Should babies and toddlers watch television?
So much television programming is aimed at young children. Much of it appears to be educational: teaching the ABCs and life skills. When is it appropriate to introduce a baby to television, and what do parents need to know about this topic? A great deal of research has been done on the effects of television on children s lives. The first step in making the decision is to get the facts. Because nearly all of us have one or more TV sets in our home, and since most of us watch some TV nearly every day, we may not want to hear what research tells us, but these are things parents need to know. • Experts suspect that babies younger than two years old view TV as a confusing array of colors, images, and noises. They don t understand much of the content. Since the average TV scene lasts five to eight seconds, your baby or toddler doesn t have enough time to digest what s happening. • Cartoons and many children s shows are filled with images of violence. If you find this hard to believe, surf th
