So why is TV watching so bad?

rlyttle · November 2011

I let DS watch tv and I don't feel bad about it. We sit down together & watch about 20-30 minutes in the morning together before DH takes DS to daycare. It's our special morning time together. (it used to be nursing) Then we do the same thing right before bed. I love sitting down on the couch as a family & watching cartoons for about 20 minutes before we put DS to bed. (which also used to be our nursing time). So why is TV watching a big "no no"?

wife1014 · November 2011

It's on the list with juice, non organic milk, plastic toys, FF car seats before the age of 7, disposible diapers and let's not forget formula.

They're all from the debbil.

SuperThat1006 · November 2011

wife1014:

It's on the list with juice, non organic milk, plastic toys, FF car seats before the age of 7, disposible diapers and let's not forget formula.

They're all from the debbil.

How can TV be the debbil when it produces this?

ETA: It's supposedly "so bad" because it keeps kids sedentary instead of active. So the point is to limit it in order to get kids exercise they need.

Under.the.Rose · November 2011

ChrissieW3:
wife1014:

It's on the list with juice, non organic milk, plastic toys, FF car seats before the age of 7, disposible diapers and let's not forget formula.

They're all from the debbil.

How can TV be the debbil when it produces this?

So adorable!

wife1014 · November 2011

ChrissieW3:
wife1014:

It's on the list with juice, non organic milk, plastic toys, FF car seats before the age of 7, disposible diapers and let's not forget formula.

They're all from the debbil.

How can TV be the debbil when it produces this?

ETA: It's supposedly "so bad" because it keeps kids sedentary instead of active. So the point is to limit it in order to get kids exercise they need.

Goodness, I love that Abby of yours.

McKenna04 · November 2011

ChrissieW3:
wife1014:

It's on the list with juice, non organic milk, plastic toys, FF car seats before the age of 7, disposible diapers and let's not forget formula.

They're all from the debbil.

How can TV be the debbil when it produces this?

ETA: It's supposedly "so bad" because it keeps kids sedentary instead of active. So the point is to limit it in order to get kids exercise they need.

Chrissie!!! Congrats on the pregnancy!! How exciting!

[Deleted User] · November 2011

The user and all related content has been deleted.

SuperThat1006 · November 2011

Shana419:
ChrissieW3:
wife1014:

It's on the list with juice, non organic milk, plastic toys, FF car seats before the age of 7, disposible diapers and let's not forget formula.

They're all from the debbil.

How can TV be the debbil when it produces this?
ETA: It's supposedly "so bad" because it keeps kids sedentary instead of active. So the point is to limit it in order to get kids exercise they need.
I love her! James prefers to shake it to Home on the Range.
He dances for exercise so that later he can veg in front of Sesame Street.

Oh my goodness.

With the turning up of the volume, this may be one of the greatest videos ever. I was just cackling.

SuperThat1006 · November 2011

McKenna04:
ChrissieW3:
wife1014:

It's on the list with juice, non organic milk, plastic toys, FF car seats before the age of 7, disposible diapers and let's not forget formula.

They're all from the debbil.

How can TV be the debbil when it produces this?

ETA: It's supposedly "so bad" because it keeps kids sedentary instead of active. So the point is to limit it in order to get kids exercise they need.

Chrissie!!! Congrats on the pregnancy!! How exciting!

Thank you!

Under.the.Rose · November 2011

Shana419:
ChrissieW3:
wife1014:

It's on the list with juice, non organic milk, plastic toys, FF car seats before the age of 7, disposible diapers and let's not forget formula.

They're all from the debbil.

How can TV be the debbil when it produces this?

ETA: It's supposedly "so bad" because it keeps kids sedentary instead of active. So the point is to limit it in order to get kids exercise they need.

I love her! James prefers to shake it to Home on the Range.

He dances for exercise so that later he can veg in front of Sesame Street.

Haha crank it up!

MrsSR · November 2011

Pediatricians should urge parents to avoid television viewing for children under the age of two 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., childcare 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.

From the AAP

katlizabeth · November 2011

Studies have linked TV under 2 to adhd later. It has to do with the fast moving color flashing images (the brain then "expects" that fast movement...or something like that)

PolishWonder · November 2011

I think the major concern is that some parents leave their child in front of the tv and don't interact or move with them.

MrsSR · November 2011

And other studies:

What Television Does to Young Minds

Too much television for young viewers has been shown to affect brain development.
It takes away precious time that babies can be interacting with their parents and their environment.
Several links have been found between television watching and subsequent attention problems in children.
Children under two rarely understand the content of a television program, and often confuse pretend with reality.
Television watching can be addictive ? the more they see, the more they want to see! Daily viewing can easily become a habit.
Children who watch television in their early years have been shown to be at higher risk for obesity, poor social development, and aggressive behavior.
When the television is on, even if a baby is not watching, it distracts him from allowing him to complete his own thoughts and problem-solve quietly.
Even quality television aims to teach children things better learned by their own parents or caregivers.

We personally don't watch much tv, but I won't say that it's never on. She doesn't watch it if it is on and is too busy asking, "Dis book?". She has zero interest in tv right now (which is good).

MNgirl326 · November 2011

okay, since you asked.....here are the facts

There are 12 stages of brain development between birth and 12 years old. The first 7 stages occur from birth -2 years old, which is why the first 2 years are so important in development. Its during those first 2 years that neurons and receptors are createed.

Basically what tv does, is it sends out multiple sensory outputs at once, which then cause the neurons to fire at rapid rates. People who are older then 2 can handle it becasue the neurons and receptors are there. However, when a child is exposed to tv under the age of 2 it actually causes the neurons to be created in a different pathway then they would have naturally done. This is why the AAP says no tv before 2.

Those are the facts, and yes people can say all in moderation....but unfortuntately even just havng the tv on, can effect the brain in a negative way for children under 2.

ETA: I should add, this is true for any screen time of any sort...so ipads, computers, phones, etc.

MNgirl326 · November 2011

fredalina:

Another thing not mentioned yet (and I do NOT think tv is the devil and I did let my LO watch a little bit from 18 months, and more now after 2):

TV can negatively affect language. Kids under 2 cannot process what is happening on tv properly, and they are hearing words that are not in context. Hearing words in context is how kids learn new words. Hearing words out of context can be confusing. (i.e. Child is looking at a puzzle with a yellow circle, and the character on tv says, "Pink triangle!" Child is getting mixed messages.)

oh yeah, I forgot about that. So true!

cdg0819 · November 2011

DS doesn't watch TV, but we do have pandora on for a good part of the day and that has a album cover moving around the screen while the song is on. Does that have the same negative effect? A friend told me it didn't since it was a constant image, but now I wonder...

abartow:
okay, since you asked.....here are the facts

There are 12 stages of brain development between birth and 12 years old. The first 7 stages occur from birth -2 years old, which is why the first 2 years are so important in development. Its during those first 2 years that neurons and receptors are createed.

