Early and Frequent Exposure of TV to Infants leads to Cognitive and Physical Problems
Luca Ferrieri
Journalism 2, Mass Media
Media comprise a large part of our daily lives and children have more access to media than at any other point in history. A century ago televisions primarily existed in the homes of the wealthy as they were quite expensive. Today, televisions are commonplace in every household and mass produced making them easier to own. Television provides a continuous and diverse stream of content from news to Sesame Street. In fact, it acts like the innocuous voice in the background: always there and somewhat comforting. When children are present, however, caution needs to be taken their exposure to television. Parents need to be more cognizant of the content and amount of time they expose their children to on television. Children under the age of six should not be exposed to heavy amounts of television and the content they are exposed to lead to attention related problems and health concerns such as obesity.
Much of a child’s development occurs in the first couple years of life and much of their growth hinges on interpersonal simulation. Without person to person interaction there is a greater chance that it leads to attention related problems. There are two factors that lead to greater attention problems among infants and children: length of time spent in front of the television and the type of television. The impact of adult programming on an infant’s brain affects the brain negatively (Zimmerman & Christakis). Adult programming is not designed for infants and has consequences as children’s exposure to adult programs increase. The issue with adult programming centers around the constant and rapid scene changes that occur. This over-stimulates the developing brain of an infant which increases the child’s probability of developing attention related issues (Zimmerman & Christakis). Television programming by design delivers a lot of violence and entertainment, because people ask for it. As a result, children face more exposure to adult programming. Children’s programming has less ‘jolts’ as adult shows. Today’s programs are designed to “deliver a maximum number of jolts per minute” (Lasn, 15). A jolt occurs when the steady stream of programming experiences an interruption. It is these interruptions that are problematic. The frequency of these interruptions are higher now than they have ever been, which can impede a child’s brain development. It causes their attention to be interrupted by the jolting of the television show. Our children now are more likely to become disinterested in play, because heavy television viewing from a young age has caused them to lose interest(TV and Kids). This is why parents need to monitor what their children watch more closely, because what they are exposed to as infants has a profound impact on their development. The Public Broadcasting System’s research came up with similar conclusions and recommend that children should only watch age-appropriate television programs and refrain from allowing infants and young children from watching adult programs. Slower-paced television shows like Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood and Sesame Street that limit the number of flashes and scene changes but a child exposed to TV too early can still develop problems with attetnion (Zimmerman & Christakis).
Although content is the primary concern for what children watch, their age and frequency are equally important when examining the cognitive effects. United States children have a higher rate of attention related issues in school versus many other developed countries. A survey between children from Denmark and the United States revealed that age and amount of time spent in front of the television also impact children’s attention span. The study shows that children in the US were more likely to have attention related issue whereas the children in Denmark were not, though this largely related to the frequency and quantity of television watched (Kamaruzaman, Nurul). This trend can be seen by the change in the age at which children today become exposed to television. Children in 1978 began watching TV at around four years old versus 2011 when it was on average four months old (Zimmerman & Christakis). Children today are viewing more television at an earlier age than ever before. Some estimates believe as much as four and a half hours a day are given to television by our children (Hansen, 236). Once a child allows the television to capture its attention cognition begins to slow, and learning becomes foreign. All the while TV became more available, family’s acquire more TV sets which land inauspiciously into children’s rooms. Naturally, children with a set in their rooms watch far more television on average. As this trend has grown there are signs that indicate a relationship between this and the likelihood of a child developing some form of attention related disorder. The Center for Disease Control’s statistics reveal a trend over the last 20 years that indicate a similar trend in the United States. From 1997 through 2011 Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) rose between 3% and 5% (Data & Statistics). This eventually manifests itself into school problems, because children unable to concentrate or focus in class are more likely to fall behind. Infants require stimulation to develop and grow but have a greater need to human interaction than the passive stimulation they receive from a television. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that a child should not be exposed to TV before the age of two, even if it is age appropriate as it can inhibit the desire to learn and read (Boyse, August 2010). In the best interest of the child human interaction and learning experiences promote better development less attention problems in the future.
