TV or Not TV?

We're in the midst of a typical July heatwave here in the northeast, and the last thing on anyone's mind is cooking or spending time outside.  Thinking she had a perfect way to escape the heat where she lives in Michigan, Planetfeedback user Andrea took her family to McDonald's so they could enjoy a meal, and the kids could have fun in the air-conditioned PlayPlace.

When Andrea's seven year old son took a break from playing and joined his parents in the dining room, imagine their surprise when they found out what their son was doing in the PlayPlace.

It's no wonder the boy needed a break, as it must have been overwhelming to hear about sex slaves, the possible murder of a toddler by her own mother, and another murder on the television in the PlayPlace that was broadcasting CNN.  Andrea and her husband spoke to the manager about their concerns, but he was unable to change the channel to something more kid friendly because the television could only be set to the CNN news channel despite being viewed only in the PlayPlace area.

Andrea sent a letter to McDonald's suggesting a company-wide guideline that all PlayPlace televisions broadcast only material appropriate for children, or that the televisions be removed entirely from the play area since McDonald's PlayPlace has a reputation as a child-friendly environment.

If you're familiar with Planetfeedback, it will come as no surprise that there were mixed opinions about Andrea's concerns and suggestions.

Some parents think it's best to shield their children from the harshness of the world in an attempt to keep them innocent for as long as possible.  Others feel being exposed to real life is inevitable, and that putting a little fear into kids is a good way to teach them how to stay safe.  Those are two reasonably good points of view, but I think there is one more thing that needs to be considered.  Television viewing should be the parents' choice, and it's hard to make choices when there are public televisions all over the place.  Only parents should decide what programs are appropriate for each individual child based on age and personality.  That's why I think televisions in public places are a nuisance.  People watch enough television at home without it being in their faces everywhere they go.  Pretty soon people will be carrying around tiny TVs to go along with their cell phones, so they don't have to spend one minute not being entertained.  Do we really want the next generation to be so engrossed in technology that they can't even carry on a simple conversation? 

Okay, I know I took this in a different direction, but I couldn't resist.  When I'm shopping, dining out or sitting in a waiting room, I would prefer not to feel forced to watch television, with the first reason being the most obvious... one channel is never going to please everyone.  I guess I could choose to leave the area, but that's not always convenient, and why should I have to?  When I'm out in public, the only place I want to see televisions turned on is in the electronics department where all the sets are on the same channel.  At least that's fun, in a dizzying kind of way... whoa!

Getting back to the letter... Do you think McDonald's should make sure the televisions in the PlayPlace are set only to kid friendly channels, or should they get rid of the televisions and perhaps corner off a section of the area for kids to select a book and read?  But who would choose the books? 

Good grief... I might have just opened another can of worms. 

When did life become so complicated?

~Contributed by Venice

Comments

[fishmama]

I don't even have children but I can definitely see why the parent would take issue with this! Sorry, but a play place or a restaurant that is obviously geared toward small kids does NOT need to have CNN on the T.V!

I also don't think a T.V should be in the play area and think having books is a wonderful suggestion!

[Andrea S]

Hello - I am the original letter writer. I just wanted to clarify that my husband and I WERE in the PlayPlace with our children the entire time. We weren't in the dining room - our kids weren't unattended. :) It was not until he took a break from playing that our son started paying attention to the television, or we would have objected earlier.

[Angela]

I also am a nonparent who agreed with the letter writer. While I assume the TV was meant for the adults who were supervising their children (maybe to KEEP the parents there, b/c it can be boring watching kids play), I just think it would have been wiser to choose something more "wholesome."

[Venice]

Andrea,

Thank you for clearing that up, as I did get the impression from your letter that you were not in the play area. Now I'm curious though.. were the children able to see the television from where they were playing or only from where you and your husband were sitting? Either way, I agree that CNN is not a good choice for the PlayPlace, and I think it would be better to have no television at all.

[Andrea S]

Venice - The (large) TV screen was right above the entrance into the PlayPlace, and was easily visible from the entire area, including the play structure. The ONLY way to ensure that my son wasn't watching was to leave, since he could have seen it from the play structure.

[Cor H.]

As a step-parent, I am also concerned about the prevalence of televisions in other areas of our lives, not just in restaurants.

On a recent vacation, we stayed at a hotel in which the default channel on the television was the hotel's pay-per-view station. The entire time we were there, the current film being advertised was a particularly racy movie called "Deception". As one can imagine, we immediately changed the channel as soon as the television was turned on to avoid my stepson being exposed to even edited scenes of sex that filled the preview.