I wonder if her son has an ASD and she has just learnt to parent him this way because that's what works. I'd say the curtains closed and eating in front of the TV etc have been child led that she has gone with to get through the day.

My son became addicted to TV beyond what was "normal" for other children so we started curbing it. It's still a challenge and I let him watch too many clips sometimes just to have some peace. I worried I must have done something wrong at first then I realised it wasn't me, it was him IYKWIM.