Basically what tv does, is it sends out multiple sensory outputs at once, which then cause the neurons to fire at rapid rates. People who are older then 2 can handle it becasue the neurons and receptors are there. However, when a child is exposed to tv under the age of 2 it actually causes the neurons to be created in a different pathway then they would have naturally done. This is why the AAP says no tv before 2.

Those are the facts, and yes people can say all in moderation....but unfortuntately even just havng the tv on, can effect the brain in a negative way for children under 2.

ETA: I should add, this is true for any screen time of any sort...so ipads, computers, phones, etc.

MNgirl326 · November 2011

cdg0819:

DS doesn't watch TV, but we do have pandora on for a good part of the day and that has a album cover moving around the screen while the song is on. Does that have the same negative effect? A friend told me it didn't since it was a constant image, but now I wonder...

abartow:

okay, since you asked.....here are the facts

There are 12 stages of brain development between birth and 12 years old. The first 7 stages occur from birth -2 years old, which is why the first 2 years are so important in development. Its during those first 2 years that neurons and receptors are createed.

Basically what tv does, is it sends out multiple sensory outputs at once, which then cause the neurons to fire at rapid rates. People who are older then 2 can handle it becasue the neurons and receptors are there. However, when a child is exposed to tv under the age of 2 it actually causes the neurons to be created in a different pathway then they would have naturally done. This is why the AAP says no tv before 2.

Those are the facts, and yes people can say all in moderation....but unfortuntately even just havng the tv on, can effect the brain in a negative way for children under 2.

ETA: I should add, this is true for any screen time of any sort...so ipads, computers, phones, etc.

yes. It is the blinking imput that does it, no matter what it is.

With that said, technology is part of our culture and most children, including my own child, get exposed to a fair amount just by being around us.

spring_time · November 2011

I think the pp covered the reasons why TV is not recommended for children under the age of 2. The one thing I would add is that a lot of parents are under the impression that TV is educational. That is why the Baby Einstein videos are so popular. Parents insist their child learned letters, numbers, shapes, and languages from television. However, if that same amount of time were spent interacting with an adult, those concepts would be more meaningful.

Watching TV is a passive activity. Children do not need to think or problem solve while watching television. The real learning occurs when neural connections are made through interactions with others.

That being said, I do not think TV in moderation is harmful. I think most of the negative consequences for television watching occur after frequent, prolonged periods of time in front of the television. DS watches it a couple times a week, and he enjoys it. Much like you, it is his snuggle time with DH. However, I recognize that the only purpose it is serving is as entertainment.

lifesadance · November 2011

TOO MUCH tv is bad but a little is fine.

Today's digital world actually is really bad for kids brain development... analog pictures are slower so weren't as bad but digital is faster and can lead to ADD/ADHD because it trains the brain to need the fast paced changes/high pixels. (Okay, this was all explained to me many times but I'm not an electronics afficionado so I can't quite explain it right. Sorry.

Also, you want kids to move around and play and not be dependent on TV for entertainment.

dragon_chica · November 2011

Great info! I just wanted to add that when a child is learning to speak they learn by watching as well as listening. They look at your lips to see how words are formed. If they are looking at TV characters talk it is less effective since TV images cannot completely mimic how a human mouth forms words.

cynnichinny13 · November 2011

I'm curious. Has anyone here noticed a difference in your child's development when compared to a child who has/has not watched tv? I read all I these studies but I have yet to get a real life response from a mom on how her child watching tv has affected her child's development. Any takers? I'm genuinely curious.

I let DS watch sesame street in the morning. Occasionally at night if he's fussy. He seems to be on track in his developments.

Momtobug31 · November 2011

We let DD watch TV sometimes, but not often. Maybe 10 minutes every 3-4 days or so. We're just not TV people, and we're so busy any way since we both work, there's usually no down time. We're definitely conscious of limiting her TV time, but I'm not crazy strict about it.

But to answer pp's ? - yes, I have definitely noticed a difference in children who watch a lot of TV v. those that don't, not specifically my child though. In general - it is obvious. My little cousin (age 5) was babysat by a TV since he was a baby (his daycare provider was an older lady who had little interaction with him). A lot of his vocabulary, personality, etc is like the shows he watches. He doesn't like to just play. He always wants to watch TV. When we go outside and try to play with him, he doesn't seem to understand the concept of play. It's like he needs to be entertained and can't seem to initiate on his own. Make sense?

Also, most of the adults I know who watch a lot of TV are overweight and tend to isolate themselves. This is just my experience so please - don't flame. All of my friends watch TV, but there is an obvious difference between those that watch tons (TV is always on, they watch all weekend, all weeknights after work, etc) v. those that watch a few hours a week. Please don't take this out of context and think that I'm saying people who watch TV are lazy heffas.

jaemiller · November 2011

PolishWonder:
I think the major concern is that some parents leave their child in front of the tv and don't interact or move with them.

I agree with this!

kcisthebombdotcom · November 2011

cynhamilton:

I'm curious. Has anyone here noticed a difference in your child's development when compared to a child who has/has not watched tv? I read all I these studies but I have yet to get a real life response from a mom on how her child watching tv has affected her child's development. Any takers? I'm genuinely curious.

I let DS watch sesame street in the morning. Occasionally at night if he's fussy. He seems to be on track in his developments.

I know a child who spends 10 hours a day with his grandmother while his mom/dad work. The grandmother literally leaves the tv on all day long and does not teach the child at all. He has by far, the most expansive vocabulary of a 1 year old I have ever encountered.

My parents were too poor to have a TV/cable so I wasnt exposed to any sort of tv until I was school aged. I was speech delayed. I keep the TV off mst of the day but throw on a tv show on occasion. My son is also speech delayed.

I think a lot of it is nature vs nurture. I don't necessarily discredit the science behind TV studies, but I think there's a lot more factors that come into play in terms of child development. I don't personally believe an 18 month old old who watches a tv show a day is going to have any long-term harm from TV although I do believe that child is getting zero benefit from TV. I just dont feel that there's any long-term damage that would occur. I suppose my antecdotes and opinion doesnt count for much, though.

I'm also not sure I buy that they dont understand anything and that its just flashing colors. My son will follow the instructions, point to the proper shapes when they come on the screen, and has doing this for a few months now, so well before he was 2. I do think he learned those concepts from me though.

MNgirl326 · November 2011

cynhamilton:

I'm curious. Has anyone here noticed a difference in your child's development when compared to a child who has/has not watched tv? I read all I these studies but I have yet to get a real life response from a mom on how her child watching tv has affected her child's development. Any takers? I'm genuinely curious.

