The big question

Should kids be allowed TVS in their bedrooms?

“Kids need the freedom to relax

“Bedrooms should be for sleep, not screens”

“With parental controls, technology can take care of monitoring their viewing for us

Yes

Stacey Macnaught, 33, lives with her husband, Michael and their two sons, Oliver, three, and Ethan, two, in a three-bed semi in Oldham. She works as a freelance SEO consultant. ‘I strongly believe that children should be entitled to their own space in which to wind down and relax. And, let’s face it, watching TV is one of the main ways in which kids do that. So, while they’re both a little young at the moment, it’s inevitable that Oliver and Ethan will want their own TVS in their bedrooms before too long – and I won’t stand in their way.

Of course, there are legitimate concerns about children having too much screen time or watching inappropriate programmes. But technology can take care of the monitoring for us nowadays. You can use parental-control filters to block certain channels and shows, and set viewing limits or a switch-off time. It’s much easier, and less confrontational, to lay down some rules from the outset, rather than sticking your head around the door to police what they’re watching every five minutes.

We normally have an hour’s downtime before Oliver goes to bed, and he now often asks if he can play in his bedroom instead of staying in the sitting room with us. As the boys grow older, they’ll want to watch TV or play computer games with their friends. We won’t all want to watch the same thing at the same time, so it makes perfect sense for them to have screens of their own.’

No

Emily Davidson, 44, lives in a four-bed semi in Norwich with her partner Dan and their three children, Noah, nine, Eli, seven, and Eve, four. She’s currently a full-time mum. ‘Allowing children to have TVS in their bedrooms puts too much temptation in their way. That said, our kids have never asked for their own TVS and I don’t think it would even have occurred to them, partly because Dan and I don’t have a TV in our bedroom, either. In fact, we try to keep all kinds of LED screens out of the bedrooms, simply because they interfere with sleep quality. We all lead busy lives and need our slumber, after all, so the kids tend to wind down with a bedtime story or a comic.

That’s not to say we don’t all love watching TV, and one of the unexpected pleasures of parenthood has been watching it together as a family. If everyone goes off to watch TV in different rooms, you lose that shared experience. But, I must admit, we’ve taken to hiding the remote controls, so they don’t wander into the sitting room and mindlessly turn on the TV. Once it’s on, it’s hard to switch it off.

Given the chance, any one of us could spend 24 hours a day sitting in front of the small screen. There’s so much choice and so much temptation nowadays. Not allowing screens in bedrooms is one way to address that, and to encourage our kids to amuse themselves and to develop other interests and social skills – as well as have a good night’s sleep.’