Is TV that bad?

[weewdy]

My dd was ill today and we lay on the couch cuddling watching balamory (we have all the dvds) do i think it will make her scarred for life? No! Would i allow her to watch a horror or porn? No!

Its best sometimes to use common sense.

 

[LDC]

I have the tv on as background noise, even if I'm not watching it as I don't like a quiet house and we don't have a radio.

I agree with the majority on here; I don't see the harm in letting lo look at the tv every once in a while and sometimes I put the one on in my bedroom in the morning whilst she's awake and I'm trying to work out what the hell she is doing up at 6am when I just want to sleep!

It's one of those (endless) great debates we see on bnb. Some people don't mind, others are set against.

I personally don't have time to sit and read endless studies about whether something is good or bad for my child and the evidence for and against it. I'd rather use my common sense than dr google.

Xx

But you don't have to spend endless hours on Google researching it. The AAP reviews all the existing data and makes a recommendation. They don't just pluck a decision out of the air based on "Oh, this seems right". I mean, I don't think a little age-appropriate stuff here and there is going to make them into serial killers but people have got to be kidding when they say television is educational for babies. It's just not, in fact it's provably the opposite.

Again though, thats probably common sense isnt it? Im pretty sure noone on here gets their child up in the morning, plonks them infront of the tv and leaves them there until bedtime with no interaction?

Surely you just know thats not good for a child?! Like feeding them chocolate every day isnt good for the child.

Its just one of those debates that always gets out of hand with people's opinions imo.

I believe tv can be education though, at the right age. Hell, I learn things from tv, for example Fatboy is NOT cheating on Poppy...dun dun derrrrrr ha!

X

 

[iwantabub]

I have the tv on as background noise, even if I'm not watching it as I don't like a quiet house and we don't have a radio.

I agree with the majority on here; I don't see the harm in letting lo look at the tv every once in a while and sometimes I put the one on in my bedroom in the morning whilst she's awake and I'm trying to work out what the hell she is doing up at 6am when I just want to sleep!

It's one of those (endless) great debates we see on bnb. Some people don't mind, others are set against.

I personally don't have time to sit and read endless studies about whether something is good or bad for my child and the evidence for and against it. I'd rather use my common sense than dr google.

Xx

But you don't have to spend endless hours on Google researching it. The AAP reviews all the existing data and makes a recommendation. They don't just pluck a decision out of the air based on "Oh, this seems right". I mean, I don't think a little age-appropriate stuff here and there is going to make them into serial killers but people have got to be kidding when they say television is educational for babies. It's just not, in fact it's provably the opposite.

I don't have the online data it was on the news here that they've found that children who watch small amounts of television from a young age do better at school... They were very strict with the amounts tho...

Just curious... How could something with interactive colours and lights and educational content and songs etc in short amounts be at all bad for a child?
Genuine uestion

 

[Larkspur]

Again though, thats probably common sense isnt it? Im pretty sure noone on here gets their child up in the morning, plonks them infront of the tv and leaves them there until bedtime with no interaction?

Surely you just know thats not good for a child?! Like feeding them chocolate every day isnt good for the child.

Its just one of those debates that always gets out of hand with people's opinions imo.

I believe tv can be education though, at the right age. Hell, I learn things from tv, for example Fatboy is NOT cheating on Poppy...dun dun derrrrrr ha!

X

Yeah, but when I say 'a bit here and there' I actually don't mean half an hour to an hour a day, which certainly doesn't seem uncommon around here. That's actually a big chunk of a child's awake time, day in, day out.

And most of the time, yes, people do seem to use TV without interaction - they put the baby down so they can go off and do chores or have a break or whatever. It's so they *don't* have to pay attention to the child.

To use your analogy, I think people would probably feel pretty uncomfortable by a mum saying, "Actually, yes, I put my baby down with a Happy Meal (or a bar of chocolate) every day and it keeps him quiet while I do the dishes and have a bit of a break."