I let DS watch sesame street in the morning. Occasionally at night if he's fussy. He seems to be on track in his developments.

Considering the rates of ADD and ADHD have tripled over the last 30 years, i would say there is some correlaton. Also, the number of kids who have sensory issues and speech development issues have doubled. Many, many professionals atttribute it to the brain developement before 2 years old, which is part of the reason they so strongly say no tv before 2.

Now for me personally, i have 4 neices and nephews and they all have grown up with tv on quite a bit. 1 has severe ADHD, 2 have speech issues and one cannot play independently to save her life.

I have a friend who has a son that is one month older then LO. He is technically meeting all milestones. However, he cannot play independently, doesn't have an attention span of more then 2 minutes, doesn't have many words and can't really problem solve. He watches a couple shows of tv a day and mom has it on in the background all the time.

My LO doesn't watch tv- he doesn't even notice it when it is on, and it isn't on that much anyway. He can do all the things that my friends son can't. Yes, it could just be a coninsedence and yes, all children develope at their own rate....but it I believe it that tv does have something to do with it too.

Finally, if you look at overall interaction with children across a SES. professeional level parents interact with their children more then kids of middle class and poverty. This includes, playing, reading books, having conversations, sing songs, and have decreased tv exposure.

Now from a language point of view children.....

with professional parents hear about 2153 spoken words an hour from their parents, and by the age of 3 have a vocabulary of about 1116 words.

middle class children hear 1251 an hour from their parents or caregivers, and have a vocab by the age of 3 of about 749 words

children of poverty hear about 616 words from their parents and caregivers and have a vocab of about 525 words.

So yes, I agree that moderation is key, but I also do think that there is something about tv and technology that we have to accept as can have a negative influence on kids.

kcisthebombdotcom · November 2011

abartow:
cynhamilton:

I'm curious. Has anyone here noticed a difference in your child's development when compared to a child who has/has not watched tv? I read all I these studies but I have yet to get a real life response from a mom on how her child watching tv has affected her child's development. Any takers? I'm genuinely curious.

I let DS watch sesame street in the morning. Occasionally at night if he's fussy. He seems to be on track in his developments.

Considering the rates of ADD and ADHD have tripled over the last 30 years, i would say there is some correlaton. Also, the number of kids who have sensory issues and speech development issues have doubled. Many, many professionals atttribute it to the brain developement before 2 years old, which is part of the reason they so strongly say no tv before 2.

Now for me personally, i have 4 neices and nephews and they all have grown up with tv on quite a bit. 1 has severe ADHD, 2 have speech issues and one cannot play independently to save her life.

I have a friend who has a son that is one month older then LO. He is technically meeting all milestones. However, he cannot play independently, doesn't have an attention span of more then 2 minutes, doesn't have many words and can't really problem solve. He watches a couple shows of tv a day and mom has it on in the background all the time.

My LO doesn't watch tv- he doesn't even notice it when it is on, and it isn't on that much anyway. He can do all the things that my friends son can't. Yes, it could just be a coninsedence and yes, all children develope at their own rate....but it I believe it that tv does have something to do with it too.

Finally, if you look at overall interaction with children across a SES. professeional level parents interact with their children more then kids of middle class and poverty. This includes, playing, reading books, having conversations, sing songs, and have decreased tv exposure.

Now from a language point of view children.....

with professional parents hear about 2153 spoken words an hour from their parents, and by the age of 3 have a vocabulary of about 1116 words.

middle class children hear 1251 an hour from their parents or caregivers, and have a vocab by the age of 3 of about 749 words

children of poverty hear about 616 words from their parents and caregivers and have a vocab of about 525 words.

So yes, I agree that moderation is key, but I also do think that there is something about tv and technology that we have to accept as can have a negative influence on kids.

I dont necessarily buy ADD/ADHD rates have increased. Doctors just diagnosis it (and grossly overdiagnose it, IMO) more nowadays. More sensory issues and such are diagnosed because we know more about it now than we did even 20 years ago. Even in my parents day (I'm 30) no one took their kid through early intervention. Now that we've learned the benefits, it's extremely popular, even for young children with very mild delays.

I think your antecdotes are comparing a child not exposed to TV at all vs a lot of TV. I think a lot of TV will cause those negative outcomes you're seeing in your friends/family's kids.

MNgirl326 · November 2011

KC_13:
abartow:
cynhamilton:

I'm curious. Has anyone here noticed a difference in your child's development when compared to a child who has/has not watched tv? I read all I these studies but I have yet to get a real life response from a mom on how her child watching tv has affected her child's development. Any takers? I'm genuinely curious.

I let DS watch sesame street in the morning. Occasionally at night if he's fussy. He seems to be on track in his developments.

Considering the rates of ADD and ADHD have tripled over the last 30 years, i would say there is some correlaton. Also, the number of kids who have sensory issues and speech development issues have doubled. Many, many professionals atttribute it to the brain developement before 2 years old, which is part of the reason they so strongly say no tv before 2.

Now for me personally, i have 4 neices and nephews and they all have grown up with tv on quite a bit. 1 has severe ADHD, 2 have speech issues and one cannot play independently to save her life.

I have a friend who has a son that is one month older then LO. He is technically meeting all milestones. However, he cannot play independently, doesn't have an attention span of more then 2 minutes, doesn't have many words and can't really problem solve. He watches a couple shows of tv a day and mom has it on in the background all the time.

My LO doesn't watch tv- he doesn't even notice it when it is on, and it isn't on that much anyway. He can do all the things that my friends son can't. Yes, it could just be a coninsedence and yes, all children develope at their own rate....but it I believe it that tv does have something to do with it too.

Finally, if you look at overall interaction with children across a SES. professeional level parents interact with their children more then kids of middle class and poverty. This includes, playing, reading books, having conversations, sing songs, and have decreased tv exposure.

Now from a language point of view children.....

with professional parents hear about 2153 spoken words an hour from their parents, and by the age of 3 have a vocabulary of about 1116 words.

middle class children hear 1251 an hour from their parents or caregivers, and have a vocab by the age of 3 of about 749 words

children of poverty hear about 616 words from their parents and caregivers and have a vocab of about 525 words.

So yes, I agree that moderation is key, but I also do think that there is something about tv and technology that we have to accept as can have a negative influence on kids.

I dont necessarily buy ADD/ADHD rates have increased. Doctors just diagnosis it (and grossly overdiagnose it, IMO) more nowadays. More sensory issues and such are diagnosed because we know more about it now than we did even 20 years ago. Even in my parents day (I'm 30) no one took their kid through early intervention. Now that we've learned the benefits, it's extremely popular, even for young children with very mild delays.

