TV-Free or TV-Smart?

Sponsored by PBS: An interview with TV pro Faith Rogow

Get TV-smart! Faith Rogow explains what's good on the tube for kids, and how you can find it. Dr. Rogow has worked as a consultant for PBS, Children's Television Workshop, and Frontline. She's the former director of education and outreach for WSKG-TV in Binghampton, NY.

Family Education Network: TV gets a lot of bad press. Are there any good shows for kids?

Faith Rogow: There are great shows on TV. We've come a long way since Captain and Howdy Doody. Those shows were entertaining, but not educational.

Compare them to Mister Rogers, which helps kids to understand complicated topics like death or divorce. TV also brings amazing things into the home that kids would never see otherwise, such as places, people, and the wonders of nature.

Family Education Network: Is there a right age for kids to start watching TV?

Rogow: The question isn't age, it's whether the child is getting what he needs developmentally.

Of course, two-year-olds shouldn't be watching TV all day. But I wouldn't want them doing any one thing all day. You need to balance different activities, and TV can be a part of it.

PBS offers a show for infants, called Teletubbies. Some think that TV at that age is addictive. Well, little kids watch TV anyway. Do we provide something that's developmentally appropriate, or not?

Family Education Network: Is public TV better for kids?

Rogow: Commercial TV is a business. It's purpose isn't to inform, entertain, or educate. It's trying to draw attention to its ads.

Public television doesn't have to worry about selling anything. It's funded by the public -- through viewer donations, taxes, or government money. The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) has guidelines for its shows; for example, they must demonstrate ethnic and racial diversity, challenge gender stereotypes, have a curriculum, meet the development needs of their target age.

PBS does have one problem: Since parents trust its shows, they don't watch them as often with their kids. Even if it is a good show, parents still need to do this!

Finding Good Shows for Your Kids

With all those shows out there, how can you tell the bad from the good? Try these tips from Faith Rogow.

Make a checklist of the values that you want shows to reinforce (honesty, responsibility, kindness).
As you watch, make a checkmark if the show reinforces a value, and a circle if it doesn't. If you end up with a bunch of circles, the show isn't in line with your values.

Watch the shows with your kids.
Kids will get more out of the programs when you do. You don't have to watch every show together, but you need to be able to discuss them with your child.

Choose shows that your kids like.
You won't always like the same things. Kids go through stages of humor that are very different from what adults think is funny.

Talk with your kids about the show as you watch.
Some shows invite discussion; others are upsetting. When you talk about them, kids begin to pick up a language they can use to analyze what they see. When you say, "I don't like it when they hit each other on Power Rangers. What would happen if they talked it out?" you're teaching your kids about your values.

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