Television is junk food for the mind. Anyone who says otherwise is probably trying to sell you a children's television programme.

 

[broodyhen]

My son loves tv time and I have to say I use baby tv at certain points in the day to get stuff done including his nappy! Poor thing gets about 2 minutes tv then it's off again. He would stare at it for ages if I left it on. My problem is the more time watching tv, the less time playing/learning. I think too much tv could be negative but in moderation I feel it's ok.

 

[Katerpillar]

Not educational, not the best babysitter in the world and not good for overstimulation...but there are far worse things for me to beat myself up about than a bit of tele here and there! Do whatever you feel is right...

 

[Larkspur]

I don't have the online data it was on the news here that they've found that children who watch small amounts of television from a young age do better at school... They were very strict with the amounts tho...

So... an item on television said that television is good for children? Goodness, how unexpected!

I don't have time right now, so I'll try to find the actual research you're referring to, but I would find it very surprising if true. In the meantime, in answer to this

Just curious... How could something with interactive colours and lights and educational content and songs etc in short amounts be at all bad for a child?
Genuine uestion

Just off the top of my head:

- diminished attention span from constant image changing
- encourages desire to be 'entertained' rather than intrinsic self-entertainment (ie use of thinking skills)
- start of slippery slope eg children who are used to 15-30 minutes of television before age of one are likely to want increased amounts as they get older
- even children's programming has been shown to increase aggression
- decreases mother-child interaction
- 2D television doesn't 'make sense' to children in the same way engagement with real life, physical objects does, so it confuses their understanding
- television is 'produced' ie you get what you're given. It promotes the ideas that its maker wants to promote, and excludes information/ideas that the maker wants to exclude (perfect example above: a news item that television is good for children!)
- single point of focus is bad for developing vision
- has proven effects such as diminished short-term memory, diminished language development and sleep issues even when the television is only on as 'background noise'


Probably more I could get into but I think that will do for now.

 

[iwantabub]

I don't have the online data it was on the news here that they've found that children who watch small amounts of television from a young age do better at school... They were very strict with the amounts tho...

So... an item on television said that television is good for children? Goodness, how unexpected!

I don't have time right now, so I'll try to find the actual research you're referring to, but I would find it very surprising if true. In the meantime, in answer to this

Just curious... How could something with interactive colours and lights and educational content and songs etc in short amounts be at all bad for a child?
Genuine uestion

Just off the top of my head:

- diminished attention span from constant image changing
- encourages desire to be 'entertained' rather than intrinsic self-entertainment (ie use of thinking skills)
- start of slippery slope eg children who are used to 15-30 minutes of television before age of one are likely to want increased amounts as they get older
- even children's programming has been shown to increase aggression
- decreases mother-child interaction
- 2D television doesn't 'make sense' to children in the same way engagement with real life, physical objects does, so it confuses their understanding
- television is 'produced' ie you get what you're given. It promotes the ideas that its maker wants to promote, and excludes information/ideas that the maker wants to exclude (perfect example above: a news item that television is good for children!)
- single point of focus is bad for developing vision
- has proven effects such as diminished short-term memory, diminished language development and sleep issues even when the television is only on as 'background noise'


Probably more I could get into but I think that will do for now.

Well I must be the stupidest most idiot of a person with no social skills and find it hard to amuse myself and my 20/20 vision must be crap and only have the ability to focus in one thing at once coz I watched TV when I was little... And a fair bit coz my mum had cancer and between all her hospital stays and appt. that's all I could really do... She must have never spent time with me then and we must have a horrible relationship (actually were best friends lol)
Don't count my degrees and my property profile and my wonderful family and all around (what I would class) as a very successful life by the age of 22.
And I must be a terrible mother too.

