The U.S. Census Bureau says parents are increasingly monitoring who and what comes into their home through TV.
It found 67 percent of moms and dads with 3-to-5-year-old kids have TV restrictions in place -- a 13-percent increase from 1994.
The statistics come as no surprise to Kelly Sargent, who keeps a very close eye on the media input her children get.
"We just want to keep them children as long as we can and have that innocence as long as we can," she told Family News in Focus. "That’s really important to us."
Gavin McKiernan, a spokesman for the Parents Television Council, said it is encouraging that there is a growing majority of parents who monitor viewing habits.
"Unfortunately, a lot of families use the TV as babysitters or don’t pay much attention," he said.
Parent monitoring is especially important, McKiernan said, because you can't always trust the V-chip ratings assigned to programs.
"TV stations and the programmers set their own ratings," he said. "Basically, the fox guards the henhouse."
Dr. George Wiedmaier, director of adult outreach at Focus on the Family, said there are three categories to tracking TV viewing.
"What TV programs they watch, when they watch them and how long they watch them," he said.
Wiedmaier said parents need to instill proper values, so children can make good choices as they get older.
