Yesterday, the AAP (AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS) released a report on the use of media by children.
Most of the findings seem pretty obvious, except that most of us hoped there were at least some benefits to watching TV, but Sesame Street can have a negative effect? Damn!
There is hope however, the author said she doesn’t have a problem with touch screens, and as nobody has really researched their use we can keep letting junior use the iPad without feeling guilty!
In brief
- TV doesn’t help under 2’s learn.
- Families who watch lots of TV spend less time talking to kids, which slows language development
- Kids who watch lots of TV read less, slowing reading development.
- TV before bed can disrupt sleeping.
- 2 studies found that watching a program such as “Sesame Street” has a negative effect on language for children younger than 2
- Children younger than 2 years who watch more television or videos have expressive language delays,and children younger than 1 year with heavy television viewing who are watching alone have a significantly higher chance of having a language delay
- Unstructured playtime is more valuable for the developing brain than any electronic media exposure.
- 1 study claims that for children over 2, some educational TV is good.Children who watch these programs have improved social skills, language skills, and even school readiness
Their recommendations include limiting TV time, not putting a TV in the childs bedroom, and limiting adult TV when children are around.
link: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2011/10/12/peds.2011-1753.full.pdf+html
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/10/infant-tv-guidelines/