Glad I found that out after all these years lol

 

[katsbump]

This is definitely going against what a lot are saying but I even turn her away if I come into the room to see someone and the tv's on - I'm vigilant about no tv watching. I have always read that it's bad for brain development so she has viewed no tv under my watch, though she has certainly heard tv in the house. My mother, however, informed me with glee that she let her watch a few minutes while taking care of her the other day - oh dear! I know the AAP says no tv for those under two.

 

[Larkspur]

I don't have the online data it was on the news here that they've found that children who watch small amounts of television from a young age do better at school... They were very strict with the amounts tho...

So... an item on television said that television is good for children? Goodness, how unexpected!

I don't have time right now, so I'll try to find the actual research you're referring to, but I would find it very surprising if true. In the meantime, in answer to this

Just curious... How could something with interactive colours and lights and educational content and songs etc in short amounts be at all bad for a child?
Genuine uestion

Just off the top of my head:

- diminished attention span from constant image changing
- encourages desire to be 'entertained' rather than intrinsic self-entertainment (ie use of thinking skills)
- start of slippery slope eg children who are used to 15-30 minutes of television before age of one are likely to want increased amounts as they get older
- even children's programming has been shown to increase aggression
- decreases mother-child interaction
- 2D television doesn't 'make sense' to children in the same way engagement with real life, physical objects does, so it confuses their understanding
- television is 'produced' ie you get what you're given. It promotes the ideas that its maker wants to promote, and excludes information/ideas that the maker wants to exclude (perfect example above: a news item that television is good for children!)
- single point of focus is bad for developing vision
- has proven effects such as diminished short-term memory, diminished language development and sleep issues even when the television is only on as 'background noise'


Probably more I could get into but I think that will do for now.

Well I must be the stupidest most idiot of a person with no social skills and find it hard to amuse myself and my 20/20 vision must be crap and only have the ability to focus in one thing at once coz I watched TV when I was little... And a fair bit coz my mum had cancer and between all her hospital stays and appt. that's all I could really do... She must have never spent time with me then and we must have a horrible relationship (actually were best friends lol)
Don't count my degrees and my property profile and my wonderful family and all around (what I would class) as a very successful life by the age of 22.
And I must be a terrible mother too.

Glad I found that out after all these years lol

Sigh. I couldn't really speak to whether that's true but if that's what you took from what I wrote then at the very least your critical thinking skills and logic could use a little fine-tuning. Guess it wasn't a genuine question after all.

 

[iwantabub]

It was a joke... I personally think people are too critical of everything.. No TV... What's next no breathing?

I mean everything in life has a negative... I know parents whose raised their children with the best moral set and the strictest rules as parents and their children are now in jail.

I think tbh out ruling things like TV and such can be worse on social development when older... I don't want my kid to be the only one at school whose never watched TV ever and gets totally made fun of or ruled out of social activities... That can have a worse effect

It's the same as those kids in school who were only allowed to have brown sandwiches and never a piece of candy or a treat...
And the fact that we put fluoride in our water which can have a negative effect on our brain function but does wonders for our teeth... So don't drink out water now? Lol
I think everything in life in moderation...

You can't protect your children from life in general so why try... Just do the best with what u have.

 

[Zephram]

I was only allowed brown sandwiches and no candy for treats and I turned out fine. I also wasn't allowed to watch tv very often. Just saying! It's not really that big of a deal, IMO.

ETA - I did have friends and go to social activities too.

 

[Larkspur]

It was a joke... I personally think people are too critical of everything.. No TV... What's next no breathing?

I mean everything in life has a negative... I know parents whose raised their children with the best moral set and the strictest rules as parents and their children are now in jail.

I think tbh out ruling things like TV and such can be worse on social development when older... I don't want my kid to be the only one at school whose never watched TV ever and gets totally made fun of or ruled out of social activities... That can have a worse effect

It's the same as those kids in school who were only allowed to have brown sandwiches and never a piece of candy or a treat...
And the fact that we put fluoride in our water which can have a negative effect on our brain function but does wonders for our teeth... So don't drink out water now? Lol
I think everything in life in moderation...