I think your antecdotes are comparing a child not exposed to TV at all vs a lot of TV. I think a lot of TV will cause those negative outcomes you're seeing in your friends/family's kids.

All i am saying is that tv does have a negative effect on children and their brain development. Whether it is a lot or a little. The best thing a kid can get is interaction and language from their parents.

MNgirl326 · November 2011

KC_13:
abartow:
cynhamilton:

I'm curious. Has anyone here noticed a difference in your child's development when compared to a child who has/has not watched tv? I read all I these studies but I have yet to get a real life response from a mom on how her child watching tv has affected her child's development. Any takers? I'm genuinely curious.

I let DS watch sesame street in the morning. Occasionally at night if he's fussy. He seems to be on track in his developments.

Considering the rates of ADD and ADHD have tripled over the last 30 years, i would say there is some correlaton. Also, the number of kids who have sensory issues and speech development issues have doubled. Many, many professionals atttribute it to the brain developement before 2 years old, which is part of the reason they so strongly say no tv before 2.

Now for me personally, i have 4 neices and nephews and they all have grown up with tv on quite a bit. 1 has severe ADHD, 2 have speech issues and one cannot play independently to save her life.

I have a friend who has a son that is one month older then LO. He is technically meeting all milestones. However, he cannot play independently, doesn't have an attention span of more then 2 minutes, doesn't have many words and can't really problem solve. He watches a couple shows of tv a day and mom has it on in the background all the time.

My LO doesn't watch tv- he doesn't even notice it when it is on, and it isn't on that much anyway. He can do all the things that my friends son can't. Yes, it could just be a coninsedence and yes, all children develope at their own rate....but it I believe it that tv does have something to do with it too.

Finally, if you look at overall interaction with children across a SES. professeional level parents interact with their children more then kids of middle class and poverty. This includes, playing, reading books, having conversations, sing songs, and have decreased tv exposure.

Now from a language point of view children.....

with professional parents hear about 2153 spoken words an hour from their parents, and by the age of 3 have a vocabulary of about 1116 words.

middle class children hear 1251 an hour from their parents or caregivers, and have a vocab by the age of 3 of about 749 words

children of poverty hear about 616 words from their parents and caregivers and have a vocab of about 525 words.

So yes, I agree that moderation is key, but I also do think that there is something about tv and technology that we have to accept as can have a negative influence on kids.

I dont necessarily buy ADD/ADHD rates have increased. Doctors just diagnosis it (and grossly overdiagnose it, IMO) more nowadays. More sensory issues and such are diagnosed because we know more about it now than we did even 20 years ago. Even in my parents day (I'm 30) no one took their kid through early intervention. Now that we've learned the benefits, it's extremely popular, even for young children with very mild delays.

I think your antecdotes are comparing a child not exposed to TV at all vs a lot of TV. I think a lot of TV will cause those negative outcomes you're seeing in your friends/family's kids.

oh and I don't disagree that ADHD is overdiagnosed. They are actually finding now that many kids with ADHD have actually have sensory, reflex, visual, and auditory issues, which is all stuff that is developed by the brain before the age of 2.

kcisthebombdotcom · November 2011

abartow:
KC_13:
abartow:
cynhamilton:

I'm curious. Has anyone here noticed a difference in your child's development when compared to a child who has/has not watched tv? I read all I these studies but I have yet to get a real life response from a mom on how her child watching tv has affected her child's development. Any takers? I'm genuinely curious.

I let DS watch sesame street in the morning. Occasionally at night if he's fussy. He seems to be on track in his developments.

Considering the rates of ADD and ADHD have tripled over the last 30 years, i would say there is some correlaton. Also, the number of kids who have sensory issues and speech development issues have doubled. Many, many professionals atttribute it to the brain developement before 2 years old, which is part of the reason they so strongly say no tv before 2.

Now for me personally, i have 4 neices and nephews and they all have grown up with tv on quite a bit. 1 has severe ADHD, 2 have speech issues and one cannot play independently to save her life.

I have a friend who has a son that is one month older then LO. He is technically meeting all milestones. However, he cannot play independently, doesn't have an attention span of more then 2 minutes, doesn't have many words and can't really problem solve.   He watches a couple shows of tv a day and mom has it on in the background all the time.

My LO doesn't watch tv- he doesn't even notice it when it is on, and it isn't on that much anyway. He can do all the things that my friends son can't. Yes, it could just be a coninsedence and yes, all children develope at their own rate....but it I believe it that tv does have something to do with it too.

Finally, if you look at overall interaction with children across a SES. professeional level parents interact with their children more then kids of middle class and poverty.   This includes, playing, reading books, having conversations, sing songs, and have decreased tv exposure.

Now from a language point of view children.....

with professional parents hear about 2153 spoken words an hour from their parents, and by the age of 3 have a vocabulary of about 1116 words.

middle class children hear 1251 an hour from their parents or caregivers, and have a vocab by the age of 3 of about 749 words

children of poverty hear about 616 words from their parents and caregivers and have a vocab of about 525 words.

So yes, I agree that moderation is key, but I also do think that there is something about tv and technology that we have to accept as can have a negative influence on kids.

I dont necessarily buy ADD/ADHD rates have increased. Doctors just diagnosis it (and grossly overdiagnose it, IMO) more nowadays. More sensory issues and such are diagnosed because we know more about it now than we did even 20 years ago. Even in my parents day (I'm 30) no one took their kid through early intervention. Now that we've learned the benefits, it's extremely popular, even for young children with very mild delays.

I think your antecdotes are comparing a child not exposed to TV at all vs a lot of TV. I think a lot of TV will cause those negative outcomes you're seeing in your friends/family's kids.

All i am saying is that tv does have a negative effect on children and their brain development. Whether it is a lot or a little. The best thing a kid can get is interaction and language from their parents.

I don't disagree with the statement that interaction and language is best from parents.

I just can't see that because my kid watches a 22 minute show of mickey mouse so I can take a shower and put on some clothes/makeup that it negates from the many hours a day we spend reading, working with educational toys, etc.

I do agree there is no benefit to limited television use. I also agree that if a child spends many hours with the TV it will be detrimental.

You can't really say with any certainty that it has a negative effect with occasional tv usage because there's too many other factors that play into child development. There are even some studies out there that show no link at all between add/adhd and tv usage. It's not been proven with certainty that the 2 are linked. Correlation does not equal causation.

kcisthebombdotcom · November 2011

abartow:
KC_13:
abartow:
cynhamilton:

I'm curious. Has anyone here noticed a difference in your child's development when compared to a child who has/has not watched tv? I read all I these studies but I have yet to get a real life response from a mom on how her child watching tv has affected her child's development. Any takers? I'm genuinely curious.

