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Children Watching More TV
November 11, 2009
When people care for you they can straighten out your soul.
-Langston Hughes
-Langston Hughes
American children aged 2 - 11 are watching more television than they have in years. New findings from the Nielsen Company show children aged 2-5 now spend more than 32 hours a week on average in front of a TV screen.
In a related development, the Walt Disney Company is now offering refunds for all those “Baby Einstein” videos that did not make children into geniuses. According the New York Times, these videos....
"... may have been great electronic baby sitters, but the unusual refunds appear to be a tacit admission that they did not increase infant intellect."
"'We see it as an acknowledgment by the leading baby video company that baby videos are not educational, and we hope other baby media companies will follow suit by offering refunds,' said Susan Linn, director of Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, which has been pushing the issue for years.
"Baby Einstein, founded in 1997, was one of the earliest players in what became a huge electronic media market for babies and toddlers. Acquired by Disney in 2001, the company expanded to a full line of books, toys, flashcards and apparel, along with DVDs including 'Baby Mozart,' 'Baby Shakespeare' and 'Baby Galileo.'
"The videos — simple productions featuring music, puppets, bright colors, and not many words — became a staple of baby life: According to a 2003 study, a third of all American babies from 6 months to 2 years old had at least one 'Baby Einstein' video.
"Despite their ubiquity, and the fact that many babies are transfixed by the videos, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no screen time at all for children under 2."
Being with Babies: Understanding and Responding to the Infants in Your Care is a great resource for both beginning and experienced caregivers and an antidote to baby TV advocates. Each chapter describes an issue that caregivers face daily, offers scenarios that illustrate the challenge, suggests solutions caregivers can use to address the issue, and concludes with a review of key points.ExchangeEveryDay
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Comments (5)
Displaying All 5 Commentssalina, United States
I thought the Videos were wonderful for the children. I realized at the time of purchase that they would probably not make any child a genius. BUt, the videos did help and did give the children a step closer to learning!
Tampa, FL, United States
I'm disappointed to hear this. My daughter LOVED these movies and DID learn from them and more on TV. She knew her ABC's at age 1 and learned a lot from Baby Einstein. And I did limit her use and taught by books and other means as well, but I know for a fact that she learned sign language, etc. from Baby Einstein and I would highly recommend them to any new parent.
Cumberland, RI, United States
My Teaching Philosophy
I believe children learn by constructing their own sense of self and their surroundings. They need to actively engage in and activity to fully learn. For example, when working with children, I have them guide the activity to a certain extent, which allows me to teach them about the topic. This makes the child interested because they are connected to the learning process. I also believe children and adults should work together cooperatively. It is important for children to work with others. Working with others is more then just sharing. It is helping, guiding and understanding others needs. In order to teach children how to work cooperatly it is important to show them and be an active role model.
Further more, it is also important to treat children with respect. This allows them to learn respect for all. For instance, I do not believe parents or any adult should act inappropriately in front of children. It is important to teach children in a positive way. This also entails being positive.
Overall, children are filled with curiosity. It is our “job” to fulfill their sense of curiosity by providing opportunities for them to grow.
braininsights
New Berlin, WI, United States
Thank you for this article. The timing is interesting, since I posted another blog this morning related to the issue of television and children's optimal brain development. I wrote about the good things that Sesame Street did teach us about how the brain learns!
It is so extremely important that everyone realizes the opportunities that are missed from our children watching television!
Deborah
braininsights
Children\'s Hunger Alliance
Columbus, Ohio, United States
I really appreciated this article; it was very informational and clears up the myth. I was curious to see if in relation to this topic anyone had taken a look at the "Your Baby Can Read" video/dvd/flash card program that is currently being advertised for over 300.00 per kit. They have very convincing video that shows their "program" works amazingly. I would be interested and we have over 2000 participants with our program who provide day-care as a business who may/maynot be interested in such a program depending on the benefits. Thank you for your time, Jessica Newland Data Systems Manager
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