Thoraiya DyerDVD and TV For Babies: Bring on attention deficit disorder, obesity and stupidity
September 25th 2008 12:23
What makes people plonk their innocent bundles of joy in front of the idiot box at an age when they are absorbing information at a phenomenal rate? Do we really think that TV can make our kids smarter, or are we so desperate for an hour to ourselves that we’ll do just about anything?
Everyone wants their baby to be a genius, but television and babies probably should not mix for the first few years of life. Demented World has already explored the fun of Unborn University. Now it’s time to take a closer look at the next phase of insanity: DVD and TV that targets babies. Or, rather, targets their parents.
Brilliant Babies ( Really Long Link ) claims that their DVD, “Playtime” is suitable from the age of 3 months and not only, “Can help develop the areas in the brain responsible for problem solving and mathematics”, but “Helps develop speech and reading skills”.
At YourBabyCanRead.com.au, we are told that, “Your child will see the words, hear the words, see images representing the meaning of the words, often perform some physical activity related to the words and hear the words used in context. According to theories on brain development, this multi-sensory reading approach may help new synapses form among the visual, auditory, and somatosensory areas of the brain. These more elaborate connections may provide a better foundation for future learning as well as reach children with visual, auditory, and physical learning styles. Scientific theories also suggest that better quality stimulation creates better quality connections leading to increases in learning and potential IQ.”
Robert C. Titzer, PhD, recommends babies watch his videos from about 3 months.
A Sesame Street DVD aimed at 6-month-olds ( Really Long Link ) called Sesame Beginnings was released in 2006.
And in the US, pay TV channel Baby First TV ( http://www.babyfirsttv.com/ ) offers 24/7 “educational” shows for babies for only five bucks a month.
But a 2007 University of Washington study in the Journal of Paediatrics ( Really Long Link ) found that,
“Among infants (age 8 to 16 months), each hour per day of viewing baby DVDs/ videos was associated with a 16.99-point decrement in CDI score” – a standard language development test.
Says the Montgomery Advisor ( Really Long Link ),
“This news came in the wake of previous studies showing that more babies and toddlers who make up the channel [Baby First TV]'s target audience are watching TV for longer periods than ever, and the longstanding view from child-rearing experts that too much TV for any age child could not be beneficial.”
Apparently, the problem started with the Teletubbies. Before then, there had been television shows aimed at children, even toddlers, but never at babies.
The US Federal Trade Commission charged the makers of Baby Einstein and Brainy Baby for false advertising ( Really Long Link ) in May 2006, saying that they “lacked substantiation for claims” and “moreover, some research suggests that television viewing is actually detrimental to these very young children.”
One of the team [from the Journal of Paediatrics study], professor of paediatrics Dimitri Christakis, was widely quoted as saying "I would rather babies watch American Idol than these videos.” ( Really Long Link ).
But it seems like ALL forms of television are bad news for babies.
The American Academy of Paediatrics recommends “no screen time for babies under age two” ( Really Long Link ) and “no more than 1-2 hours a day of high quality educational screen media for children ages two years and over.”
A Japanese study in 2001 linked television watching with ADHD ( Really Long Link ):
“Naoki Kataoka, a professor of pediatrics at Kawasaki Medical School, reports that a growing number of children are demonstrating a new type of language disability.
Kataoka attributes this to children between the ages of 6 and 12 months living in a world in which most of their stimulation is one-way, such as watching television and videos. He feels that this prevents children from developing verbal skills.
If the problem is left untreated, these children are unable to adequately communicate with their peers in preschool or kindergarten and therefore unable to play with them.”
The Japanese Paediatric society went further than that in 2004 ( Really Long Link ), distributing warning posters to 7 000 general practitioners:
“The association and Kodomo to Media, a nonprofit organization studying children and media, conducted a survey involving 1,100 babies in Fukuoka between September and October 2002.
According to the findings of the survey, 96.6 percent of the babies raised in homes where the television was on for more than 10 hours a day tended to avert their eyes when eye contact was made with them.
In comparison, in households where the TV was on for three hours or less daily, only 37.5 percent did.
According to the organization, this demonstrates that the ability to build personal relationships decreases in direct relation to the amount of television watched.
