There are certainly programs which provide an educational value to kids. But several new studies show that the effects of television on children are not always beneficial. Early exposure of a child to television can slow the ability of the child to think. And in older kids, it can even affect whether or not they go on to a higher education.
The latest research in the Annals of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine shows that if children start watching TV at the age of 3, their reading ability and math scores at the age of 6 can be affected.
Dr. Andy Adesman, Chief of Development Behavior Pediatrics at Schneider Children’s Hospital, says, “The American Academy of Pediatrics feels that children under the age of 2 should not be watching any television, and that the television should be limited to one to two hours for children above the age of 2.”
But what about older kids?
Christine Pawlowski doesn’t allow her kids to watch too much television. Additionally she doesn’t allow a TV in the bedroom. “I think it's unnecessary, they can watch it in any general location and that way I can monitor what they watch,” says Christine.
That’s a good thing, because another study showed kids with a television in their bedrooms had lower scores on standardized tests, while children with access to a home computer had higher scores.
Marino and Elizabeth, Christine’s kids, got their report cards today. “My average for the entire year is an 86,” says Marino.
Christine states, “I think that their good grades can be attributed to the fact that they didn’t have distractions in their room.” 71% of kids studied had a TV in their bedroom.
Elizabeth comments, “I know that when I watch a lot more TV than usual a week before I have a test, I usually do a lot worse on the test.”
And yet another study shows kids who watch the most television during childhood and adolescence may be less likely to finish school or go on to get a college diploma.
“The study suggests a very basic but important fact- perhaps kids are watching too much television,” says Dr. Adesman.
The American Academy of Pediatrics says there is no programming proven to be of educational value in children below the age of 2, and there are real concerns for the effect of TV on preschoolers, particularly concerning the development of attention skills.
Dr. Adesman suggests that parents should consider watching television with their children, especially when they are very young.