Channel Surfing

What channels are safe for my child to watch? Heres what other parents have to say. If you want to get your child a television in his bedroom, consider getting him one that can only house a limited number of channels. We spoke to many parents, and heres what some of them felt. "Discovery Channel, National Geographic, Animal Planet and The History Channel are all very educative, and we encourage our children to watch these channels. I go through my childrens textbooks so that I am familiar with what he is going to be learning at school, and then every morning, when I read the paper, I see what programmes are coming on these channels. I then direct my childrens attention to programmes concerning his schoolwork. You will be surprised at the interest they show!" In this articleMohini ChandelaSwati JhangianiRam JoshiMitali RamchandaniRitika RastogiRakhee MehtaPrerana Dayal Mohini Chandela, 32, works at a call center"Children love cartoons, and they need light entertainment as well. It would be completely unfair if all we let them watch on television was educative programmes. Children need a balance. However, I didnt want my child to be glued to cartoons 24/7 and so I dropped Cartoon Network. My child watches cartoons that come on other channels, such as Zee TV and Nickelodeon. These cartoons are shown at certain timings, and my child looks forward to seeing them as and when they are aired." Swati Jhangiani, 35, Lawyer "I see little need to have Fashion Television tuned in to any childs television. This channel is fine for those in the industry, for those who have a keen sense or interest in fashion, or for adults. I tuned out this channel from my 10 year olds television set, and of course he doesnt miss it at all." Ram Joshi, 38, Journalist "ZMZ shows wonderful English movies, but often the movies shown are not suitable for children. You could keep Hallmark instead. Also, Star Moves and HBO may stay or go, depending on your childs age." Mitali Ramchandani, 27, Eye surgeon "I wouldnt want my child to ever get hooked on to soaps such as Kyonki Saas etc, so I dont have Star Plus in my childs television. He also doesnt have Sony or Zee TV. This way he watches some of his favourite programmes, like Jassi, with the rest of the family, and only goes inside to watch channels like Discovery. Ritika Rastogi, 33, Merchandiser "My childs television has only 15 channels. I have tuned in all the education channels, news channels, and childrens channels, so I know that when my child is watching television in his room, I really dont have to worry about what he may be watching. We have all the channels in the living room, so my child watches television with the rest of the family at night." Rakhee Mehta, 29, Law Student "I dont really worry about what my child may be watching on television, since everything is well censored. The only worry I have is what the private cablewallahs show. As a result, I dont have any private cable channels. The print is also often so poor, and we watch all the new Hindi movies in the cinema." Prerana Dayal, 41, shop owner

What channels are safe for my child to watch? Here's what other parents have to say.

If you want to get your child a television in his bedroom, consider getting him one that can only house a limited number of channels. We spoke to many parents, and here's what some of them felt. "Discovery Channel, National Geographic, Animal Planet and The History Channel are all very educative, and we encourage our children to watch these channels. I go through my children's textbooks so that I am familiar with what he is going to be learning at school, and then every morning, when I read the paper, I see what programmes are coming on these channels. I then direct my children's attention to programmes concerning his schoolwork. You will be surprised at the interest they show!"

• Mohini Chandela

  , 32, works at a call center

  "Children love cartoons, and they need light entertainment as well. It would be completely unfair if all we let them watch on television was educative programmes. Children need a balance. However, I didn't want my child to be glued to cartoons 24/7 and so I dropped Cartoon Network. My child watches cartoons that come on other channels, such as Zee TV and Nickelodeon. These cartoons are shown at certain timings, and my child looks forward to seeing them as and when they are aired."

• Swati Jhangiani

  , 35, Lawyer

  "I see little need to have Fashion Television tuned in to any child's television. This channel is fine for those in the industry, for those who have a keen sense or interest in fashion, or for adults. I tuned out this channel from my 10 year old's television set, and of course he doesn't miss it at all."

• Ram Joshi

  , 38, Journalist

  "ZMZ shows wonderful English movies, but often the movies shown are not suitable for children. You could keep Hallmark instead. Also, Star Moves and HBO may stay or go, depending on your child's age."

• Mitali Ramchandani

  , 27, Eye surgeon

  "I wouldn't want my child to ever get hooked on to soaps such as Kyonki Saas etc, so I don't have Star Plus in my child's television. He also doesn't have Sony or Zee TV. This way he watches some of his favourite programmes, like Jassi, with the rest of the family, and only goes inside to watch channels like Discovery.

• Ritika Rastogi

  , 33, Merchandiser

  "My child's television has only 15 channels. I have tuned in all the education channels, news channels, and children's channels, so I know that when my child is watching television in his room, I really don't have to worry about what he may be watching. We have all the channels in the living room, so my child watches television with the rest of the family at night."

• Rakhee Mehta

  , 29, Law Student

  "I don't really worry about what my child may be watching on television, since everything is well censored. The only worry I have is what the private cablewallahs show. As a result, I don't have any private cable channels. The print is also often so poor, and we watch all the new Hindi movies in the cinema."

• Prerana Dayal

  , 41, shop owner