Tv - Saint Louis,MO

That research paper ain't gonna write itself.

You are going to get a variety of answers. I would encourage you to do some research on the topic...Google searches will yield a lot of information.

Personally I think it's more about content than time spent. We don't watch a lot of tv in our house, period, because we have other more interesting things to do during the day as well as responsibilities to attend to. If I'm folding laundry we might watch a nature/science dvd; on some weekends, we'll rent a cartoon series for Kiddo to watch a bit of. When he was a toddler, he could have cared less about Sesame Street but LOVED music performance /concert dvds, so we found some which were pretty tame (Crowded House, David Byrne, Bela Fleck) and let him watch a little bit of those.

There has been some link to too much tv and speech delays in toddlers. I do also think there were other factors not cited; like the fact that if a parent has their kid in front of the tv all day, this is probably a coping method and it may be that there is less interaction between the two. Interaction is essential for children learning communication skills. I also think that TV does create a lot of noise and distraction; kids are not multi-taskers and this can consume a lot of their brain's attention.

I can also say, from my observations over time-- many kids who don't watch much tv are very adept at being able to entertain themselves. Their imaginations are wide-open and active, less shaped by media and more from just pure fantasy. In our home, we often have only small pockets of tv or media time. My son is almost seven-- right now he usually can pick 20 minutes of an online video game or an episode of Word Girl, Wild Kratts or a dvd... he's really into non-fiction/science right now. I have had many people remark to me that he has quite a lively and healthy imagination. This is a kid who doesn't need much leading around by the nose in order for him to 'find something to do'... All that to say, it is NOT bad to cut TV time out at all. Anything she can learn from age-appropriate tv shows on PBS, she can learn through games and toys (alphabet magnets or puzzles, blocks, etc.) I was a preschool (and toddler) teacher for a number of years-- tv had no place in my curriculum. The kids were happy and learning!

yes. all tv makes kids stupid.
?
khairete
S.

It's a matter of degree. Yes, WHAT she watches makes a difference. But is TV the only place she can get this information? And what is she missing by spending too much time in front of the TV? When she's watching TV, she's not physically active, socially engaged with others, or playing creatively and independently. She doesn't learn cooperation, she doesn't learn to entertain herself, she doesn't learn critical thinking. The obesity issue is well documented, but that doesn't mean it's okay for thin kids to watch too much TV.

That doesn't mean TV is bad - it means you need to choose carefully, let her have a limited amount of time overall but also balance the silly entertainment (which is fine in small doses) with the intellectual stuff (the nature shows, the learning shows). Then be sure there are plenty of other activities, including solitary play but also free play with other kids. At 6, I don't think a lot of structured activities every day is a good thing - you know, dance on Mondays and gymnastics on Tuesdays and religious school on Wednesdays….) - they need to just BE and just PLAY. They need to read, they need to explore the world around them, they need gross motor activities (bike riding, hiking, tree-climbing) and they need fine more skills (art, puzzles, crafts).

If you use "no TV" as a time out, you put much greater value on it sometimes. Other times you show it is just a treat and not a necessary item. So if they can ALWAYS read, it shows most kids that you value that. But for some kids, who only want what they can't have, taking away the TV as a punishment can backfire. I think limiting it to a certain amount of time per day or per week (per week is tough at 6 YO - they don't plan well!) works fine. Give her some choices of what to watch and maybe restrict the time (an hour before dinner, for example) - and of course restrict the channels unless there's a compelling reason to watch a specific program on a channel that's usually off limits. I think it's okay to veg out now and then and that it's not necessary for every program to have great redeeming value - but it can't be endlessly mindless over the course of the week or month!

The TV, like the computer, only use a part of the brain. So failing to use all parts of the brain may make her "less smart" overall. She may be getting tremendous information from the educational or very creative shows she watches, and some programs are teaching good moral lessons or good decision making. That's all fine. But teachers will tell you that kids who ONLY watch TV for info and "skills" (like learning facts or their letters or whatever) are not skilled at critical thinking, are not highly literate, are not curious (because everything is provided by the TV or internet vs. dug out by the investigative child), and don't socialize well.

Most of the older kids and adults who engage in antisocial activities (from violence to bullying) spend way too much time isolated with a screen. That doesn't mean the computer causes violence, mind you. It means, more likely, that the person who chooses to be isolated has missed out on developing other skills, other relationships, and an ability to engage socially as part of the larger group. They don't learn to read social cues, to analyze others' expressions or body language, and they don't see the real consequences of their speech and actions. So someone who only sits in isolation bears watching by the rest of us.

