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Deirdre Dolan & Alexandra Zissu
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The Complete Organic Pregnancy

Babies and the Boob Tube

Feb 24 12:19pm

My daughter (at sixteen weeks) has recently started tuning in to the TV and my laptop with a disturbing focus. I reflexively move her head out of the sightlines of the screens, but it’s made me wonder again what the deal is with TV for babies and young children. Common sense suggests that anything so hypnotic can’t be doing much good, but anything that encourages such focus also seems like it could be stimulating in a positive way. The American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines warn against TV for children under 2, but I remembered how smart the expression on my nephew’s face used to become while he was watching baby Einstein videos, so I thought I’d see if there was any new information on the subject.

A study by Frederick J. Zimmerman, Ph.D., and Dimitri A Christakis, M.D., M.P.H. (of the University of Washington, Seattle) in the July issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine seems to be the most recent data. As I suspected, the report comes out almost totally againt TV – claiming specifically that “there are modest adverse effects of television viewing before age 3 years on the subsequent cognitive development of children.”

Before age 3, the children in the study watched and average of 2.2 hours a day, and at age 3 to 5 they watched 3.3. hours. The authors conclude that each hour of daily TV viewing before age 3 “was associated with deleterious effects” on the Peabody Individual Achievement Test Reading Recognition Scale, on the Peabody Reading Comprehension Scale and on the Memory for Digit Span assessment from the Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children. A “beneficial effect of television at ages 3-5 years” was identified for the Reading Recognition Scale score only. The authors write: "This analysis has shown a consistent pattern of negative associations between television viewing before age three years and adverse cognitive outcomes at ages six and seven years.”

So, there are some domains for which TV viewing for preschool kids can be constructive, but when it comes to babies, the effects are all negative.

I’m not sure how much TV I watched as a small child – I know my mom let us watch Sesame Street and Electric Company – but it probably had something to do with my short attention span (for everything other than email – the ultimate short attention span activity).

Some other great books I’m reading about early cognitive development and the relationship between television and learning:

The Scientist in the Crib by Alison Gopnick, Andrew N. Meltzoff and Patricia K. Kuhl

What’s Going on in There? by Lisa Eliot

Endangered Minds: Why Children Don't Think And What We Can Do About It by Jane M. Healy

2 Comments Report Abuse

1. palmtreesblue - Mar 04 01:57am

When my first son was born 20 years ago I felt the responsibility as a parent not to intentionally allow exposure to advertising and media. I am amazed how much I've grown as a person not being influenced by mass media. I am also amazed at how entrenched people's lives are in the TV and it's characters. I do not live in the boob tube. Co-workers discuss the boob tube as if they are actually discussing their own life. Perhaps they are. Maybe they live in the boob tube. Less than two weeks ago I had my second child, also a boy, and as a continued repsonible parent there will be no tv in our house. Newspapers. Yes. Radio. Yes. Periodicals and discussion of politics and world events. Yes. TV? NO! NO! NO!

2. hjmiles2000 - Aug 12 07:31am

As a school psychologist and a new mom I am very aware of the vast amount of studies out there on what is good for my baby and what is not. While TV can have negative effects it is important to remember what is happening in their life as a whole. Am I putting him in front of the TV while I shower, thus, he would not have adult language interaction anyway? Yes. Am I sitting him in front of the TV and then forgetting to sit with him and talk about what we see? No. A fellow school psychologist found a study that points to the level of higher education that a baby's mother has as the most predictable correlate with intelligence in children. This makes sense. As for now, I'll soothe myself with that knowledge and not worry about the random TV exposure my son has. I'm sure he will grow up fine, as did we all who were raised in the height of TV's booming era.