Children today also face new problems that children in the early part of the 20th century did not - both parents working full time and not at home with their infants and young children. Until World War II, most women stayed home to take care of their children while the men worked. However, when the war broke out many women needed to work to support the war effort. After the war concluded women felt more empowered than ever and continued working, leaving many children home alone. This trend continues to grow with no sign of slowing down as mother’s careers grew leaving less time for parents to stay home. Today “we turn on the TV” as a reflex, and as a result many of our children become entrenched in the production of what is on TV. It evolved into a pseudo babysitter, always on and present as if acting as the watchful eye over our households. TV in an average american home remains on for approximately six hours a day - 25% of the total hours in a day (TV and Kids, PBS.com). That is almost 2200 hours of TV time per year, an incredible number. The effects have taken a physical toll, too. As this sedentary lifestyle and continuous exposure to television grows our children are also less likely to engage in outdoor activities and play, which can eventually lead to rapid weight gain. Not surprisingly, for every hour a child between the age of four to six years old correlates to an increased likelihood of developing weight problems and eventually obesity. Compared to only a few decades ago 71% of children today have television in their rooms, which leads to far more consumption. In addition, children ages 2-5 spend 32 hours per day in front of the television (Boyse, August 2010). This type of lifestyle continues to rise among children likely leading to an increased number of children developing diabetes because they are less interested in play and being active. Since the 1970s a people on the whole maintain less activity among parents and children (Shute, 2013). This further illustrates the growing trend of a sedentary lifestyle, not solely attributed to the influx of television viewing, but certainly a contributing factor. Television should not occupy such a massive part in our lives as they not affect our children negatively cognitively but physically.
Like all tools, television provides uses. It disseminates information in real-time which benefits people looking to get immediate information. With children, however, caution must take precedent. Children that view television at very early ages show correlation to different cognitive and physical ailments such as ADHD and the problem inflates during adult content. Furthermore, as the length of time in front of the TV increases a child’s potential to gain weight which can lead to further health problems such as obesity and diabetes. Parents should monitor very closely the content and amount of time their child spends in front of the television, and infants under the age of two years old should have little to no TV exposure.
How did television impact your childhood?
Did your parents limit your TV exposure or have certain TV shows you were not allowed to watch?
For the Presentation use this Youtube Video (from one of the authors listed) and start at 8:58 and run for 2 minutes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoT7qH_uVNo&t=357s
Boyse, K., Bushamn, B. Television and Chidlren. (August 2010). Retrieved November 19, 2016, from http://www.med.umich.edu/yourchild/topics/tv.htm
Data & Statistics. (2016, October 5). Retrieved November 20, 2016, from http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/data.html
Hansen, R. (2016). Mass Communication: Living in a Media World. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Kamaruzaman, J. (2009, August). Television and Media Literacy in Young Children: Issues and Effects in Early Childhood. Retrieved November 13, 2o16, from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ej1065705.pdf
Lasn, K. (1999). Culture Jam: The Uncooling of America. New York: Eagle Book
Shute, N. Kids Are Less Fit Today Than You Were Back Then. (2013, November 20). Retrieved November 20, 2016, from http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2013/11/20/246316731/kids-are-less-fit-today-than-you-were-back-then
TV and Kids Under Age 3. Retrieved November 20, 2016 from http://www.pbs.org/parents/childrenandmedia/article-faq.html
Zimmerman, F., & Christakis, D. (n.d.). Association Between Content Types of Early Media Exposure and Subsequent Attention Problems. Retrieved November 17, 2016 (http://ezproxy.fhda.edu:2114/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=d42a821f-8f41-48f7-a93d-254a3f3419a4%40sessionmgr102&vid=6&hid=101)
