About 40 per cent of three-month-olds watch television or videos for an average of 45 minutes a day or more than five hours a week, says the first ever study of the viewing habits of children under age two.

The study, by pediatric researchers at the University of Washington, also found that by age two, 90 per cent of children are watching television for an average of more than 90 minutes a day…

Researchers said they were surprised not only by the number of hours young children are spending in front of the television but also by the primary reason: Most parents are using television as an educational tool, not for the more conventional explanation of babysitting. Despite nearly a decade of warnings by pediatricians to the contrary, parents believe that the content of programs aimed at babies is good for brain development.

“I wouldn’t be so upset about this if I thought parents were doing it because they needed a break to take a shower or make dinner,” said Dimitri Christakas, the University of Washington pediatrician who co-authored the study. “What I’m troubled by is the notion that parents think it’s good for their kids. That’s more likely to lead to excessive viewing rather than occasional viewing.” …

“We have succeeded in convincing people that the first years are critical to brain development,” said Meltzoff, who is co-director of the Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences at the University of Washington.

“The unfortunate consequence is that it has spun off to build a brainier baby enterprise, where people think they have to use technology to take advantage of this critical window.”

What parents identify as attention and learning scientists say is a primitive reflex known as the orienting response. “Yes, the baby is staring at the screen, but it’s wrong to think the child likes it,” said Christakas, the study’s co-author and the father of two young children.

“He or she has no choice in the matter. He’s hard-wired to pay attention to anything that is fast moving, brightly coloured or loud. It’s a survival response.”

A baby is born with 100 billion brain cells, but only 17 per cent are immediately operational.

“The rest of the wiring follows in the days, weeks, months and years to come,” said child psychologist David Walsh. What’s not hard-wired by genetics gets soft-wired by experience and exposure…

Source: Hamilton Spectator
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