I let DS watch sesame street in the morning. Occasionally at night if he's fussy. He seems to be on track in his developments.

Considering the rates of ADD and ADHD have tripled over the last 30 years, i would say there is some correlaton. Also, the number of kids who have sensory issues and speech development issues have doubled. Many, many professionals atttribute it to the brain developement before 2 years old, which is part of the reason they so strongly say no tv before 2.

Now for me personally, i have 4 neices and nephews and they all have grown up with tv on quite a bit. 1 has severe ADHD, 2 have speech issues and one cannot play independently to save her life.

I have a friend who has a son that is one month older then LO. He is technically meeting all milestones. However, he cannot play independently, doesn't have an attention span of more then 2 minutes, doesn't have many words and can't really problem solve. He watches a couple shows of tv a day and mom has it on in the background all the time.

My LO doesn't watch tv- he doesn't even notice it when it is on, and it isn't on that much anyway. He can do all the things that my friends son can't. Yes, it could just be a coninsedence and yes, all children develope at their own rate....but it I believe it that tv does have something to do with it too.

Finally, if you look at overall interaction with children across a SES. professeional level parents interact with their children more then kids of middle class and poverty. This includes, playing, reading books, having conversations, sing songs, and have decreased tv exposure.

Now from a language point of view children.....

with professional parents hear about 2153 spoken words an hour from their parents, and by the age of 3 have a vocabulary of about 1116 words.

middle class children hear 1251 an hour from their parents or caregivers, and have a vocab by the age of 3 of about 749 words

children of poverty hear about 616 words from their parents and caregivers and have a vocab of about 525 words.

So yes, I agree that moderation is key, but I also do think that there is something about tv and technology that we have to accept as can have a negative influence on kids.

I dont necessarily buy ADD/ADHD rates have increased. Doctors just diagnosis it (and grossly overdiagnose it, IMO) more nowadays. More sensory issues and such are diagnosed because we know more about it now than we did even 20 years ago. Even in my parents day (I'm 30) no one took their kid through early intervention. Now that we've learned the benefits, it's extremely popular, even for young children with very mild delays.

I think your antecdotes are comparing a child not exposed to TV at all vs a lot of TV. I think a lot of TV will cause those negative outcomes you're seeing in your friends/family's kids.

oh and I don't disagree that ADHD is overdiagnosed. They are actually finding now that many kids with ADHD have actually have sensory, reflex, visual, and auditory issues, which is all stuff that is developed by the brain before the age of 2.

Right, I totally agree that kids have sensory issues that were misdiagnosed. I just think a lot of this is contributed to the fact we know a lot more now than we did even 10 years ago.

Speech and learning issues run in my family. In my parents day, they did absolutely nothing except advise the kids to find a trade vs college. In my generation, I went for some speech therapy starting in first grade. In my kids generation, my pedi recommends speech therapy to her 12 month old patients.

Also, those systems you mentioned aren't developed by the age of 2. Your sensory system is developing until a child is 6-8 years old. Some kids in EI for sensory issues outgrow them naturally before 3. Kids develop at a certain rate and these kinds of issues are commonly overdiagnosed.

MNgirl326 · November 2011

KC_13:
abartow:
KC_13:
abartow:
cynhamilton:

I'm curious. Has anyone here noticed a difference in your child's development when compared to a child who has/has not watched tv? I read all I these studies but I have yet to get a real life response from a mom on how her child watching tv has affected her child's development. Any takers? I'm genuinely curious.

I let DS watch sesame street in the morning. Occasionally at night if he's fussy. He seems to be on track in his developments.

Considering the rates of ADD and ADHD have tripled over the last 30 years, i would say there is some correlaton. Also, the number of kids who have sensory issues and speech development issues have doubled. Many, many professionals atttribute it to the brain developement before 2 years old, which is part of the reason they so strongly say no tv before 2.

Now for me personally, i have 4 neices and nephews and they all have grown up with tv on quite a bit. 1 has severe ADHD, 2 have speech issues and one cannot play independently to save her life.

I have a friend who has a son that is one month older then LO. He is technically meeting all milestones. However, he cannot play independently, doesn't have an attention span of more then 2 minutes, doesn't have many words and can't really problem solve.   He watches a couple shows of tv a day and mom has it on in the background all the time.

My LO doesn't watch tv- he doesn't even notice it when it is on, and it isn't on that much anyway. He can do all the things that my friends son can't. Yes, it could just be a coninsedence and yes, all children develope at their own rate....but it I believe it that tv does have something to do with it too.

Finally, if you look at overall interaction with children across a SES. professeional level parents interact with their children more then kids of middle class and poverty.   This includes, playing, reading books, having conversations, sing songs, and have decreased tv exposure.

Now from a language point of view children.....

with professional parents hear about 2153 spoken words an hour from their parents, and by the age of 3 have a vocabulary of about 1116 words.

middle class children hear 1251 an hour from their parents or caregivers, and have a vocab by the age of 3 of about 749 words

children of poverty hear about 616 words from their parents and caregivers and have a vocab of about 525 words.

So yes, I agree that moderation is key, but I also do think that there is something about tv and technology that we have to accept as can have a negative influence on kids.

I dont necessarily buy ADD/ADHD rates have increased. Doctors just diagnosis it (and grossly overdiagnose it, IMO) more nowadays. More sensory issues and such are diagnosed because we know more about it now than we did even 20 years ago. Even in my parents day (I'm 30) no one took their kid through early intervention. Now that we've learned the benefits, it's extremely popular, even for young children with very mild delays.

I think your antecdotes are comparing a child not exposed to TV at all vs a lot of TV. I think a lot of TV will cause those negative outcomes you're seeing in your friends/family's kids.

All i am saying is that tv does have a negative effect on children and their brain development. Whether it is a lot or a little. The best thing a kid can get is interaction and language from their parents.

I don't disagree with the statement that interaction and language is best from parents.

I just can't see that because my kid watches a 22 minute show of mickey mouse so I can take a shower and put on some clothes/makeup that it negates from the many hours a day we spend reading, working with educational toys, etc.

I do agree there is no benefit to limited television use. I also agree that if a child spends many hours with the TV it will be detrimental.

You can't really say with any certainty that it has a negative effect with occasional tv usage because there's too many other factors that play into child development. There are even some studies out there that show no link at all between add/adhd and tv usage. It's not been proven with certainty that the 2 are linked. Correlation does not equal causation.

If you look back at my first post, I talked about the actual brain developement and what tv does to the neurons and receptors and that was regarding any technology exposure at all.

And you can't just say that 22 minutes is all your child gets exposed to on a daily basis. How often is the tv just on? the computer screen on? phone, or ipad? Does she see flashing billboards? tv at stores? it all adds up.

