Times have changed and kids have never had easier access to inappropriate content than they do now. With mature TV shows airing at all times of the day on cable, parents needs to protect their children from media and find ways to restrict their children from watching shows that are not age appropriate. While advances in technology have given children greater access, these advances have also given parents more power to limit what a child can watch. Here are the most effective ways to protect your child and to restrict their freedom when it comes to watching mature television shows or channels that cater to an adult audience.
# 2: Set Restrictions Through your Cable Box
If you have a new cable box that connects to your cordless phone, you can program this cable box so that a password needs to be entered when mature shows are airing on specific channels. By doing this, your children can still watch their favorite children’s shows but you will have peace of mind in knowing that they can only select shows from a specific channel lineup. When you set these restrictions and you choose a password that your child cannot easily guess, you do not have to feel like you need to stalk your child every time they are watching their shows.
#1: Using Your V-Chip
A V-chip is a filtering device that is in most television sets that were manufactured after 2000. This V-chip can help parents block programs based on how the program is rated. Instead of blocking specific channels on a cable box, users can block all of the programs that fall into a specific rating category. If the program is rated MA for Mature Audiences, TV 14 which cautions parents when children are under 14, or TV PG where parental guidance is suggested, the program can be blocked with the filtering device. For parents who do not have digital cable, this is the best way to protect the kids from mature shows without having to invest in a box.
Use technology to your advantage and take control of which programs your child has access to. You will not always be in the same room when your child is watching TV, but that does not mean that they should have complete freedom to watch what they want. Children are naturally curious and do not let their curiosity expose them to content that they do not need to watch. Use parental controls and filters to your advantage and block the mature channels and shows.
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