TV's Child

“More Dora”! My 2-year old daughter, Jen exclaimed! As she watched the credits roll Jen is amped with excitement for another episode, a new adventure with Dora. Jen has recently discovered Dora, but she watches a slue of shows from Calliou, to Mickey Mouse, Barney, Sesame Street. Recently I have noticed that she is beginning to recognize and relate to these characters, even singing along with the theme songs. After witnessing this I begin to ponder.   Is Jen watching too much TV?  How much is too actually too much?

So I began researching. Here’s what I found………  

American Pediatric Association (APA) originally, “Recommended no TV for children age two and under. Children older than two should not watch more than 1 to 2 hours a day of quality programming”. Seriously? This has got to be a joke right? Unfortunately, it is not. Thinking back, while speaking to Jen’s pediatrician at her 18 month checkup, she suggested the same and I thought to myself, “okay lady, this is not even a slight possibility”! The 2011 article, “How TV Effects Your Child” on kidshealth.org describes the APA’s logic behind this recommendation. It explains that, “The first two years of life are considered a critical time for brain development. TV and other electronic media can get in the way of exploring, playing, and interacting with parents and others, which encourages learning and healthy physical and social development.” I understand the logic and whole-heartedly support healthy development of children 110%. But, this recommendation, you must admit, it is pretty unrealistic.

Kaiser Family Foundation did a study and it found that “74% of all infants and toddlers have watched TV before the age of 2.” Also worth noting in the same study, “(43%) of children under the age of 2 watch TV every day “.Maybe in our wildest imagination or fairytale land this would be a possibility. In this society, one that thrives on the development of new technology, it is unfathomable to even considering completely eliminating TV from children, essentially their parents too.

Consider this! Studies have shown that there are negative impacts correlated with children TV watching. These include: delayed problem solving, language comprehension, expressive vocabulary and obesity. Excessive TV watching can also lead to less time engaging verbally and socially. Honestly I had no idea, never really considered TV a factor in development. Article after article, study after study, hours of researching and my brain was filled with heavy information. Naturally, I began panicking, “OMG! What have I done to my Jen?”

Wait, wait, wait, before I began stressing too much…… breathe Jessica breathe. Lets rewind and take a step back. There has to be some positives that come from TV watching right? Yes Thank God! There is light at the end of the tunnel. Other studies focus on the effects of watching educational shows. They have found that educational TV shows viewed moderately can have the opposite effect. Nina Chen, University of Missouri Extension Human Development Specialist describes her opinion in article “Pros and Cons of Television Viewing for Children”. She explains that shows like, “Dora the Explorer, Blues Clues, Clifford and Dragon Tales resulted in greater vocabularies and higher expressive language”. After research and study comparison, Chen also found that “Children who watched a moderate amount of TV performed better academically than children who excessively watched television and children who did not watch television at all”.  Ding, ding, light bulb moment! TV watching among children it not necessarily bad. However we as parents, guardians and caregivers must consider factors such as viewing time and content type.

So mommy friends, how much TV is too much? I suggest using research and studies as good baseline. Ultimately it depends on what works best for you and your family. For me, realistically speaking MAXIMUM TV watching is 3-4 hours. This does not mean Jen watches 4 straight hours of TV every day.  Most shows for toddlers are taped in 30 minute increments because of their short attention span. For example: Jen will set at her princess table and watching an episode of Calliou, 10-15 minute later she will venture off to find her doll Brianna and stroller, push it around for a while, then move on to her Elmo puzzle books that we put together, finally returning to Calliou for the last few minutes. (My daughter changes activities by herself, but if your child doesn’t you can always shift their attention to something else.) That’s approximately17 minutes max of TV watching at that time. Mommies, it’s all about moderation.   

In short, plopping your kid in front of the TV can have positive or negative impacts on their development. Know that you are equipped with the information and resources apply it to your life.  Review and makes changes to avoid the development of potentially harmful behaviors.

*Side note: The APA is currently restructuring the policy to be less restrictive, more realistic and consider the heightened technology use.