For the Love of TV

Q: We introduced our three-year-old daughter to television at an early age. We put limits on viewing time—currently, 30 minutes to an hour per day of something educational. However, she loves, loves, loves TV and prefers watching it to anything else. Is this okay? Should we wean her off of it, and if so, how?

A: Of course she loves it! What's better than doing nothing and being “entertained” by flashing lights and quick-changing scenes? I would pull the plug entirely right now, no exceptions, for at least six months. There are so many other things she could be doing that is more beneficial to her growing brain than staring at a screen, no matter how educational the programming.

Image courtesy of imagerymajestic/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

But she will complain, and whine and beg and plead and throw temper tantrums when you do (I’m sure this has already happened when you limit her exposure). This will pass in a few days if you stick with it--and DON’T replace TV screen time with electronic screen time of another sort (such as computers, tablets, smartphones, etc.). Kick the entire screen habit cold turkey with her.

Just simply tell her no TV and provide alternatives, such as building blocks and cars and trucks, trains and tracks, stuffed animals, etc. Any toy that doesn’t make it’s own noise is key--you want your daughter to provide the “entertainment” value for the toys, not the other way around. You will probably have to teach her how to play and expect a short attention span to begin with--but with calm purpose, you can help her recover her natural ability to entertain herself without electronics.

To give her a push in jumpstarting her imagination, build a town for her dolls out of building blocks, talking about what you’re doing, as in “Let’s make it big enough for Dolly to live in. Do you think she needs space to take a rest?” Let her guide the play and redirect the building. After about five minutes or so, she should be more engaged and then you can just sit there and let her do the playing. With stuffed animals, you can start a conversation between the owl and the lion about what to do that day. Ask your daughter what you think they should do, then do different voices for the animals. She'll probably start making sounds or voices herself with those or other animals.

In all activities, start the play, but then step aside and become a passive observer as your daughter takes over. As the hold TV/screens has had on her lessens, her brain will start to fire up on its own with imaginative play.

For more on how screen time, even “educational” programs, games, etc., re-wire children's brains, check out The Shallows by Nicholas Carr or The Big Disconnect by Teresa Barker and Catherine Steiner-Adair.

Bedtime Viewing

Q: My two kids (a fifth grader and a seventh grader) have TVs in their bedroom that they’re supposed to turn off at bedtime. However, lately, I’ll walk by their rooms after they should be in bed and hear the TV on. They promise to do better, but within a few weeks, they’re back to their old habits. Should I pull the plug?

A: In a word, yes. But if you need more convincing, these highlights from recent research should spur you to get rid of the televisions in their bedrooms—and severely limit TV viewing in general. (My blog on Tuesday talks more in-depth about why TV viewing should be rare for kids of all ages.)

First, having a television in a child’s bedroom significantly increases the chances of that child being obese in childhood and adulthood. A 2012 article in Science Daily revealed that “70% percent [of American children] have a TV in the bedroom and about one-third of youth aged 6-19 is considered obese. Previous studies have shown that TV viewing time during childhood and adolescence continues into adulthood, resulting in overweight and elevated total cholesterol.”

Image courtesy of digitalart/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Second, having a television in a child’s bedroom decreases the parent-child bond. An October 2012 article in Huffington Post quoted Jessica Taylor Piotrowski, an assistant professor with the Amsterdam School of Communication Research at the University of Amsterdam talking about this: “Experimental studies have shown that background TV exposure has been linked to lower attention when kids are playing and weaker parent-child interactions.”

Third, having a television in a child’s bedroom lowers the amount of time that child spends reading, which in turn means weaker classroom performances. A University of Michigan Health report found that “TV can discourage and replace reading. Reading requires much more thinking than television, and we know that reading fosters young people's healthy brain development.”

Fourth, having a television in a child’s bedroom reduces the amount of sleep that child gets. “A bedroom TV may create additional disruptions to healthy habits, above and beyond regular TV viewing. For instance, having a bedroom TV is related to lower amounts of sleep and lower prevalence of regular family meals, independent of total TV viewing time,” said Piotrowski.

Personally, I think those are four excellent reasons to chuck the boob tube out of their bedrooms for good.

Do you have a parenting question you would like to see answered on this blog? Email Sarah through the contact page with Parenting Question in the subject line.