I am not saying kids shouldn't watch any tv. I am just saying that it shouldn't be discounted as having negative effects.

kcisthebombdotcom · November 2011

abartow:
KC_13:
abartow:
KC_13:
abartow:
cynhamilton:

I'm curious. Has anyone here noticed a difference in your child's development when compared to a child who has/has not watched tv? I read all I these studies but I have yet to get a real life response from a mom on how her child watching tv has affected her child's development. Any takers? I'm genuinely curious.

I let DS watch sesame street in the morning. Occasionally at night if he's fussy. He seems to be on track in his developments.

Considering the rates of ADD and ADHD have tripled over the last 30 years, i would say there is some correlaton. Also, the number of kids who have sensory issues and speech development issues have doubled. Many, many professionals atttribute it to the brain developement before 2 years old, which is part of the reason they so strongly say no tv before 2.

Now for me personally, i have 4 neices and nephews and they all have grown up with tv on quite a bit. 1 has severe ADHD, 2 have speech issues and one cannot play independently to save her life.

I have a friend who has a son that is one month older then LO. He is technically meeting all milestones. However, he cannot play independently, doesn't have an attention span of more then 2 minutes, doesn't have many words and can't really problem solve.   He watches a couple shows of tv a day and mom has it on in the background all the time.

My LO doesn't watch tv- he doesn't even notice it when it is on, and it isn't on that much anyway. He can do all the things that my friends son can't. Yes, it could just be a coninsedence and yes, all children develope at their own rate....but it I believe it that tv does have something to do with it too.

Finally, if you look at overall interaction with children across a SES. professeional level parents interact with their children more then kids of middle class and poverty.   This includes, playing, reading books, having conversations, sing songs, and have decreased tv exposure.

Now from a language point of view children.....

with professional parents hear about 2153 spoken words an hour from their parents, and by the age of 3 have a vocabulary of about 1116 words.

middle class children hear 1251 an hour from their parents or caregivers, and have a vocab by the age of 3 of about 749 words

children of poverty hear about 616 words from their parents and caregivers and have a vocab of about 525 words.

So yes, I agree that moderation is key, but I also do think that there is something about tv and technology that we have to accept as can have a negative influence on kids.

I dont necessarily buy ADD/ADHD rates have increased. Doctors just diagnosis it (and grossly overdiagnose it, IMO) more nowadays. More sensory issues and such are diagnosed because we know more about it now than we did even 20 years ago. Even in my parents day (I'm 30) no one took their kid through early intervention. Now that we've learned the benefits, it's extremely popular, even for young children with very mild delays.

I think your antecdotes are comparing a child not exposed to TV at all vs a lot of TV. I think a lot of TV will cause those negative outcomes you're seeing in your friends/family's kids.

All i am saying is that tv does have a negative effect on children and their brain development. Whether it is a lot or a little. The best thing a kid can get is interaction and language from their parents.

I don't disagree with the statement that interaction and language is best from parents.

I just can't see that because my kid watches a 22 minute show of mickey mouse so I can take a shower and put on some clothes/makeup that it negates from the many hours a day we spend reading, working with educational toys, etc.

I do agree there is no benefit to limited television use. I also agree that if a child spends many hours with the TV it will be detrimental.

You can't really say with any certainty that it has a negative effect with occasional tv usage because there's too many other factors that play into child development. There are even some studies out there that show no link at all between add/adhd and tv usage. It's not been proven with certainty that the 2 are linked. Correlation does not equal causation.

If you look back at my first post, I talked about the actual brain developement and what tv does to the neurons and receptors and that was regarding any technology exposure at all.

   And you can't just say that 22 minutes is all your child gets exposed to on a daily basis. How often is the tv just on? the computer screen on? phone, or ipad? Does she see flashing billboards? tv at stores?  it all adds up.

I am not saying kids shouldn't watch any tv. I am just saying that it shouldn't be discounted as having negative effects.

My problem is you're giving your opinion as fact.

You can't say with 100% certainty that any exposure is going to cause a change in brain chemistry. Unless they've done a long term study with thousands of kids, half of the participants being amish children with no exposure and some kids that saw a second of a flashing billboard, you cant say that *any* sort of exposure before 2 is going to cause a negative outcome. Even the studies say that there is a negative outcome are inconclusive. All they can say for certainty is that TV shows that are marketed as educational have no true education benefit. Not that TV usage is undoubtedly harmful.

If you know for certainty, where is the line drawn? Does an Amish kid who had no exposure to any sort of media but looks at a flashing billboard once now have a lifelong, permanent change that is negative to their brain development?

I can tell you my kid only gets 22 minutes of TV a day. We don't use background noise (music is on), the kids are sleeping/playing with their father in another room when I'm hanging on the computer, we have no flashing billboard in our area and I dont go into the TV aisle at stores.

There's no magic switch that flips on the exact day of their 2nd birthday which makes their brain acceptable for TV vs unacceptable. Children develop at different rates.

rlyttle · November 2011

KC_13:
abartow:
cynhamilton:

I'm curious. Has anyone here noticed a difference in your child's development when compared to a child who has/has not watched tv? I read all I these studies but I have yet to get a real life response from a mom on how her child watching tv has affected her child's development. Any takers? I'm genuinely curious.

I let DS watch sesame street in the morning. Occasionally at night if he's fussy. He seems to be on track in his developments.

Considering the rates of ADD and ADHD have tripled over the last 30 years, i would say there is some correlaton. Also, the number of kids who have sensory issues and speech development issues have doubled. Many, many professionals atttribute it to the brain developement before 2 years old, which is part of the reason they so strongly say no tv before 2.

Now for me personally, i have 4 neices and nephews and they all have grown up with tv on quite a bit. 1 has severe ADHD, 2 have speech issues and one cannot play independently to save her life.

I have a friend who has a son that is one month older then LO. He is technically meeting all milestones. However, he cannot play independently, doesn't have an attention span of more then 2 minutes, doesn't have many words and can't really problem solve. He watches a couple shows of tv a day and mom has it on in the background all the time.

My LO doesn't watch tv- he doesn't even notice it when it is on, and it isn't on that much anyway. He can do all the things that my friends son can't. Yes, it could just be a coninsedence and yes, all children develope at their own rate....but it I believe it that tv does have something to do with it too.

Finally, if you look at overall interaction with children across a SES. professeional level parents interact with their children more then kids of middle class and poverty. This includes, playing, reading books, having conversations, sing songs, and have decreased tv exposure.

Now from a language point of view children.....

with professional parents hear about 2153 spoken words an hour from their parents, and by the age of 3 have a vocabulary of about 1116 words.

middle class children hear 1251 an hour from their parents or caregivers, and have a vocab by the age of 3 of about 749 words

children of poverty hear about 616 words from their parents and caregivers and have a vocab of about 525 words.

