Should You Let Your Child Watch Television – Part Two
Posted by Dr. Cason on Thursday, June 12th, 2008
As we saw in yesterday’s article- Should you Let Your Child Watch Television- there is evidence that allowing your baby to watch TV may hinder their language. Our cheapest babysitter may be our most expensive. It’s funny now that I’m researching TV and children, I certainly have been more aware of its use in my house. But what about the parents who don’t know? If you thought that TV was giving your kids a head start wouldn’t you want to know if research found it to be otherwise? Should Baby Einstein have a label on its videos warning parents that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no TV under the age of two? The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood says yes.
The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) made up of health professionals, educators, advocacy groups and concerned parents filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission in 2006 against Baby Einstein, Brainy Baby and BabyFirstTV. They state that these companies make false and deceptive claims that they cannot substantiate.
“They are likely to deceive a consumer acting reasonably under the circumstances.” “The number one reason parents allow babies to watch television and DVDs is the belief that the programming is educational and/or good for brain development.”
After the latest study regarding delayed language in children who watched TV for an hour was published in August 2007 the CCFC issued a press release reaffirming their stance. “This important study is the clearest indication yet of potential harm caused by the false and deceptive marketing of television programming and DVDs that target babies. Previous research suggests that television is not a good medium for teaching language to babies. Now we see that infants (ages 8-16 months) who watch baby videos have a slower rate of language acquisition than infants who do not. Not only is there no evidence that baby videos do any of the things the baby video industry claims they do, but these media may actually be undermining the development of the very skills they claim to foster.” Because of this pressure in early 2008 Baby Einstein no longer placed educational claims on their DVD or video products.
But maybe Baby Einstein, Brainy Baby and BabyFirstTV isn’t all to blame. Have things changed since the new labeling? I have a feeling that with or without a label on the video or websites, babies under two will still watch TV. The Kaiser Family Foundation in their 2005 study stated that “…it appears that the primary reason many parents choose to bring media into their children’s lives is not because of the educational benefits it offers kids, but because of the practical benefits it offers parents: uninterrupted times for chores, some peace and quiet, or even just an opportunity to watch their favorite shows.”
If it’s true that our primary reason to allow babies to watch TV is for our convenience, then maybe we need to develop some strategies for how we’re going to get that shower in or dinner cooked. But remember you don’t have to parent perfectly. Even if you tried you wouldn’t get it all right. But as long as you’re trying it won’t be all wrong either. I tell parents what the AAP recommendations are so they can make an “educated” decision. So now you know and the decision is yours.
Filed in Everything Medicine | 3 responses so far
AxeCityon 13 Jun 2008 at 9:59 pm 1I can guess how parents might feel when they know that TV isn’t a solution anymore by leaving their babies under age of 2 to watch it while having their things done.
What do you think about the available alternatives that can keep the baby busy with doing something?
Waiting for 2 years sounds like a long time
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Mutha Maeon 15 Jun 2008 at 5:09 am 2My 1st born didn’t show interest in TV until she was 2. Even then she only had about 20 mins of patience in her to sit still long enough to watch Sesame Street. She’s now classified as gifted- especially in reading and language. My babies are 1.5 and they also do not have an interest in TV. I tried Baby Einstein- nothing. I tried Teletubbies and Sesame Street- nothing. So we’re going with that. I keep them entertained while doing chores by bringing them along with me as I do them. It takes longer, but it gets done. I hand them a towel and they “clean” the floor or cabinets. They help me load the dryer. It’s cute, actually. For phone calls, I just get out a box of toys they haven’t seen in a long time and that keeps them occupied. There’s certainly ways to avoid TV. But I think everything is ok in moderation. My 4 year old can’t get enough of her animated shows now, so we really have to limit her to one hour of TV time a day. And NO adult shows, ever. We never watch TV in front of her. We watch TV when she goes to bed. Anyway, that’s my example. Let’s see if the babies end up gifted and maybe there’s something to this after all!
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babyon 18 Jun 2008 at 11:11 am 3Nice website!!