 Toddlers and TV - Brain Development Dangers
The odds of children ages one to three developing
attention problems by age seven increases by 10% for every hour
of TV they watch per day. en Espanol
Millions of kids under the age of two are watching TV - more than half our toddlers are tuned in to the tube. Studies indicate more than half the children under 2 in the US (65% according to one study by the Kaiser Family Foundation) are watching an average of more than 2 hours of television every day.
The American Academy of Pediatrics
recommends not letting kids under age two watch television. The first two years of a child's live are the most crucial period in their brain development.
Watching television has been shown to cause permanent changes in brain structure. The solution isn't to wait and see, then give kids drugs to counteract the ADHD symptoms. The solution is simple: don't let children under 2 - and older kids, if you can manage it - watch television. Period. This includes using a computer or playing video games. Give a toddler's brain time to grow normally and avoid problems with attention when they get to school.
It's not relevant that programming for young children is available on educational and public television stations. So what!? If the programming works now but affects your kid for the rest of his or her life, just say NO TV, and wait until they're older to let them indulge. Television is seductive and intriguiing, and a small child can't help but be attracted. Turn it off, and save your child's brain!
Millions of American children take prescription medication
for ADHD - the number is increasing, not decreasing, and nationwide school scores are declining. Television isn't to blame for all the problems with low test scores in our schools, but its impact on toddlers with respect to later attention deficit problems has been scientifically proven.
Television isn't harmless, at least not for toddlers. Let's ensure their future by keeping the tube turned off for at least their first few years.
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