THE American Academy of Pediatrics has stated that kids two and younger should be "screen free."
Their studies show that excessive amounts of media can lead to developmental problems. In fact, they first suggested back in 1999 that media use for babies and toddlers should be limited.
Today there are more screens in every home and even very young children are watching them. But what's the problem?
"Television around bedtime can cause poor sleep habits and irregular sleep schedules, which can adversely affect mood, behaviour and learning," according to the group.
As well, the report noted that "Young children with heavy media use are at risk for delays in language development once they start school, but more research is needed as to the reasons."
It could be that parents who plunk their kids down in front of the TV for hours at a time aren't that great at teaching them their ABC's, but that isn't to say the correlation shouldn't be cause for concern.
When you and I watch TV we can process the information based on our life experience. Babies, toddlers and preschoolers cannot put images from the screen into any meaningful context because they lack life experience. This includes the so-called educational videos for babies.
In order to get life experience, they need to experience life.
Think about it. Watch a baby with a magazine. She will look at it, she will crumple it, she will move it around, she will taste it. And she will do this all on a schedule that is uniquely hers.
When she is watching something on a screen she hasn't time to process the images, nor can she manipulate what she is seeing. The pictures come at her in whatever order they are already filmed. She is not learning; she is overwhelmed.
In my book But Nobody Told Me I'd Ever Have to Leave Home I note that play is the essence of childhood.
Play is how kids learn and grow. Play is defined as being voluntary, freely chosen and under the control of the child. Play with toys, with parents, siblings and friends and with things in the environment is essential to healthy child development.
There is no comparison between child play and child screen time. What they are watching on the screen is not voluntary, even if it is theoretically designed for babies. It is controlled and the child must watch what is on the screen whether they are ready or not.
The child has no control, no time to manipulate and understand the material and no opportunity to revisit an image.
Besides play, children learn from people, particularly their parents. When parents talk to their children, read to them, sing to them and play with them the kids are relating and learning. They are picking up social cues, they are learning about words and the connection between words and ideas and they are building a strong self-image from the time spent with these very special adults.
Sitting in front of a screen can also impact sleep. Kids need exercise and fresh air and certainly these are absent when they are watching TV or videos.
When images are coming at them quickly, they can get confused and have trouble getting the pictures out of their minds, thus creating sleep issues.
It's not just the times that our young ones are plunked in front of the TV that matters. There is also a problem in homes when the television is on in the background all day. It's easy to assume that because the program is adult content that the child is not watching, but kids learn by constantly watching everything that is happening around them, and that will include the soap opera, reality show or the news.
Kathy Lynn is a parenting expert who is a professional speaker and author. If you want to read more, sign up for her informational newsletter at www.parentingtoday.ca.