So yes, I agree that moderation is key, but I also do think that there is something about tv and technology that we have to accept as can have a negative influence on kids.

I dont necessarily buy ADD/ADHD rates have increased. Doctors just diagnosis it (and grossly overdiagnose it, IMO) more nowadays. More sensory issues and such are diagnosed because we know more about it now than we did even 20 years ago. Even in my parents day (I'm 30) no one took their kid through early intervention. Now that we've learned the benefits, it's extremely popular, even for young children with very mild delays.

I think your antecdotes are comparing a child not exposed to TV at all vs a lot of TV. I think a lot of TV will cause those negative outcomes you're seeing in your friends/family's kids.

I also agree that ADD/ADHD is overdiagnosed. I'm a middle school teacher in an inner-city school district & many kids that are discipline problems are labeled ADD/ADHD just because they've never had a parent guiding them to "sit down, listen, do what you are supposed to do" sorta thing. It's really sad the lack of parent support that my of my students have. With that being said, maybe several of them did grow up in front of the tv? I'm not saying kids with ADD/ADHD have bad parents, or lack of parents. Just my opinion that many of my students wouldn't have attention problems if someone would just pay attention to them in the first place. It's really sad. Obviously the majority of moms on here are very involved & it won't kill our kids for them to watch a little tv here & there.

MNgirl326 · November 2011

intheflowers:
abartow:

If you look back at my first post, I talked about the actual brain developement and what tv does to the neurons and receptors and that was regarding any technology exposure at all.

And you can't just say that 22 minutes is all your child gets exposed to on a daily basis. How often is the tv just on? the computer screen on? phone, or ipad? Does she see flashing billboards? tv at stores? it all adds up.

I am not saying kids shouldn't watch any tv. I am just saying that it shouldn't be discounted as having negative effects.

Yah, did we read the same books? There are a few good ones out there, I really liked "Bright From the Start: The Simple, Science-Backed Way to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind from Birth to Age 3."

I havne't read those. I have a BA in child psych and a MA in child developement and elementary education. So, i have gotten the info from many many classes and lots of professional research.

I will check out the books though. I am always interested in reading up on what is out there on the mass markets for parents.

kcisthebombdotcom · November 2011

abartow:
intheflowers:
abartow:

If you look back at my first post, I talked about the actual brain developement and what tv does to the neurons and receptors and that was regarding any technology exposure at all.

And you can't just say that 22 minutes is all your child gets exposed to on a daily basis. How often is the tv just on? the computer screen on? phone, or ipad? Does she see flashing billboards? tv at stores? it all adds up.

I am not saying kids shouldn't watch any tv. I am just saying that it shouldn't be discounted as having negative effects.

Yah, did we read the same books? There are a few good ones out there, I really liked "Bright From the Start: The Simple, Science-Backed Way to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind from Birth to Age 3."

I havne't read those. I have a BA in child psych and a MA in child developement and elementary education. So, i have gotten the info from many many classes and lots of professional research.

I will check out the books though. I am always interested in reading up on what is out there on the mass markets for parents.

Not to be snarky, but it baffles me that with your level of education you'd make this statement:

They are actually finding now that many kids with ADHD have actually have sensory, reflex, visual, and auditory issues, which is all stuff that is developed by the brain before the age of 2.

I just have a measly BA in child psych and know this isn't true.

MNgirl326 · November 2011

KC_13:
abartow:
intheflowers:
abartow:

If you look back at my first post, I talked about the actual brain developement and what tv does to the neurons and receptors and that was regarding any technology exposure at all.

And you can't just say that 22 minutes is all your child gets exposed to on a daily basis. How often is the tv just on? the computer screen on? phone, or ipad? Does she see flashing billboards? tv at stores? it all adds up.

I am not saying kids shouldn't watch any tv. I am just saying that it shouldn't be discounted as having negative effects.

Yah, did we read the same books? There are a few good ones out there, I really liked "Bright From the Start: The Simple, Science-Backed Way to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind from Birth to Age 3."

I havne't read those. I have a BA in child psych and a MA in child developement and elementary education. So, i have gotten the info from many many classes and lots of professional research.

I will check out the books though. I am always interested in reading up on what is out there on the mass markets for parents.

Not to be snarky, but it baffles me that with your level of education you'd make this statement:

They are actually finding now that many kids with ADHD have actually have sensory, reflex, visual, and auditory issues, which is all stuff that is developed by the brain before the age of 2.

I just have a measly BA in child psych and know this isn't true.

I guess I will just throw the huge binder of information from the week long seminar I just took last week on what to do with kids who have sensory, auditory, visual and reflex problems away then, espeically the chapter that talks about mis-diagnosis of ADHD. And all the other professional journals, text books, other information from seminars i have taken over the years too. I guess the information given to me by scientists, teachers, and doctors was a lot of bunk.

Okay, whatevs. You win.

kcisthebombdotcom · November 2011

abartow:
KC_13:
abartow:
intheflowers:
abartow:

If you look back at my first post, I talked about the actual brain developement and what tv does to the neurons and receptors and that was regarding any technology exposure at all.

And you can't just say that 22 minutes is all your child gets exposed to on a daily basis. How often is the tv just on? the computer screen on? phone, or ipad? Does she see flashing billboards? tv at stores? it all adds up.

I am not saying kids shouldn't watch any tv. I am just saying that it shouldn't be discounted as having negative effects.

Yah, did we read the same books? There are a few good ones out there, I really liked "Bright From the Start: The Simple, Science-Backed Way to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind from Birth to Age 3."

I havne't read those. I have a BA in child psych and a MA in child developement and elementary education. So, i have gotten the info from many many classes and lots of professional research.

I will check out the books though. I am always interested in reading up on what is out there on the mass markets for parents.

Not to be snarky, but it baffles me that with your level of education you'd make this statement:

They are actually finding now that many kids with ADHD have actually have sensory, reflex, visual, and auditory issues, which is all stuff that is developed by the brain before the age of 2.

I just have a measly BA in child psych and know this isn't true.

I guess I will just throw the huge binder of information from the week long seminar I just took last week on what to do with kids who have sensory, auditory, visual and reflex problems away then, espeically the chapter that talks about mis-diagnosis of ADHD. And all the other professional journals, text books, other information from seminars i have taken over the years too. I guess the information given to me by scientists, teachers, and doctors was a lot of bunk.

Okay, whatevs. You win.

You clearly have no idea what I'm saying, since I agree that ADHD is misdiagnosed and that sensory/auditory/visual issues should be diagnosed and worked with at a young age (ie under the age of 3).