You can't protect your children from life in general so why try... Just do the best with what u have.

Oh *a joke* right, haha.

I don't know why you think anyone is saying they think children should be never allowed to watch any television ever. Or even if they were saying that, why breathing would be next.

Seems like a massive overreaction to the suggestion that even moderate amounts of television aren't good for very young children and that they shouldn't watch it for their first couple of years. I can see why people get extremely defensive about that though, lol.

 

[onetwothreebp]

Everything in moderation, but that being said, I have a hard time putting that into place myself.

We all have our faults when it comes to that saying. I'm pretty lax about the small bit of TV watching that he does, but when it comes to sugar, I am super anal about him consuming junk food because the thought of having an overweight child terrifies me.

 

[fieryphoenix]

but when it comes to sugar, I am super anal about him consuming junk food because the thought of having an overweight child terrifies me.

you may want to seriously consider talking with a psychologist about this, you don't want your lo to grow up with eating issues...

 

[onetwothreebp]

but when it comes to sugar, I am super anal about him consuming junk food because the thought of having an overweight child terrifies me.

you may want to seriously consider talking with a psychologist about this, you don't want your lo to grow up with eating issues...

I already have a counsellor, but thank you for the concern.

I was overweight as a child and bullied for it. I don't want my child to suffer the same way I did. However, I acknowledge that I am too strict on food and so I try to give where I can. We'll get McDonald's and he can have a few nuggets and some fries. If we order in pizza one night, he'll eat his veggies first and then he can have some pizza.

I know that my thoughts/feelings towards food aren't the healthiest, but like I said, I have a counsellor and I talk to her.

 

[Larkspur]

but when it comes to sugar, I am super anal about him consuming junk food because the thought of having an overweight child terrifies me.

you may want to seriously consider talking with a psychologist about this, you don't want your lo to grow up with eating issues...

I already have a counsellor, but thank you for the concern.

I was overweight as a child and bullied for it. I don't want my child to suffer the same way I did. However, I acknowledge that I am too strict on food and so I try to give where I can. We'll get McDonald's and he can have a few nuggets and some fries. If we order in pizza one night, he'll eat his veggies first and then he can have some pizza.

I know that my thoughts/feelings towards food aren't the healthiest, but like I said, I have a counsellor and I talk to her.

I wouldn't worry too much hon, it seems to be a peculiarly American notion that insisting on a healthy diet for children is going to give them "issues".

My parents were very strict on stuff like junk food and television and whaddya know? I can't remember the last time I ate junk because I never acquired a taste for it (and I've always had a great/low BMI) and I probably watch as much TV in a week as the average adult watches in a day. Sounds to me like you're finding a good balance.

 

[mac1979]

I haven't gone through the entire thread, but I keep my TV on during the day because I need the noise in the background. It is usually CNN or local news or PBS (Sesame Street). Anther reason is that when I put the baby in his play gym on his back he always looks to his left. I have tried laying on his right side to get him to turn his head, putting a toy there and it doesn't always work. If I turn the gym so the TV is to his right he will turn his head toward it for a longer period of time. I use it as more of a tool, but I play with him and talk to him when it is on too.

 

[meli1981]

I think tv is fine i watched my fair share as a kid and im fine, wasnt overweight or anything, actually quite the opposite and i also got straight a's didnt drink and kept my v card until i met my husband

 

[dudu23]

I recently just took an infant and child psychology third year University course taught by what I believe is one of most respected and experience professors in the field of developmental psychology in my University and in Canada. She basically said no amount of tv is recommended before the age of two as it could result in restless children due to the tv images constantly changing. I believe the American Pediatric association agrees with this statement but dont take it from me as I am not from the states. The health authority in my region of British Columbia says" No tv , dvd, computer time and other screen time before 24 month of age " in their 6 month baby checklist.