By HEATHER BOSCH
KIRO Radio

The line between education and entertainment TV has never been so blurry. This as kids have more access to TV than ever before. An estimated 70 percent of teenagers and 30 percent of preschoolers have televisions in their own bedrooms.

Some shows, like the much lauded nature program "Life," clearly have educational value.

But what about shows like "Mythbusters?" Its hosts espouse science while managing to blow something up in nearly every episode.

Dr. Dimitri Christakis says, "your question is a very important one." Christakis is the Director of the Center for Child Health Behavior and Development at Seattle Children's Research Institute.

"For too long both as researchers and as parents we've focused on quantity. We've focused on how much TV our children watch and not focused enough on content."

Christakis says what your children watch is key.

Stephen Reverand, a senior vice president with "Discovery," admits not all the offerings on the highest-rated non-fiction channel are strictly educational, "We don't strive to be strictly educational. But we do strive to engage the mind of the viewer in a way that gives them some take-away knowledge."

Reverand maintains shows like "Deadliest Catch," can convey something valuable. "Captain Phil smoked too much, that induced a stroke," he said of the reality television star who died this year. "His son has substance abuse problems and was caught stealing a prescription medication. Tell me a neighborhood in America where a parent hasn't confronted an issue like that."

That's why Christakis says how your kids watch TV is also critical, "Parents should, in fact, quiz their children about they learned from the show."

Whether they're watching "Life" or "Deadliest Catch," Christakis says parents can use television to talk about their concerns, values or their child's interests, "Which ideally means that you actually watch the show together."

That probably means pulling your kids out of their bedrooms, when they want to watch TV.