I just hate when people throw around that they're educated so therefore, they're correct.

A theory in child development =/= indisputable fact.

Correlation =/= causation.

MNgirl326 · November 2011

KC_13:
abartow:
KC_13:
abartow:
intheflowers:
abartow:

If you look back at my first post, I talked about the actual brain developement and what tv does to the neurons and receptors and that was regarding any technology exposure at all.

And you can't just say that 22 minutes is all your child gets exposed to on a daily basis. How often is the tv just on? the computer screen on? phone, or ipad? Does she see flashing billboards? tv at stores? it all adds up.

I am not saying kids shouldn't watch any tv. I am just saying that it shouldn't be discounted as having negative effects.

Yah, did we read the same books? There are a few good ones out there, I really liked "Bright From the Start: The Simple, Science-Backed Way to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind from Birth to Age 3."

I havne't read those. I have a BA in child psych and a MA in child developement and elementary education. So, i have gotten the info from many many classes and lots of professional research.

I will check out the books though. I am always interested in reading up on what is out there on the mass markets for parents.

Not to be snarky, but it baffles me that with your level of education you'd make this statement:

They are actually finding now that many kids with ADHD have actually have sensory, reflex, visual, and auditory issues, which is all stuff that is developed by the brain before the age of 2.

I just have a measly BA in child psych and know this isn't true.

I guess I will just throw the huge binder of information from the week long seminar I just took last week on what to do with kids who have sensory, auditory, visual and reflex problems away then, espeically the chapter that talks about mis-diagnosis of ADHD. And all the other professional journals, text books, other information from seminars i have taken over the years too. I guess the information given to me by scientists, teachers, and doctors was a lot of bunk.

Okay, whatevs. You win.

You clearly have no idea what I'm saying, since I agree that ADHD is misdiagnosed and that sensory/auditory/visual issues should be diagnosed and worked with at a young age (ie under the age of 3).

I just hate when people throw around that they're educated so therefore, they're correct.

A theory in child development =/= indisputable fact.

Correlation =/= causation.

1. brain development (ie neurons and receptors) in not a theory, it is a fact

2. I didn't say I was super educated and therefore I was correct, I gave my the information I have learned from classes I have taken. I didn't throw out my education level until the end when someone else asked about what books I have read. I never once said that i knew it all. I am just frustrated that you don't seem to give me any credit for anything that i may have learned.

3. I know correlataion =/= causation. I even said that the examples given of kids who do and do not watch tv can be all coincidences. But I am also saying, maybe its not. So therefore as parents, lets not just throw out the information, but instead file it under good information to know and just beware of it.

Also KC- i don't think we are ever going to see eye to eye on this. So lets just agree to disagree and move on. i have stuff to do today and can't spend the rest of the day arguing this.

kcisthebombdotcom · November 2011

abartow:
KC_13:
abartow:
KC_13:
abartow:
intheflowers:
abartow:

If you look back at my first post, I talked about the actual brain developement and what tv does to the neurons and receptors and that was regarding any technology exposure at all.

   And you can't just say that 22 minutes is all your child gets exposed to on a daily basis. How often is the tv just on? the computer screen on? phone, or ipad? Does she see flashing billboards? tv at stores?  it all adds up.

I am not saying kids shouldn't watch any tv. I am just saying that it shouldn't be discounted as having negative effects.

Yah, did we read the same books? There are a few good ones out there, I really liked "Bright From the Start: The Simple, Science-Backed Way to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind from Birth to Age 3."

I havne't read those. I have a BA in child psych and a MA in child developement and elementary education. So, i have gotten the info from many many classes and lots of professional research.

I will check out the books though. I am always interested in reading up on what is out there on the mass markets for parents.

Not to be snarky, but it baffles me that with your level of education you'd make this statement:

They are actually finding now that many kids with ADHD have actually have sensory, reflex, visual, and auditory issues, which is all stuff that is developed by the brain before the age of 2.

I just have a measly BA in child psych and know this isn't true.

I guess I will just throw the huge binder of information from the week long seminar I just took last week on what to do with kids who have sensory, auditory, visual and reflex problems away then, espeically the chapter that talks about mis-diagnosis of ADHD.   And all the other professional journals, text books, other information from seminars i have taken over the years too. I guess the information given to me by scientists, teachers, and doctors was a lot of bunk.

Okay, whatevs. You win.

You clearly have no idea what I'm saying, since I agree that ADHD is misdiagnosed and that sensory/auditory/visual issues should be diagnosed and worked with at a young age (ie under the age of 3).

I just hate when people throw around that they're educated so therefore, they're correct.

A theory in child development =/= indisputable fact.

Correlation =/= causation.

1. brain development (ie neurons and receptors) in not a theory, it is a fact

2. I didn't say I was super educated and therefore I was correct, I gave my the information I have learned from classes I have taken. I didn't throw out my education level until the end when someone else asked about what books I have read. I never once said that i knew it all.   I am just frustrated that you don't seem to give me any credit for anything that i may have learned.

3. I know correlataion =/= causation. I even said that the examples given of kids who do and do not watch tv can be all coincidences. But I am also saying, maybe its not. So therefore as parents, lets not just throw out the information, but instead file it under good information to know and just beware of it.

Also KC- i don't think we are ever going to see eye to eye on this. So lets just agree to disagree and move on. i have stuff to do today and can't spend the rest of the day arguing this.

I actually agree with a lot of what you say, especially about the overdiagnosis of ADHD and false diagnoses when the underlying issue is sensory.

I also don't think parents should be unaware of why TV is considered harmful.

You lost me when you said it's a fact that TV has a negative impact on the brain and kids under 2 can't handle it while kids over 2 can. That isn't factual information. I think ADHD/ADD exists more today not because of TV under 2, but because of overdiagnosis, genetic predisposition, kids who are exposed to TV are likely hearing less language, etc. You gave a great example of SES and language development. Couldn't those delays be caused by parents not talking to their kids as much and not the TV itself? Couldn't ADHD/ADD be caused not from TV, but because of the diet people in lower SES have? It's not necessarily TV=negative influence and puts kids at risk for things like developmental delays/ADHD.

I like educating parents about the theories and being aware TV doesnt have any educational purpose, but I don't like people giving theories out as fact.

wife1014 · November 2011

So what we learned here is that TV is the debil. If your kid watches it you suck and don't care about their brain development. If you/your children watch TV it's because you are fat and/or uneducated. And don't fool yourselves, as there is no such thing as educational programming.

I think the same people who allow their little ones to watch TV are the same uneducated horrible parents who will also turn their child forward facing before the age of 2.

Want a personalized experience?

So why is TV watching so bad?

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What Television Does to Young Minds

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