Source : Globe & Mail

U.S. researchers find young children spending a lot of time in front of screens

Children under 6 are spending a lot of time in front of a television, and even babies under 2 are regular viewers, says a new U.S. study that suggests excessive media exposure could impair reading skills.

The study, conducted by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, a philanthropic U.S. research organization focusing on health issues, found that 43 per cent of children under 2 watch television every day, and one-quarter have a TV in their bedroom.

Between television, computers, video games, videos and DVDs, the study says children under the age of 6 spend, on average, two hours a day exposed to screen media. That's about the same amount of time they spend playing outdoors and three times the amount they read or are read to.

While eight out of 10 children typically spend some time every day with a book, the study says only 34 per cent of children between the ages of 4 and 6, who are raised in homes where the television is on all or most of the time, can read. That compares to 56 per cent of other children that age.

The paper avoids drawing conclusions about the effects of television exposure, but notes the recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics that children under 2 should avoid television altogether.

The academy doesn't "have research that says watching a TV or video is bad for brain development in little children," said Victoria Rideout, the study's lead author. But "they believe that it could be harmful, largely because they feel it could be displacing other activities."

The Canadian Paediatric Society takes a less stringent view. The problem is not television, it is excessive television, said Peter Nieman, a Calgary doctor who wrote the guidelines for the Canadian organization.

"The Canadian Paediatric Society felt that under the age of 2, half an hour a day is plenty. Between 2 and 6, an hour a day would be fine. And over that, two [hours] would be okay," he said, repeating Ms. Rideout's assertion that there was no scientific research to back up the U.S. recommendation.

He and his colleagues did not want parents whose children watched a little television every day to feel guilty -- and they didn't believe an out-and-out ban was realistic. Rather than keeping children away from television, Dr. Nieman said parents should be aware of what their children are watching and be there with them when the TV is turned on.

"There was a study earlier on this year that showed that children exposed to Sesame Street did better academically," Dr. Nieman said. "So obviously there are a number of things one should consider."

Certainly there are many parents who agree. The Kaiser study found that 43 per cent of parents polled believe television "mostly helps" children, compared to the 27 per cent who believe it "mostly hurts."

Four-year-old Kennedy Lukan spent yesterday afternoon colouring intently at her kitchen table in remote Widewater, Alta., before turning her attention to Dora the Explorer.

"She likes the learning and interactive shows that they have on television now," Robin Lukan said of her youngest child. "If you let your child watch bad programming, then they are learning bad stuff," she added. "If you're monitoring what your child is watching, that speaks for itself."

But some experts say separating the good programs from the bad isn't all that easy.

Dr. Nancy Perry, an expert in preschool education at the University of British Columbia, said the criteria for determining what constitutes an educational program are "pretty loose." In addition, she said, Canadian broadcasters have no mandate to deliver educational shows, "so there is very little educational television for children." The bottom line, Dr. Rideout said, is that "given the amount of time that children spend watching TV, there's a great opportunity out there to make it educational."

The Kaiser study was based on a telephone survey conducted this spring with 1,065 parents of children between the ages of six months and six years. A sample of that size would be expected to reflect the experience of the entire U.S. population within a margin of plus or minus 3 per cent.

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