should parents read and tell stories to children or just let them read books, watch tv or movies by themselves?

Both. You want to spend time with children and reading or telling stories is one good way to do that, but you also want to encourage them to enjoy books independently.

I'm a school librarian. Reading to children has numerous, proven benefits. (Check out Jim Trelease's "The Read-Aloud Handbook.") It's really amazing. I can always tell which children have been read to. They can write stories better because they understand how a story "goes." Once they're older, of course you need to encourage reading. The more they read, the better they get at it, and the better they can learn. There's really no down side--plus it's a great way to share time with your children.

Parents should tell stories to children instead of letting them do it themselves.
Firstly, they are young and need guidance.
Secondly, guiding them throughout the process is the key.
Thirdly, letting them doing it themselves isn't a safe way; some of the info are PG.
Furthermore, telling them stories enhance their abilities to talk and learn.
Last but not least, telling them stories reduce their stress and bring more happiness in their lives.

If you wish to train your youngster quickly how to read then Children Learning Reading from here https://tr.im/nR56U will help you.
Children Learning Reading is created by short classes, enough to hold the eye period of a tiny kid but is also powerful enough to teach the little one to see — also at a really early age.
The program is based around a idea called phonemes, which are (in very simple terms), the sounds which make up phrases we use within our everyday language. This program attempts to teach your youngster to read by first building up your child's capacity to see and realize the phonemes which make up everyday words. Once your child can do this then they have all the tools they should begin creating sense of new phrases, that will subsequently produce their studying abilities tougher and stronger.

Parents should tell interesting stories to the children that are beneficial for child for developing their mind. Most of the TV serial are designed for elder people, not for kids. Children are great fans of funny and interesting stories and love to listen to them, so that it is responsibility of parents that tell them interesting stories such as Panchatantra, jataka, TenaliRaman Tales etc for enhancing the listening skills of children.

Both. It's always nice to do something as a family and to teach your child to be independent!

The data say you should read to your children or they probably won't do as well.

Both. Reading and watching should be shared experiences.
When you read a book to a child, your child can hear how the words are spoken and, when you point to them, they can see that words are written objects as well as sounds. Pointing to the words and the pictures identifies the word with the image.
Reading and watching together re-enforce bonds between parents and children. The child knows that mom and dad are interested in what he or she is reading and watching, and the young child is interested in what mom and dad are reading and watching. Edifying books, etc., are re-enforced for both parent and child. Besides, a parent should determine what is appropriate for their young child at various ages. As the child grows up, the parents can discuss with him or her what is right to read or watch.

Hearing the story without seeing the pictures was a great stimulus to my childhood creativity. My grade 1 and 2 teacher read "Maggie Muggins", "Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch" and folktales like "Brer Rabbit" and a book about a young Indian hunter that might not be "correct" now, but they sure were fun to imagine and we imbibed some good moral lessons. (Poor Rabbit, stuck to the Tar Baby! Served Rabbit right for getting aggressive.)

You've got to read stories to very small children - point to the words as your saying them so the child gets to recognise the outline and how they are pronounced.

At my old primary school, the infants teacher would give each child a tin with words from the book they were currently reading and would get them to build a sentance and then read it out.