There are a lot of consequences. Some of the most predictable and severe are:

* Obesity
* Poor school performance
* Diminished cognitive/intellectual capacity
* Behavior problems

The first consequence has been so clearly explained in the media, I don't think I have to clarify. But for the others:

TV (and video games) do the brain's work for it. When a child is reading (or being read to), the child pictures the story in his/her mind. When a child is watching TV, all the imaginative work is done by the TV. The brain is just along for the ride. So this is like asking, "What if I drive a mile, instead of run/walk a mile? Will that give me exercise too?"

And, the developing brain has not evolved to handle the level of stimulation that TV provides. So, kids "cope" by getting hyped up and wild. And, TV is so much more stimulating and exciting than school that kids who watch a lot of TV can't focus or engage in school. Their brains are habituated to a higher/faster level of stimulation. They act out or, at best, tune out.

The thing that's really important to understand is, learning and education don't consist of information. They consist of mental muscles -- of the CAPACITY to learn, take in information, and think creatively and critically once they've got that information. So sure, kids can learn the alphabet and numbers from TV. And a little of that is great. But with too much, they'll lose the ability to do anything with that knowledge. Overall, it's a huge loss.

Now, a little TV is fine. It's like cake or junk food. A good parent doesn't let her child have a steady diet of this stuff. But it would be overkill to forbid, say, birthday cake, or to never let your child even taste a potato chip.

That's the optimal approach with TV, too. Regulate it the way you would sugar / junk food, and you'll have a calm, happy, well-adjusted kid.

No more than 2 hours a day of screen time - that includes tv, computer, video games.
There's plenty to be learned while running and playing outside.
She's got her whole life to sit in front of a screen - she doesn't need to over dose on it right now.

There is nothing wrong with TV if the correct programming is chosen and it is watched in moderation. Kids who watch TOO MUCH TV don't spend enough time doing other things, like getting fresh air and exercise, reading, drawing, practicing musical instruments or hands on learning. Like anything else in life there needs to be a balance. Provide your child with a variety of activities, and TV won't hurt.

Our kiddo's have TV's in their rooms, in the den, the living room, and DVD players in the vehicle. They hardly ever watch it because they're too busy playing. They may have it on and occasionally sit down to watch but as soon as a commercial comes on the get up and do something else.

My friend that limits her kids TV time are like mindless zombies any time they see any sort of screen. They sit for hours and hours staring at anything that comes on. They stayed with us a while back and by the end of the week they hardly watched TV at all.

The more you limit something the more desirable it becomes.

I would for sure say there are some consequences just going by my experience. For me it makes my kids very irritable and...well it's just not healthy since sitting down to watch tv for hours on end is not good for my kids physically. And while I don't necessarily feel like it makes people dumb there is definitely a difference in my kids intelligence wise and focus wise since I started limiting any screen time.

And even now for me as an adult who just two years ago watched A LOT of tv...I watch less tv now and I am more creative and find passion in things that I actually have to put some thought into it. So if tv has an effect on my fully developed brain (which apparently is at 25ish) then think of what it can do to a child's brain

We watch or listen to rather, more tv than we probably should, but we keep it all kid friendly. Our 4 year old is a chicken, so nothing that is scary or violent. Half of Scooby Doo, one of her favorites, is too scary. But, she knows a lot more than other kids in her Head Start class. She wants to be a Paleontologist, and yes she says it and knows what it means. Then she wants to be a Veterinarian to help animals. Finally, she wants to watch Ancient Egypt shows or ones about science. She knows what a galaxy, solar system, and black hole are. She knows how telescopes work. She loves watching ancient discovery stuff, ie, archeology.

We also have an autistic 2 year old. He doesn't talk much, we do speech 2x a week, and are focusing on the engagement piece, ie look at me when we communicate. He knows and reads and recites all of the letters of the alphabet. He can count to 20. This he learned from watching Super Why and Sesame Street.

So, while you can have too much tv, if it is the right stuff, it can be very entertaining and educational. The other big thing we do is we DVR everything so that we can skip the commercials. They are fast, hard to follow, and they yell at you. I hate that. Also, I want my kids thinking they have to buy whatever is on tv. But, that is another story I guess.

edited:
I use TV as a way to get stuff done and have them entertained.

No TV does not make all kids stupid as said below. That is just a stupid statement. Kids can still watch TV and not sacrifice play time, reading time, homework time, family time ect..... My son will turn a TV show on that he likes but the entire time it is on he is also doing something else whether it be legos, coloring, reading, playing, or painting. He does not just zone out and just sit in front of the TV. As a matter of fact my son is very smart and is doing very well in school so he is proof TV does not make every kid stupid.