A debate about young children and television has been going on for as long as I've been a parent (and probably much longer). There are those who say that television is the root of all problems with kids these days, from obesity to ADHD to violent behavior to lower test scores. There are others who say that kids' television has never been better -- it's educational, it's interactive, it's teaching kids to count and read and be nice to each other.
The voice that's gotten drowned out in this ongoing debate is the voice of reason. The level-headed, "all things in moderation" stance, "no solution is perfect for every single child" stance, that really, truly makes the most sense. And this, I think, is where many parents stand -- somewhere in the middle. Not many issues are entirely black and white. And that includes issues about kids and TV -- what they watch, how they watch, how much they watch.
A new book by Lisa Guernsey, a New York Times reporter and a mother of two young daughters, goes into the gray area that the TV debate so often neglects. Into the Minds of Babes: How Screen Time Affects Children from Birth to Age Five was released last week, and after reading this interview with the author at Salon, I'm off to get myself a copy. Guernsey questions many assumptions about kids and TV:
Salon: You debunk a lot of the popular beliefs about the bad things TV does to kids, for instance, the idea that when kids watch TV they turn into zoned-out "zombies," or catch attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [ADHD]. What's the evidence that's not true?
Guernsey: Those were two things that I worried about a lot as a mom. There are no studies that show television causing attention problems. All we have is a link, an association. The more that I talked to experts on ADHD, I found a lot of reason to think that children who have attention problems are either more attracted to television, or their parents use the television more in their households.
I'm thrilled that this woman is approaching the "kids and TV" issue from a less extreme angle than so many of the experts who have shared their views and research recently. In the Salon interview, Guernsey discusses Baby Einstein, background television, obesity, and plenty more. She has some incredible insights (although I don't agree with everything she says in the Salon piece), and she has a unique and well-informed perspective. Let's hope her voice gets heard.
Cross-posted at Huxtabled.
3 comments:
It seems like all the old "bad for you" beliefs of my childhood are being debunked. Swimming after eating, reading in low light, sitting too close to the TV, etc.... It's hard to keep up with the changes! You can just about guarantee that if someone does research to show something is bad for you, someone else will do a study to find just the opposite.
That book looks awesome - totally going on my ever-expanding list!
Curious that there has been so much attention placed on the negative aspects of children and TV, video games, Baby Einstein, etc.
If you Google 'problems with children and TV', you'll get enough reading material to last you through the weekend.
Is this just a case of "Chicken Little"?
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