THE television battleground between parents and their children has changed from old-fashioned trench warfare to a guerilla-style campaign.
Where once there were clear battle-lines, the disputed territory is now constantly shifting and increasingly hard to identify.
Kids TV used to revolve around a few hours of cartoons/Sesame Street/Play School in the morning and a couple of hours in the afternoon.
That was before digital TV.
ABC3 must be a boon for parents who like to dump their kids in front of the idiot box and let the electronic babysitter do its job.
For those who prefer their offspring to be engaged in other activities (playing, reading, fighting with each other, etc), the dedicated kids’ channel is a constant source of tension.
Before the set-top box was plugged in, the kids knew that there was little or nothing to interest them outside the morning and after-school dedicated junior slots. There was almost nothing during the day on weekends.
Now they know that there is always something on. In the back of their little minds is the nagging thought that at any given moment they could turn on the telly and watch kids’ TV. Not Oprah, not the Turkish news on SBS, not Beauty and the Beast – but shows made specifically for them.
My kids don’t watch any more television because of the extra programs on offer, but they do think about it more and they certainly ask to watch more often.
The more times they ask, the more times they are told “ no”, the more time they spend being grumpy with me.
In an era where we are constantly warned about children having too much “screen-time” in front of computers, gaming devices and televisions, why does the national broadcaster think it’s a good idea to dedicate a channel solely to kids?
When I was growing up, there was only one good reason to turn off the telly and that was when there was nothing on worth watching. There was a natural balance created by supply controlling demand.
Since ABC3 arrived, there is always something on for the kids. There’s no need to find alternative sources of entertainment.
It’s now an hour-by-hour, show-by show battle, but there will be no surrender by either side.
– Danny Buttler
