A new study shows introducing television and videos to babies younger than two-years-old can harm their development, according to a pediatricians group. Parents are encouraged to instead talk to their children and let them engage in independent play in the new guidelines, as decided by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The change in guidelines was motivated by the steep increase in DVDs that are now made for kids under 2-years-old and because 90 percent of parents in the study said they allow their infants to take in media in some form.
This new study also warns parents that their own video and television consumption can be detrimental to their children’s development. When adults engage in technology they become distracted, interact less with their kids, and provide the child with less talk time, causing the child to talk less and therefore deter their language development.
The new guidelines discourage children to watch educational videos under the age of two, as well, arguing they don’t have the ability to understand the video. However, the off-limits media is only that can be classified as a stagnant activity. Interactive media on a smartphone, tablet, television or computer are not included in the new guidelines.
When did your children start watching television? Did you struggle trying to hold off introducing television to your kids? Share your story in the comment box below.
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“No TV for Children Under 2, Doctor’s Group Urges,” by Agence France-Presse. 18 October 2011. The New York Times. 18 October 2011. <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/19/health/19babies.html?_r=1&smid=fb-nytimes&WT.mc_id=SC-SM-E-FB-SM-LIN-NTF-101811-NYT-NA&WT.mc_ev=click>
