My Guide for Choosing TV Shows for Kids

Firstly, this is a judgement free guide of what works for MY family. These are guidelines I like to use to be more conscious about what I'm allowing my children to watch when they do have screen time.

We are far from perfect, but are aware of how the quantity and quality of TV shows affect our children's moods, attitudes and behaviour AFTER consuming certain types of screen time, so strive to choose better.

what we know from research

High levels of screen time in young children have been associated with sleep disturbances, obesity, behavioural problems and developmental delays.

Previous research has found associations with excessive TV watching in young children and delays in social emotional, language and cognitive delays. PMC7579161

if you can be involved, do it!

One thing that research consistently shows is that the negative effects of media can be somewhat mitigated if an attentive caregiver is jointly watching the media with the child. So, if you are able to sit with your child while s/he watches television or movies, your child is much better off. Use this time to talk to your child about what they are seeing. Discuss anything they don’t understand. Discuss anything you disagree with (any antisocial action a character takes).

REALISTICALLY however this is not always possible as we often use TV as a distraction to quickly cook dinner or do things we've been unable to accomplish in the day!

the pace, colour and stimulation

We try to choose shows that are slower in pace, slower in transitions (screen shifts), and also have muted colours. This makes them a lot less over-stimulating, and actually less addictive. Screen shifts are important because of the impact they have a young child or baby’s attention.

the morals & language

We choose shows that align with our values as a family and don't promote behaviour such as disrespecting adult figures, tantrums, body shaming, any kind of bullying, violence or sexualisation etc.

We also listen to dialogue, they way the characters speak to each other must be how we want our children to speak at home.

the messaging and behaviours

We try to choose shows that show and teach positive behaviours such as kindness, sharing, manners, listening, respect.

Bottom line: we only expose your children to television characters that we wouldn’t mind them acting like.

the shows we watch

Here's a list of shows my children watch, which meet these criteria.