Babies, Parenting, Child Health, Infant Nutrition

Baby Development – University of Massachusetts Study Finds Parents Should Limit Toddler's Exposure to Background TV

08.11.2008 | 1:08:30 am | Posted by mummums

By Colleen Hurley, RD, Certified Kid’s Nutrition Specialist

baby development, parenting Recent studies have been pretty harsh on TV watching for young children; finding too much has contributed to childhood obesity while particular content of the shows or movies can have negative effects on a child’s behavior. A recent study suggests parents should be wary not only of what kids see and how much, but also what they hear.

Even though parents may be watching TV or simply have it on just for some background noise, your little one may be hearing more than you think. Despite the fact that the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends zero screen time for children under 2 years of age and limited quality children’s programming for the following several years; 3 quarters of infants and toddlers live in homes where the TV is on all the time.

Researchers from the University of Massachusetts found that leaving the TV on disrupts young children at play, even if what’s playing is a grown up show. Just simply having the TV on may be detrimental a child’s development. The distraction from play doesn’t just mean your child is having less fun, in fact, lots of play time is crucial for a child’s brain development and physical growth.

The study examined 50 children aged 1, 2 and 3 who arrived at the lab with a parent and were invited to play for an hour with a variety of age-appropriate toys. For half an hour, the popular adult game show Jeopardy! was playing in the room, commercials and all; while the other half an hour the TV was turned off. The children were observed by researchers as a means of determining whether background TV affected a child’s playtime. Background TV was defined as adult-oriented television that may be watched by older family members, but that little kids don’t understand and typically do not pay attention to.

Background TV was indeed found to disrupt the play of all 3 ages in the study. When the television was on, the toddlers played for significantly shorter periods of time with shorter amounts of focused play time than when the TV was off. Even though the children did not necessarily look at the TV, they were more frequently switching toys when the television was on. Researchers conclude that parents should limit the amount of their child’s exposure to background television, as a lot of TV time may have a cumulative effect on child development. The TV acts as a constant, ever-changing audiovisual distracter, disrupting a child’s efforts to remain attentive to their playtime activities.

Resource:
Society for Research in Child Development (2008, July 15). Parents Should Limit Young Children's Exposure To Background TV.

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