The Right Amount of Television for Young Kids
How Much TV for Young Children?
What Are the Benefits of Television for Young Kids?
Child expert Jeanne-Marie Paynel answers this question without hesitation. “To be perfectly honest, none. None, whatsoever. That is my very strong passionate belief. Television has absolutely no positive benefit to the child’s developing brain.”
Paynel, who holds a Masters degree in early childhood education, is not swayed by the claims that some television shows are educational. It’s not the content of the program that she finds troublesome. “You have to understand that it is the actual mechanism of television and the way that the images are pulsating that the child’s reptilian brain locks into it. There’s no exchange… The brain is sort of in this sleep mode.”
Language Is a Human Interaction
For those who would argue that television shows help anchor language in children, Paynel emphasizes that language is a human interaction. The television does not react to a child’s utterances the way a parent would. Without an emotional reaction, you don’t have the discourse which is vital to language acquisition.
This opinion is shared by the American Association of Pediatrics. In 1999 they issued a recommendation regarding media and children:
“Pediatricians should urge parents to avoid television viewing for children under the age of 2 years. Although certain television programs may be promoted to this age group, research on early brain development shows that babies and toddlers have a critical need for direct interactions with parents and other significant caregivers (e.g., child care providers) for healthy brain growth and the development of appropriate social, emotional, and cognitive skills. Therefore, exposing such young children to television programs should be discouraged.”
Recent studies also point to the fact that television does not anchor language or literacy in our young kids:
- Kids from heavy-television homes read less than other children.
- Kids exposed to constant television are less likely to be able to read.
- Kids aged 1-3 have shorter play and attention spans in the presence of background TV.
- Parent-child interactions are less frequent when the TV is on.
When deciding how much, if any, television to allow in your household, consider Paynel and other child experts’ advice on the subject, and take a long, hard look at the research.
by Pamela Laney
About Jeanne-Marie Paynel
Jeanne-Marie Paynel has a Masters degree in early childhood development, specializing in the ages 0-6 and is an accredited Montessori teacher. As a guide and home consultant through her company Voila Montessori, Paynel works with individual families to assess and improve the home environment to best support children through their different developmental stages.
“Montessori is not the only truth,” Jeanne-Marie explains. “but I do believe in the Montessori philosophy as a way of life and know from first-hand experience that it can work for any family that takes the time to understand it and apply it.”