Slower language acquisition also was noted among babies who sat in front of TV sets for extended periods.”
Note that the babies didn’t have to be watching the TV: It just had to be on in the background.
But isn’t Japanese TV really crazy?
Nope. American TV can also reduce children’s attention spans.
“According to a recent study conducted by a group of scholars and published in American Behavioral Scientist, the television is on approximately six hours a day on average in American homes. Yet little is known about the impact of growing up in the near constant presence of television.
They studied the prevalence and developmental impact of "heavy-television" households on very young children from birth to age 6 drawn from a nationally representative sample.
Thirty-five percent of the children lived in a home where the television was on "always" or "most of the time," even if no one was watching.
Regardless of their age, children from heavy-television households watched more television and read less than other children. Furthermore, children exposed to constant television were less likely to be able to read than other children.
Also, other research has shown that one-, two-, and three-year-olds' play and attention spans are shorter in length in the presence of background television, and parent-child interactions are also less frequent in the presence of background television.”
And does it make them fat?
“According to one study, the likelihood of obesity among low-income multi-ethnic preschoolers (between the ages of 1 and 5) increased for each hour per day of TV or video they viewed. Children who had TV sets in their bedrooms (40% of the sample in this study) watched more TV and were more likely to be obese.”
Stupid.
Fat.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
So why does TV for babies exist?
Makers of Baby Einstein and other baby DVDs said they had not done any clinical trials or scientific studies on the benefits of their products because “it makes no difference to sales.”
Also, says PBS Parents ( Really Long Link ):
“Children as young as two years old were found to have established beliefs about specific brands that were promoted by television advertising and parental behavior.”
There’s your answer.
Sell, sell, sell.
Consume, consume, consume.
Even babies can’t escape.
What a sick world we live in.
Or, should I say, a DEMENTED ONE.
Everyone wants their baby to be a genius, but television and babies probably should not mix for the first few years of life. Demented World has already explored the fun of Unborn University. Now it’s time to take a closer look at the next phase of insanity: DVD and TV that targets babies. Or, rather, targets their parents.
Brilliant Babies ( Really Long Link ) claims that their DVD, “Playtime” is suitable from the age of 3 months and not only, “Can help develop the areas in the brain responsible for problem solving and mathematics”, but “Helps develop speech and reading skills”.
At YourBabyCanRead.com.au, we are told that, “Your child will see the words, hear the words, see images representing the meaning of the words, often perform some physical activity related to the words and hear the words used in context. According to theories on brain development, this multi-sensory reading approach may help new synapses form among the visual, auditory, and somatosensory areas of the brain. These more elaborate connections may provide a better foundation for future learning as well as reach children with visual, auditory, and physical learning styles. Scientific theories also suggest that better quality stimulation creates better quality connections leading to increases in learning and potential IQ.”
Robert C. Titzer, PhD, recommends babies watch his videos from about 3 months.
A Sesame Street DVD aimed at 6-month-olds ( Really Long Link ) called Sesame Beginnings was released in 2006.
And in the US, pay TV channel Baby First TV ( http://www.babyfirsttv.com/ ) offers 24/7 “educational” shows for babies for only five bucks a month.
But a 2007 University of Washington study in the Journal of Paediatrics ( Really Long Link ) found that,
“Among infants (age 8 to 16 months), each hour per day of viewing baby DVDs/ videos was associated with a 16.99-point decrement in CDI score” – a standard language development test.
Says the Montgomery Advisor ( Really Long Link ),
“This news came in the wake of previous studies showing that more babies and toddlers who make up the channel [Baby First TV]'s target audience are watching TV for longer periods than ever, and the longstanding view from child-rearing experts that too much TV for any age child could not be beneficial.”
Apparently, the problem started with the Teletubbies. Before then, there had been television shows aimed at children, even toddlers, but never at babies.
The US Federal Trade Commission charged the makers of Baby Einstein and Brainy Baby for false advertising ( Really Long Link ) in May 2006, saying that they “lacked substantiation for claims” and “moreover, some research suggests that television viewing is actually detrimental to these very young children.”
