Study Shows Parents Giving Tots Too Much TV Time
by Mary Rettig
June 1, 2006
(AgapePress) - - A child and family psychologist for Focus on the Family says it is troubling that. According to one study, today's parents seem to believe the television and other media can be a good babysitter for very young children. Focus on the Family's Dr. Bill Maier says a recent Kaiser Family Foundation study shows parents sometimes rely on media to occupy their infant and toddler children while the adults do other chores. However, he points out, child health experts have warned that parents of children within that age range against exposing them to TV this early.
"The American Academy of Pediatrics came out with a very strong recommendation about two years ago, telling American parents that children under two should not be exposed to any sort of television, Maier notes, "and yet, if you look at the Kaiser Foundation report, 61 percent of babies one year or younger watch TV, in a typical day, an average of an hour and 20 minutes."
And among slightly older children, the psychologist reveals, the numbers are even more alarming. "Ninety percent of 4- to 6-year-olds watch TV, in a given day, for an average of two hours," he says.
"Here we have the nation's largest child health organization telling us two years ago that kids under two shouldn't be watching television at all," Maier laments, "and yet this huge number of children are doing just that." But although he thinks allowing the TV to "baby-sit" while adults do other things is an immature and selfish trend, he emphasizes that he does not believe most parents are uncaring, only uninformed.
"I think a lot of it boils down to a lack of knowledge about child development," the child and family issues expert says. "And many parents are just so busy, they don't take the time to read articles and keep up with the news about what's good and bad for kids."
Many mothers and fathers believe exposure to television and DVDs can be helpful to their children's learning and development, Maier notes. However, he says these parents are forgetting that long hours spent sitting in front of a screen can contribute to childhood obesity and other health and developmental problems.
Mary Rettig, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
