What to watch - and what to let the kids watch - has long been a sore point in many homes. But now there seems to be some form of consensus forming
KATE BYRNE, a child and adolescent psychologist and mother of seven aged between two and 18 has a very clear policy when it comes to her children's TV viewing, any programme that she finds mind-numbing or irritating isn't allowed.
Among the cartoons and TV shows on her banned list include Teletubbieswhich she thinks is "an insult to children. Anything with silly language I abhor."
She finds SpongeBob Squarepantsannoying, and thinks The Simpsonsis unsuitable for children younger than 11 or 12 because "it can be slap, bang and in your face". Power Rangerswhere the characters "beat the living daylights out of each other", with martial arts-style fighting is also another one she disapproves of for the younger ones.
She prefers them to watch films "with singing and a story" and likes Phineas and Ferb on the Disney Channel because "a lot of it is about how the characters use their imagination" and Dora the Explorerbecause it's "informative and they are learning bits of Spanish".
Not all parents agree with her on the merits of Dora. On commonsensemedia.org which guides parents on the content and age appropriateness of kids' TV programmes, some of the adult reviewers are less than enamoured with the programme with one commenting Dora "has horrible manners - yelling, telling others what to do".
Another adult review on commonsense.org takes issue with a gory scene in SpongeBob Squarepants"where SpongeBob performs open-heart surgery on Squidward and pokes his heart until blood squirts out" while another parent comments that the characters "often speak sarcastically and act rudely to each other and unlike in real life no one seems bothered by the mean-spirited things that are said". "Yes, he's clueless and irritating," says an adult supporter of SpongeBob, "but he's also a hard worker, friendly, loyal, kind and honest."
Equally diverse are the views on Icelandic TV show Lazytownaimed at three- to six-year-olds with some parents approving of its focus on healthy eating and exercise, with others finding it headache-inducing or detecting an eerie subtext to the programme.
"Robbie Rotten is just creepy strange," says one, while another objects to the young female character being dressed "in a wig and go-go boots".
Bernice, a mother of an 11-year-old-boy and an eight-year-old girl, interviewed for this article says that while both love The Simpsons, she has come to hate it "because I think it's gone seriously off the boil, it's never funny anymore and where Homer used to be a bumbling fool, he's now rude and obnoxious and a lot of the material does, in my view, veer on the adult. If I could ban one thing it would be that - the kids would, however, watch three episodes back-to-back if they were let."
While parents have different views on what's suitable for their children, John Sharry ,a family psychotherapist and the author of Positive Parenting, Bringing up Responsible, Well Behaved and Happy Children, says the parent is in charge, and if they're not happy with a programme then it is their decision, not the child's, whether it is viewed.
"Realistically, kids are going to see things that are dubious and are exposed to things you'd rather they weren't all the time.
"The issue is not what they see and come across but how the parent responds when something arises in a programme. It might be a good opportunity for you to either pause it or switch it off and talk them through the issue, particularly with children aged nine up, which might be better than storming over and turning it off."
A few of the parents interviewed expressed concern about the violence in Tom and Jerry, ie Tom wielding an axe over Jerry's head or hitting a dog with a brick or Jerry blinding Tom with toothpaste, and wondered if it has an impact.
Kate Byrne, who is also a founder of the Irish branch of Attachment Parenting, says while she "hates that mouse" referring to Jerry, she feels that because Tom and Jerry is stylised and the main characters are cartoon animals "kids don't process it in the same ways as if they were watching a revenge- style programme with violence that features real people like Power Rangers."
With regard to the subtext and nuances of some shows, she believes that children under 10 generally don't pick up on them, "although that can depend on the language level of the child".
"You often find that what a child is focusing on in a programme is different from what an adult is focusing on."
Her advice in the case of a younger child is that if something comes up in a programme that a parent feels is dubious is to either try to distract them away from it "or turn off the TV with an explanation and offer alternatives".
Ultimately, she says, TV watching shouldn't be ad hoc, "If they're given two hours a day to watch their programmes you should decide together what they are going to watch. And there are alternatives to children's programmes like Discovery Channeland Animal Planetwhich can open up a whole new avenue to them."
She believes there is too much adult content in some children's programmes "and a lot of it not subtle".
She says Hannah Montanaand The Suite Life of Zack and Codyare too advanced in terms of the content for younger children.
As a child gets older you have another issue to consider if you ban a programme - their peer group. "You might listen to what the child has to say and talk to them about the reasons you don't like it or alternatively watch it with them and talk about the issues afterwards," says John Sharry.
"You could also check with other parents to see how the programme is impacting on the peer group. It's all about encouraging parents to be assertive and to deal with any dispute that may arise with the child, because it's a battle worth fighting. Children actually like having boundaries, it makes them feel cared for."
But how do you stop younger ones seeing programmes their older siblings are watching? "In my house certain programmes are globally okay and certain are not," says Kate Byrne. "Each has a period of time to watch their programmes, where the others have to go and do something else."
John Sharry says that in general the young children in a family "definitely see more" than their older siblings.
"It's an issue to think through, and maybe tell the older ones they can't watch certain programmes until the younger ones are in bed. Children will push to see to see things at a younger age but it's often a good idea to delay them seeing the harder edge of life for as long as you can, and then be there to talk to them and support them when they start watching them."
The age at which parents should allow their children progress on to adult shows very much depends on the maturity of the child and their ability to deal with the content, says Kate Byrne.
Her 15-year-old is allowed watch Law and Orderand CSIwith her - "it helps to discuss it afterwards so you know if they're handling it or not. If you sit down with them and watch with them then if something dubious comes up you see their reaction.
"Parents should go with their instinct. It's not a case of one child fits all."
