On a typical day 61 percent of babies one year or younger watch TV or videos, with average viewing of more than an hour, the study found. A third of children under 6 have a TV in their bedroom. And more than half of parents surveyed said their main reason for putting a TV in their child’s room was so that they or other family members could watch their own shows.

“There has been this sense that it is kids clamoring for media and parents trying to hold back the tidal wave,” said Vicky Rideout, vice president of the Kaiser Foundation. “But what came out is that parents themselves are very enthusiastic about using media in their children’s lives. Many feel like they can’t make it through the day without the assistance it gives.” …

For most families surveyed, television is not a replacement for other activities, the study found. On a normal day, 83 percent of children read or are read to, the same percentage as those who watch TV or videos. But the increasing availability of programs aimed at young children — like BabyFirst TV, a new satellite and cable channel aimed at the under-3 set — is raising parents’ comfort level with electronic media and assuaging guilt over using television as a baby sitter…

Daniel Anderson, a professor of psychology at University of Massachusetts at Amherst, said pitches for products like BabyFirst TV and the Baby Einstein line of educational videos and DVD’s have convinced parents that fixation on television is educational for young children, even though little research has been devoted to television’s effect on infants and toddlers.

“The notion of sustained attention for many parents is a point of pride,” Mr. Anderson said. “Parents absolutely believe the marketing lines for these products, when the fact is that there is no real evidence yet of learning benefits.” …

Source: The New York Times
http://tinyurl.com/3xyreo