TV rots the senses in the head!
It kills the imagination dead!
It clogs and clutters up the mind!
It makes a child so dull and blind.
He can no longer understand a fantasy,
A fairyland!
His brain becomes as soft as cheese!
His powers of thinking rust and freeze!
An excerpt from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,
Roald Dahl, 1964
I have been thinking recently about TV and other screens and when to introduce them to Rhea and Lara. The girls are nearly three now. I wanted to delay their exposure to TV until at least two, as recommended by Australia’s Physical Activity and Royal Australasian College of Physicians’ Guidelines. Now that they have well and truly passed that milestone, what should the rules be in our house?
Steve and I watch around two hours of TV a night. I think that’s too much, even though we watch mostly educational shows or well produced dramas rather than other alternatives on offer. We watch it after the girls have gone to bed, but it’s pretty likely that they know what we get up to while they are asleep: when they wake in the late evening they see us sitting passively in front of it. That must make them want to see what they’re missing out on. I don’t like the fact that we watch so much television but it is our habit and we enjoy it. Should we offer Lara and Rhea some digital enjoyment too? Should we let them watch Playschool for half an hour every day?
They already have some screen time: watching and re-watching videos of themselves as babies up until the present day on our iPhones (‘Can I watch a photo of a movie?’), which they would do for two hours a day if we let them (it’s probably half an hour a day already); and a singing cartoon toothpaste App who after being recommended by my dentist has recently transformed Toothbrush Torture Time to something verging on the enjoyable for all of us. And Skyping Maggie and Oli doesn’t count does it?
There was a program on ABC radio recently about how much tablet and touch screen time is too much, with a panel including a scientist and an educator. It seemed to advocate a ‘middle-of-the road’ view that some TV shows and Apps are educational and some exposure to these in our digital world can have valuable benefits, including stimulating ideas that children can then use in play. The listener who called in who advocated no screen time or TV for children – consistent with her children’s Steiner school philosophy and notwithstanding that her partner worked in IT – seemed to be viewed by all of the panel as a bit of an oddity.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of a small amount of educational, non-violent TV and other forms of digital media then? What exactly would our girls be missing out on if we continued as we do?
The previously-mentioned Physical Activity Guidelines Get Up and Grow advocate no screen time for children under two because babies shouldn’t be restrained for long period or kept inactive; and they need time to practise movements, new skills and language development; move freely and creatively; and play with others. The Guidelines suggest that screen time may also affect the development of the full range of eye movement and reduce the length of time children and babies of this age can stay focused. Screen-based activities for children less than two years of age have not been shown to lead to any health, intellectual or language improvements (would this include not consolidating a second language?) I have read research that supports these assertions though they date from the 1990’s, prior to Apps and the educational games found on some of them.1 Other research indicates that there are critical periods for brain development and watching television does nothing for this development and in fact may be stunting it.2 Research on the importance of play for social, emotional, physical and cognitive development is also very well documented.3
The Physical Activity Guidelines note that in toddlers and pre-schoolers, long periods of screen-time have been associated with less active, outdoor and creative play time; (not surprisingly) an increased risk of being overweight; sub-optimal muscle and bone growth; unhealthy eating habits; poorer social skills; fewer opportunities to develop decision-making, self-awareness and self-regulation skills; slower development of language skills and short-term memory; and television-viewing habits that may continue through childhood. Hence for children two to five years of age, these activities should be limited to less than one hour a day.
The RACP Guidelines tell us that the viewing habits of most Australian children in 1992 were far more than these recommendations – and I think these figures are likely to have increased, not decreased since then. The 1992 study found that children started watching television soon after they were born. Sydney babies aged 4 months watched an average of 44 minutes of television per day, 12 month old children around 60 minutes per day, and 30 month old children were watching an average of 84 minutes. By 4 years the average time had increased to over 2.5 hours per day. By the age of 18 years the average child had spent more time watching television (14,000 hours) than attending school (12,000 hours).4
I think that it is up to each parent or carer to determine the appropriate TV and digital viewing patterns and content of their children, but they should be informed of the science and risks associated with this type of activity. There are understandable reasons for children having screen time: short periods of babysitting, to give a carer a break, and in the case of good quality Apps or programs like Playschool, for the enjoyment of the child which is enhanced by the parent or carer being engaged with the active play during and after the show. I certainly won’t be giving up the toothbrushing App.
We think for us we might take up the suggestion that the girls can watch TV – Playschool, with active adult engagement – as a reward. When it’s oudoor weather seems like a good idea too. Not sure where to draw the line on ‘photos of movies’ – will give that a bit more thought. While it’s true that most people won’t name a TV program when asked what their happiest memories have been, either in childhood or adulthood, and it certainly does take away time that could be used in interacting with others or physical activity, I do remember enjoying the children’s shows I used to watch, though they are not ‘up there’ as the most thrilling experiences of my life.
All in all I’m quite looking forward to watching a bit of Playschool again. Half an hour max in a day, and strictly for educational and bribery purposes.
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1 . Luke C. C o n s t ructing the childviewer: an historical study of the discourse on television and c h i l d re n. London: Falmer Press, 1992.
2. Johnson, S. TV and Our Children’s Minds.http://devdelay.org/newsletter/articles/html/249-tv-and-childrens-minds.html 2009.
3. Ginsburg, K. The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds. American Journal of Paediatrics 2007.
4 . Getting in the Picture: A Parent’s and Carers’ Guide for the better use of Television for Children RACP 1999 quoted in the RACP’s Guideline Cupitt M, et al. Infants and television. Sydney: Australian Broadcasting Authority, 1998.
