Can a parenting plan limit the TV shows and movies kids watch?

Parenting plans can address the basics of shared custody, including an overall division of parenting time and decision-making authority. They can also address other concerns that are likely to cause conflict between parents in a shared custody scenario.

Parents may have rules for when and how they communicate with their children and limitations on certain extracurricular activities. Media matters can also be an important issue to address in a parenting plan. Particularly in scenarios where one parent fears of the other may try to become a Disneyland parent who garners favor with the children by being overly permissive, adding rules that address the movies and television shows children watch can be a necessary step.

Why media standards matter

Modern film and television culture has become quite permissive. There are far more wax rules about nudity, violence and profanity in the age of on-demand streaming. It has never been easier for children to access inappropriate sexual content or incredibly violent movies. TV shows marketed to children and starring teenage characters feature explicit sex scenes and egregious drug use.

Consuming such media can affect a young adult’s expectations regarding their relationships and social interactions. Too much exposure to the wrong media can alter a child’s sense of morals or ethics. It is therefore incumbent upon parents to limit what their children watch. Even if children are unhappy about those rules, they may benefit from them in the long run.

Setting very specific standards, such as limiting them to certain ratings for TV shows and movies at specific ages, is often a reasonable approach. In some cases, parents may want to explicitly prohibit particular titles or genres of movies and television shows entirely.

By establishing the rules in a parenting plan, parents can make the rules consistent from house to house. They can also potentially hold one another accountable for attempts to seem like the fun parent by ignoring basic rules and standards for their children or teenagers.

Impressionable young minds absorb information readily and may end up focused on the wrong ideas and values if parents don’t establish and maintain consistent standards. Adding rules about television and movies to a parenting plan can be a very smart decision. Parents who are proactive about addressing future sources of conflict between themselves – and/or with their children – can limit a risk of disputes when kids want to watch something inappropriate.