her friends.

why do certificate 12A films in the UK become 12 when they go to DVD?

12A wd be pointless on DVD since they're mostly watched in the home where the parent is assumed to have legal responsibility. Cinema certificates confer legal duties on the cinema so the situation is different. Also I think cinema certification is still to some extent voluntary whereas DVD certification is compulsory. The law might've changed in the last few years but that used to be the case.

We let Joel watch Sweeney Todd cos I thought the 18 certificate was bullshit but usually he can't watch anything that's 15 or up unless we know what's in it/we watch it first. I don't mind swearing or nudity or cops and robbers violence but I don't think I'd let him see anything sadistic or gratuitous or porn-y.

You guys are all so REASONABLE!

But he's now of an age where he hangs out with his friends and their parents are not necessarily as interested as us so this is getting to be a little arbitrary. Which it always is I think.

Nicole, I dont know but i can tell you that, except for the new ones they had on 2 weeks ago, i know every episode word for word. Actually I think I could probably recite the new 'adventures of bee and slug' ep ive seen it so many times already.

I can understand why kids would like wonder pets. the music is really well done, the cutout animation style is cute + bright, it's funny. there were some wonder pets quotes that became household memes for a while. can't think of any offhand tho.

I pride myself on having watched tons of telly. guess how i learned english? yes, that's right, from telly, not school. i have no problem incorporating it in our daily lives and can be quite a bitch (who rolls her eyes) when people pride themselves of banishing it. i have a kneejerk reaction to it. it's not like it'll ruin your life. hasnt deterred me from "expanding" my knowledge. guess i find people who consciously refuse their kids telly to be guilty of abuse. ok, that last line might be hyperbole. i am being slightly tongue in cheek.

ophelia watches lots of disney dvds. ace! it hasnt stopped her from learning to count. she's now obsessed with learning to read. so there you go...

so when you see telly as an electronic nanny, how do you see other toys (when you are not sitting down to play with them)? *slaps self* i hate when people have this antiquated view on television. this medium can be used in a very healthy constructive way. and i dont mean einstein babies. urgh. what a horrid show!

YO GABBA GABBA!!!

im looking forward to the jack black episode tomorrow

guess i find people who consciously refuse their kids telly to be guilty of abuse. ok, that last line might be hyperbole. i am being slightly tongue in cheek.

slightly tongue in cheek? how about completely mental?

I can see why people ban tv from their kids, absolutely, being parked in front of the tv all through my childhood is probably why I have the attention span of a gnat, but then I could never ban A from watching as it's also where I learned so much stuff. But to equate the withdrawal of tv to abuse even in jest is a little distasteful I feel.

I was kidding! Dude, chill out! Of course it's not abuse! Did you think I was serious? Come on. I still think that one should introduce the telly. Extremes don't work in my mind. You have to teach children how to use the medium in a healthy way: show'em how it can distort reality for example (of course not when they are a toddler), teach them how advertisements work,... Show'em the evil that Fox is. How political it can be....

we have cable but just a few kids channels. however, there is a lot of free kids stuff on our "on demand" thing, so the kids are enjoying some of that retro junk. first time i'd seen "topcat" in about 30 years

as soon as i read 'topcat' into my head came "Top cat! the indisputable leader of the gang. He's the boss, he's a pip, he's the championship. He's the most tip top, Top Cat. Yes he's a chief, he's a king, but above everything, he's the most tip top, Top Cat." See tv didnt ruin my braine!!

We are, perhaps selfishly, giving Ava and Lulu a heavy dose of our own 1970s US/UK childhoods - we have Electric Company, Sesame Street, Mary, Mungo & Midge, Clangers, Schoolhouse Rock, Herbs, etc DVDs. But it does seem like a bit of a golden age of children's TV. But we would say that.

Their behaviour is absolutely shot to pieces after a heavy day of TV (i.e., we've resorted to it because there's something we really have to do that doesn't involve them) - they don't listen, they're disobedient, they're moody, etc. So, y'know, moderation in all things. There seems to be an ideal of about 30-35min during which they're entertained, engaged, asking questions...beyond that it's very much zombie mode. There are some exceptions - Ava was genuinely rapt and charmed throughout the whole of Miyazaki's Totoro, for example. And they were golden during their one cinema visit (The Aristocats, a kids' matinee at the Barbican - OUR first cinema visit since 2004!).

It's a meaninglessly small sample, but the one family we know who don't own a TV have two super-bright girls (four and two, like ours - plus a baby brother) who are exceptionally articulate but also rather disconcertingly serious for their age. But I'm not going to suggest that's down to no telly!

I suppose we should be grateful that we hear "Can I dance to Blondie/We Are The Robots/the monkey song*/crazy fast music**" as much as "Can I have a little bit of CBeebies?"

(* - Peanut by Quitzow; ** - Get Yr Snack On by Amon Tobin)

The Aristocats, a kids' matinee at the Barbican

Don't make the mistake we made and get the Aristocrats - it's not the same thing AT ALL...

my kid's watching fricking macguyver on netflix. why can't i be high right now?

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They watched Lukas Moodysson's We Are The Best! the other night. It's a 15 certificate but that's pretty much entirely for swearing and they can get past that. They loved it so much. Lulu (7) thought it was better than the Lego Movie, which is high praise indeed.
I mean, they already have a "band" (Pitchfork Pandemonium) which isn't much less realised than Bobo and Klara's band in the first half of the film. They could relate.

I'm prob considered weird (or eurotrash lol) for letting my kids watch most things. We watched Sex Education together. Ophelia's 13 yo. Actually it should be required watching for all teens. It's awesome.