Here are a couple of articles on the evils of television for babies. The research isn’t conclusive, but it’s still pretty worrying, so you make your own call, okay?
“The truth about TV & ADHD: Is watching TV linked to a rise in attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)?” Nicole Sprinkle, ADDitude, February/March 2005.
Researchers at Children’s Hospital in Seattle found that the more TV toddlers watch, the
more likely they’ll be to develop attention problems. Their study had flaws, and did not find a
connection between television and ADHD specifically, but follow-up studies did find that the
children in the study who had watched a lot of TV as toddlers had problems in school.
“The effects of fast-paced cartoons” Dimitri A. Christakis, Pediatrics, September 12, 2011.
Authored by one of the researchers in the study noted above, this is a commentary on a
recent study, “The Immediate Impact of Different Types of Television on Young Children’s
Executive Function,” that compared the effects of fast-paced cartoons versus slow-paced
cartoons versus colouring on children’s ability to follow complicated commands and delay
gratification and such. For a more parent-friendly take on the study, check out Seattle
Mama Doc’s blog post, “Fast-Paced Media and 4 Year-Olds: Cartoons on the Brain”.
“Watching television harms toddlers", says psychologist Sarah Hall, The Guardian, April 24, 2007. A British psychologist believes that allowing toddlers to watch an hour and a half of television a day could lead to problems such as obesity, ADHD, and autism. Not to mention that children who are left with only a TV for company for long stretches can lack social skills.
-East End Mama
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