One of the team [from the Journal of Paediatrics study], professor of paediatrics Dimitri Christakis, was widely quoted as saying "I would rather babies watch American Idol than these videos.” ( Really Long Link ).
But it seems like ALL forms of television are bad news for babies.
The American Academy of Paediatrics recommends “no screen time for babies under age two” ( Really Long Link ) and “no more than 1-2 hours a day of high quality educational screen media for children ages two years and over.”
A Japanese study in 2001 linked television watching with ADHD ( Really Long Link ):
“Naoki Kataoka, a professor of pediatrics at Kawasaki Medical School, reports that a growing number of children are demonstrating a new type of language disability.
Kataoka attributes this to children between the ages of 6 and 12 months living in a world in which most of their stimulation is one-way, such as watching television and videos. He feels that this prevents children from developing verbal skills.
If the problem is left untreated, these children are unable to adequately communicate with their peers in preschool or kindergarten and therefore unable to play with them.”
The Japanese Paediatric society went further than that in 2004 ( Really Long Link ), distributing warning posters to 7 000 general practitioners:
“The association and Kodomo to Media, a nonprofit organization studying children and media, conducted a survey involving 1,100 babies in Fukuoka between September and October 2002.
According to the findings of the survey, 96.6 percent of the babies raised in homes where the television was on for more than 10 hours a day tended to avert their eyes when eye contact was made with them.
In comparison, in households where the TV was on for three hours or less daily, only 37.5 percent did.
According to the organization, this demonstrates that the ability to build personal relationships decreases in direct relation to the amount of television watched.
Slower language acquisition also was noted among babies who sat in front of TV sets for extended periods.”
Note that the babies didn’t have to be watching the TV: It just had to be on in the background.
But isn’t Japanese TV really crazy?
Nope. American TV can also reduce children’s attention spans.
“According to a recent study conducted by a group of scholars and published in American Behavioral Scientist, the television is on approximately six hours a day on average in American homes. Yet little is known about the impact of growing up in the near constant presence of television.
They studied the prevalence and developmental impact of "heavy-television" households on very young children from birth to age 6 drawn from a nationally representative sample.
Thirty-five percent of the children lived in a home where the television was on "always" or "most of the time," even if no one was watching.
Regardless of their age, children from heavy-television households watched more television and read less than other children. Furthermore, children exposed to constant television were less likely to be able to read than other children.
Also, other research has shown that one-, two-, and three-year-olds' play and attention spans are shorter in length in the presence of background television, and parent-child interactions are also less frequent in the presence of background television.”
And does it make them fat?
“According to one study, the likelihood of obesity among low-income multi-ethnic preschoolers (between the ages of 1 and 5) increased for each hour per day of TV or video they viewed. Children who had TV sets in their bedrooms (40% of the sample in this study) watched more TV and were more likely to be obese.”
Stupid.
Fat.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
So why does TV for babies exist?
Makers of Baby Einstein and other baby DVDs said they had not done any clinical trials or scientific studies on the benefits of their products because “it makes no difference to sales.”
Also, says PBS Parents ( Really Long Link ):
“Children as young as two years old were found to have established beliefs about specific brands that were promoted by television advertising and parental behavior.”
There’s your answer.
Sell, sell, sell.
Consume, consume, consume.
Even babies can’t escape.
What a sick world we live in.
Or, should I say, a DEMENTED ONE.
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Comment by Geoff
I've lost count of how many times I've seen the "no tv under 2 years" recommendation and yet I know so many parents who think "a little bit won't hurt", blah blah, and let their babies watch on, even when they play video games. Yeaah, great example to set!
And everyone in the mother's groups pushing these stupid DVDs... sheesh, we grew up OK without them, didn't we?
This comment is interesting :
["Note that the babies didn’t have to be watching the TV: It just had to be on in the background."]
That seems to indicate it's not solely the visual influence that is the problem. I wonder what this says about having a radio on in the background? Or is it simply that if the baby isn't mesmerised by the box, the parent is? hmmm...
Maybe they need to run a scare ("education") campaign like they do with smoking etc, to knock it into some parents' heads... and run it on where else, but the television!
Comment by Thoraiya Dyer
Demented World
I love the idea of anti-TV advertising on TV