Sentient Times June/July

Research Shows Television Watching Affects Children‘s Development

By Jody Woodruff

An estimated 90% of children in the US under age two and 40% of infants under three months are regular watchers of television, DVDs and videos. Surprised? So were researchers in the US and England—surprised and concerned.

Most studies on the effects of TV watching have been done with teen and pre-school children, not toddlers. Now it is found that the damage of TV watching extends down practically to birth. 29% of these toddlers’ parents surveyed believed that baby oriented TV and DVD programs offered educational benefits and helped brain development, but researchers contest this claim, saying it is just the opposite and that parents are being influenced by TV and video marketers.

Excessive viewing before age three has been shown to be associated with problems of attention control, aggressive behavior and poor cognitive development. TV babies lose important time to play with blocks, read with parents or engage in other developmental behavior. Studies suggest that children under the age of 22 months learn words less effectively from TV than from interactions with people. While Sesame Street and similar programs may help older children, they are not designed for babies.

A compilation of studies indicate too much TV in children of all ages may result in:

• Lower grades and missed homework assignments
• A tendency toward obesity
• Less play and exercise time
• Behavior problems
• Shortened attention spans (slowed development
of brain cells)
• Sleep disorders, disrupted hormones
(melatonin suppressed by TV light)
• Lowered immune systems
• Poor reading skills
• Less family interaction

Moderate viewing may also be harmful. “Even watching one hour of TV per day had some adverse consequences, but three hours was much worse,” a researcher said.

One English researcher recommends no screen exposure of any kind under three; 30 minutes to one hour for 3 to 7; one hour per day from 7 to 12; one and-a-half hours for 12 to 15 and 2 hours for 16 and over. Most children who were studied watched more.

On the other hand, 2 million American families have chosen to be TV-free and in a study with this group, parents said giving up TV was surprisingly easy. It is their neighbors and relatives that have been incredulous and even critical.

Families with a TV-free household report benefits far surpassing any lack:

• Children showed more mature values and decision making skills
• Children have larger vocabularies, greater creativity, and richer social lives
• Children enjoy increased time and quality of family interaction
• The parents have stronger marriages

One set of parents noticed that their children give them more respect than they see in families with televisions hardened by the vocabularies of many TV shows. “We want to be the ones giving intellectual and visual input into our kids, not strangers.”

Bob DeMoss, in his book, TV: The Great Escape, says the ultimate goal is to regain a sense of balance with the use of TV and many families will prefer this solution. For those who have TV, the following guidelines are offered:

• Don’t just limit the time watched, but consider the content. Remember also that viewing more than one
and a half hours per day for younger children is detrimental irrespective of the quality of the program.
• With younger children, watch the program with them
if at all possible.
• Never allow a TV set in the child’s bedroom, regardless of age. Children with their own TVs tend
to watch more. (In one study, 33% of children under 6 had a TV set in their bedroom.)
• Background noise of TV left on in the house is distracting and detrimental. Turn it off.
• Offer alternative activities and encourage children to play outside. (Heavy viewers in the 4-6 age group, spend an average of 30 minutes less outside than children who are not heavy TV watchers.)

All critics and researchers agree that much more research is needed on television’s effect on young brains.

Jody Woodruff is a retired social worker and educational film writer who now writes freelance from Talent, Oregon.