I highly recommend no TV for tots. A new report by the American Academy of Pediatrics discourages children under the age of 2 watching any TV. Tots don’t understand what’s happening on screen. That means TV, computers, or iPhones distract young children from playing and interacting.
Temple University psychologist Kathryn Hirsh-Pasek is quoted in a New York Times article. She said, “The more language that comes in from real people the more language the child understands and produces later on.”
One of the huge problems we have with our educational system is that too many children entering it have developmental delays caused by over exposure to television. Babysitters, parents, and other caregivers use the TV and other screens as substitute companions for their tots. Studies have shown that 12-month olds in the US spend between one and two hours a day in front of a screen. Unfortunately, 60% of all households keep a TV running all day. The TV prevents children from talking and playing with adults and other children so they can’t focus on what’s important—their play.
II strongly suggest that caregivers introduce puzzles, books, and blocks to their tots.
Michael Thal is the author of Goodbye Tchaikovsky.
Temple University psychologist Kathryn Hirsh-Pasek is quoted in a New York Times article. She said, “The more language that comes in from real people the more language the child understands and produces later on.”
One of the huge problems we have with our educational system is that too many children entering it have developmental delays caused by over exposure to television. Babysitters, parents, and other caregivers use the TV and other screens as substitute companions for their tots. Studies have shown that 12-month olds in the US spend between one and two hours a day in front of a screen. Unfortunately, 60% of all households keep a TV running all day. The TV prevents children from talking and playing with adults and other children so they can’t focus on what’s important—their play.
II strongly suggest that caregivers introduce puzzles, books, and blocks to their tots.
Michael Thal is the author of Goodbye Tchaikovsky.