One of the researchers, Dr. Christakis said:
"If you are doing it (showing your kids TV programs), however, because you think it's good for your baby, then I tell parents they shouldn't do it"
They are not saying we should remove TV sets from home, but the findings seem most negative.
What are you currently doing for your kids regarding TV wathing?
Do you have any specific sets of policies at home?
I have a five year old, and usually during the week she doesnt even watch any movies, (we dont have cable) and she plays or draws, or we hang out as a family and have great conversations. But I notice when my daughter does watch movies, afterward she is more cranky than not watching movies.... I am a product of childhood tv watching all the time with less involvement in face to face relationships, and I think this is why I dont like her watching too much tv. We try to find a balance between the two....
ReplyDeleteI think the researchers are overlooking the benefits of television. Did they ask what percentage of parents are showering during "Dora the Explorer"?
ReplyDeleteHow many parents are folding clothes or washing dishes or cooking a meal while their baby is transfixed by a cartoon character?
Sometimes parents need to step away from their children--
The television shouldn't be the guardian of our children, but I am all for it being the occassional babysitter.
All around the influence that television is having on young kids is I believe to be a negative one. Too often I believe parents use television as a "in home" baby sitter. Children on average I beileve are watching more television now more than ever.
ReplyDeleteThe consequences of this I think can be seen in our education systems. Children's reading levels are below what they should be and also the social skills of children today are being impeded by the lack of social interaction that they have with one another. Kids don't get together anymore to play nintendo or hang out, they play eachother online with limited social interaction.
Media interaction I believe should be limited for all of us, there are better things to do...but children especially should leave the comfort of the sofa, and get out and experience life.
Both of my daughters are adults now, but when they were young, we actively directed their television viewing, when they were allowed to watch at all. The determining factors were not only a program's content, but the girls' ages and discernment, emotional maturity, and unique personality of each child. Even then, we didn't always get it "right"!
ReplyDeleteAs far as "educational" programs, I think that despite positive content, television seems to reinforce a short attention span in little kids. Even a classic such as Sesame Street, moving quickly from one short segment to another over and over again, gives kids unrealistic expectations in the real world. I think delaying a child's exposure to television as long as possible is still the best way to go.
I already talked with Danny a little bit about this and it is such a fine line to try, a lot of studies are coming out linking baby einstien and other such programs to higher rates of ADD/ADHD.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.whitedot.org/issue/iss_story.asp?slug=ADHA Toddlers
These children may be getting overstimulated and develop a constant need for stimulation. Some studies also show they are actually detrimental to learning language skills.
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1650352,00.html
It's tough to know what to do.
Growing up I never had cable and we still don't! I never thought I was missing out on much and now the more shows I see on TV the more I know I am not. I watched PBS as a kid like Mr. Rodgers and Sesame Street and Tom the Train Engine. Those shows were really good, and that is why PBS still shows them. I never watched more than 2 hours a day and especially when I started school I might watch 30 minutes when I got home but I wanted to go out and play or do something else. If parents don't make the TV a fixture in the homes neither will kids. TV isn't the devil but remember to read with your kids and hang out more as a family rather than flipping it on to shut them up, that's your job not the TV's.
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