Don’t hand the baby the remote. Are infants becoming couch potatoes? That’s the title of the article I just read in Chicago Baby magazine about tv and internet advertising to kids.
According to recent Kaiser Family Foundation study, more and more parents are putting young kids in front of the tube. This is in spite of an American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation that kids under age 2 not spend any time in front of the TV.
Some developmental experts say babies who watch TV are missing out on important human interactions and are drawn into the world of consumerism at far too young an age. This is due to the fact that many baby programs are marketed as educational.
The Kaiser study found that more than eight in 10 children under the age of 6 use screen media. More than four in 10 under age 2 watch television daily. The vice president of programming and development of Cartoon Network said that “Parents need to become gatekeepers.” Infant’s programming may be here to stay, but it doesn’t mean parents have to turn it on.
Interactive experiences build healthy minds, according to Stanley Greenspan, professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at George Washington University Medical School. Television, on the other hand, is one-way communication between the set and the child. He opposes any media use among the very young kids, and believe that even preschoolers should have limited television access.
Experts say that even if you may be tempted by claims that programs such as “BabyFirstTV” teach infants sign language and other skills, don’t buy into the hype. Babies would not be communicating those signs just by watching TV.
The co-founder of Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood thinks that parents are being duped. The industry’s trying to convince parents that they need these videos in order to be parents. But most proponents for media use for infants have interests in the baby media business.
So there you go parents. Hope this will help you make the smart choice.
