Effects of TV on Children [OFCOM Inquiry]
Obviously watching television has a negative impact on learning. It is sad that such inquiries will never lead to legislation, or better yet, banning of content aimed at very young children.
[...]
However, amid rising concern that television is being used by some parents as a form of babysitter, [...]
In a report published in July, French researchers found that watching television undermined the development of children under three, encouraged passivity, delayed language acquisition, increased agitation, reduced concentration and increased the incidence of sleep disorders. The same month, the French broadcasting authority Conseil Superior Audiovisuel (CSA) banned TV channels from marketing shows aimed at toddlers [...]
[...] the Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2007, which found that watching entertainment programmes before the age of three was linked to subsequent attention problems.
[...]But Claude Knights, director of the children’s charity Kidscape, called for Ofcom to make parents aware of the dangers. He said: “It is really sad when the TV is used as a babysitter or a means of controlling very young children. There may well be parents that don’t realise the cumulative effects of exposure to TV. Ofcom should state the case and give the concerns about possible harm revealed in this research.”
I very much doubt that someone seriously concerned with the health of children would only call for warnings to parents and further information on the matter. cui prodest?
The controller of CBeebies, Michael Carrington, defended toddler TV. “No-one can argue when they see a child’s face light up watching In The Night Garden that such carefully-made programmes have done any harm,” he said. “Our programmes are produced by experienced pre-school programme makers and we call on developmental and educational experts developing ideas. Guidance is also sought from the Early Learning Goals and School Curricula.”
[source: The Independent]
