Turn off the TV.
That’s the blunt message from the American Academy of Pediatrics to parents of children under the age of 2. And even though the organization has been delivering essentially the same message since 1999, new research in the last 12 years prompted the AAP to reiterate their stance in a statement issued Oct. 18.
“There have been about 50 studies that have come out on media use by children in this age group between 1999 and now,” said Ari Brown, a pediatrician and member of the AAP committee that authored the new report. And, in a nutshell, those studies all echo a similar message: TV watching doesn’t accomplish anything constructive and may be linked with a number of problems.
Specifically, research indicates that so-called educational programs such as Baby Einstein have no value for very young children because they cannot comprehend what’s happening onscreen. “The way these kids’ programs came out was, ‘These are really educational! They’re going to help your kids learn!’ Well that’s great, but prove it. Show me the science,” Brown said. Wired contributor Brandon Keim writes that until the age of 2, a television is “essentially a mesmerizing, glowing box.” In fact, until little ones are 18 months old, they respond exactly the same way to programs whether the shows are being played forward or backward.
But it’s not just that television doesn’t do these tots any good: It may actually cause some harm. Detrimental effects of the “glowing box” include sleep disturbances, potential attention-deficit problems and delayed speech development because families watching TV aren’t talking as much. “While television is on, there’s less talking, and talk time is very important in language development,” said Brown. Television also interferes with young children’s ability to play independently and exercise their imaginations—an important developmental process in the first two years of life.
Brown understands that the vast majority of today’s busy-and-stressed parents use the television at times to entertain and engage their children. In fact, according to a 2007 study, 90% of parents of children under the age of 2 allow their kids some media viewing. Still, she says it’s better for parents to let children play on their own than to give in to the temptation of using the TV as a babysitter. “We know you can’t spend 24 hours a day reading to your child and playing with them. That’s OK. What’s also OK is your child playing independently,” she said. “That’s valuable time. They’re problem-solving. They’re using their imagination, thinking creatively and entertaining themselves.” Such playtime promotes creative thinking and strengthens their problem solving and reasoning skills.
In terms of what parents should do, the AAP recommends setting and sticking to limits on viewing time, turning off the TV when no one’s watching it and not placing televisions in children’s bedrooms.
For those of us who have small children—and my wife and I have three under the age of 5—the AAP’s report is a sobering reminder of the need to be intentional and vigilant when it comes to our little ones and their viewing habits.
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