TV Is Harmful For Infants

By Margarita Nahapetyan

A review of twenty five years of seventy eight studies found that allowing children under two years of age to watch television can do more harm than good to their ongoing development, a U.S. researchers say. Youngsters who spent several hours either watching TV or playing computer games were found to be significantly less healthy than those who did not.

The aim of the study, conducted by Dimitri Christakis, a pediatrician and Professor at the University of Washington and the Seattle Children's Research Institute, was to establish what is the effect of television on a child's language, cognitive skills and its ability to pay attention. Lots of specialized programs promise the brain-developing advantages (despite a lack of scientific evidence) for the young viewers, including Baby Einstein and Brainy Baby DVDs and Sesame Street series, but experts say that there is not much of a benefit from these programs. In reality, "Infant TV viewing is associated with delayed language, with shortened attention spans and with delayed cognitive development," says Professor Christakis," The scientific evidence of benefit is just not there and the best available evidence suggests harm." In some cases uncontrolled and excessive TV watching has also led to later hyperactivity in children. So scientists send their warning message to parents - toddlers should not watch any television at all.

Despite ongoing publicity, only 6 percent of parents are aware of this advice. The study has discovered that nine in ten children watch TV on a regular basis and some of them spend even 40 percent of their waking hours in front of the TV set. More than one thousand families have been interviewed in 2007 and it was found that 29 percent of U.S. parents let their toddlers watch TV because they think it is "good for their brains." Powerful advertisements telling about all kinds of educational benefits, testimonials being circulated and brands of the products themselves still convince them of all the benefits and positive impacts of children TV watching. So parents cannot really be blamed for doing their children a favor by showing them these programs.

Christakis first became interested in studying the effects of TV on infants more than ten years ago, while being himself on a paternity leave. He stayed at home with a three-month-old son and watched a lot of TV. "If he could see the screen, he was mesmerized," Christakis says. "I was very curious as a pediatrician and a new parent, knowing that he couldn't understand the content and (wondering) why he was interested in CNN and what effect that would have on him." After that a professor started doing deep research in this area and came to the conclusion that one of the reasons why TV has negative impact on children is the fact that it "exposes children to flashing lights, scene changes, quick edits and auditory cuts which may be over stimulating to developing brains." Another negative reason is that it replaces indispensable and appropriate activities such as playing or socializing with parents. Time spent in front of the TV also reduces the amount of time available to interact with other children and to learn through playing with toys. "The weight of existing evidence suggests the potential for harm and I believe that parents should exercise due caution in exposing infants to excessive media," Professor wrote in the journal Acta Paediatrica. The expert also discovered that the average age at which children start watching TV has dropped from 4 years old in 1971 to 5 months old today.

The Baby Einstein Company and Sharon Rechter, co-founder of BabyFirstTV, a commercial-free TV channel that broadcasts in fifteen languages and thirty five countries defended their products. Susan McLain, The Baby Einstein Company's vice-president and general manager said that their products are aimed to inspire meaningful moments of discovery and interaction between parents and their children together. And Sharon Rechter brought up an example of a sign language that infants pick up form BabyFirstTV, even though their parents don't know the language. "We know that children are learning from TV, and the best way to know that is from the millions of viewers from around the world who write and tell us they're amazed by what their children have learned," she added.

"It's a beautiful thing for parents to believe TV is good for kids because it really hits the sweet spot," Professor Christakis concludes. "You can take time for yourself out of your busy lives and in the meantime your child is getting smarter sitting there and not demanding your attention. But like many things that sound too good to be true, this is yet one more."

Professor Christakis has two children and neither of them were allowed to watch television before 2 years of age.