How TV Affects Your Child

Most children plug into the world of television long before they enter school: 70 percent of American child-care centers use TV during their typical day. In a year, the average child spends about 900 hours in school and nearly 1,023 hours in front of a TV. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), kids in the United States watch about 4 hours of TV a day—even though the AAP guidelines say children older than 2 should watch no more than 1 to 2 hours a day of "quality" programming.

And, according to guidelines, children under age 2 should have no "screen time" (TV, DVDs or videotapes, computers, or video games) at all. During the first two years, a critical time for brain development, TV can get in the way of exploring, learning, and spending time interacting and playing with parents and others - which helps young children develop the skills they need to grow cognitively, physically, socially and emotionally.

Of course, television, in moderation, can be a good thing: pre-schoolers can get help learning the alphabet on public television, grade-schoolers can learn about wildlife on nature shows, and parents can keep up with current events on the evening news. No doubt about it — TV can be an excellent educator and entertainer.

But despite its advantages, too much television can be detrimental:
* Research has shown that children who consistently spend more than 4 hours per day watching TV are more likely to be overweight.
* Kids who view violent events, such as a kidnapping or murder, are also more likely to believe that the world is scary and that something bad will happen to them.
* Research also indicates that TV consistently reinforces gender-role and racial stereotypes.
* Children's advocates are divided when it comes to solutions.

Although many urge for more hours per week of educational programming, others assert that no TV is the best solution. And some say it's better for parents to control the use of TV and to teach children that it's for occasional entertainment, not for constant escapism.

That's why it's so important for you to monitor the content of TV programming and set viewing limits to ensure that your child doesn't spend time watching TV that should be spent on other activities, such as playing with friends, exercising, and reading.

Yours in caring,
Dana Chibbaro