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Can Watching TV Delay Your Child's Language Development?
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Should young children watch television? Photo: jupiterimages
| None. I don't believe in it. | |
|---|---|
| No more than one hour per day. | |
| A few hours per day. | |
| I don't limit TV watching. |
Scientists at the Seattle Children's Hospital Research Institute sought to determine a reason for language delays by recording everything 329 children heard and said on random days every month for two years. The study found that adults speak 75 percent fewer words per hour when a TV is playing as compared to when the TV is turned off. Children vocalize an average of 25 to 50 percent less when a TV plays, with the length and frequency of vocalization diminished, as well as their "conversational" exchanges with parents.
Parents were likely distracted by the sounds and images playing on TV and spent less time interacting with their children, researchers concluded. Experts have long said that parent interaction is essential to a child's language development.
"This builds a pretty strong argument that television delays language development," lead study researcher Dimitri Christakis, M.D., who also directs the Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development at the hospital, said to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "And the effects of learning words is not just about language development but also cognitive development."
Prior to this study, parents have been apt to bend the American Academy of Pediatrics' (AAP) rule of no TV for children before the age of two because experts could not offer a reason for how TV effected language development. Programs, such as Sesame Street, and videos, such as Baby Einstein, appeared to have educational benefit for infants and young toddlers.
But the hospital's study shows that any TV exposure decreases verbalization in children and therefore might ultimately effect, "the architecture of the mind," said Dr. Christakis, who is a member of the AAP and helps form the organization's television-watching recommendations. Based on these findings, he said, parents should follow AAP guidelines, which includes limiting older children to one hour a day of television-viewing.
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 2)
7-24-2009 @ 2:23PM
queenoqueens said...Is it the interaction and hearing of words that limit language, and therefore cognitive development?
That makes me wonder......is there a difference between a child watching TV for 1 hour a day, or playing by themselves for 1 hour a day? I'm assuming the answer would be that the TV is still worse because kids talk to themselves during self-play?
Reply
7-26-2009 @ 3:26AM
KATHY said...Our toddler/preschoolers talk soooooooooo much that you can't even hear the TV even if you really want to. My other one has learned words. colors and even some spanish from some of the TV shows....so there are definitely no talking delay problems from TV in our house.
7-25-2009 @ 3:30PM
SKL said...I don't believe they have proven that TV makes kids talk less. A more logical explanation is that parents act differently when there's a TV on. Parents need to interact with their kids, but not 100% of the time. If the TV is on during the majority of "family time" at home, the parents aren't going to interact with the kids enough - verbally or otherwise. But if the parent uses the TV (or DVDs) actively as a tool to supplement (not replace) what they are learning in the "real world," the TV can bolster language development, especially from around the mental age of 2. But I would not advocate more than 1-2 hours a day, for anyone, including an adult.
The above article is written as if the ideal would be a nonstop stream of chatter from the child. Actually, it's more important that kids learn how to evaluate situations and then communicate effectively and appropriately about them.
Reply
7-25-2009 @ 3:33PM
SKL said...This was supposed to be a response to my earlier comment:
A wise old owl sat in an oak
the more he saw the less he spoke
the less he spoke the more he heard
I'd like my kids to be wise like that old bird.
Reply
7-25-2009 @ 8:35PM
mesaman said...Now we know why Nostrobama stammers!
Reply
7-25-2009 @ 10:33PM
Merrily said...mewsaman
was that a political statement? If so, then you never heard george w. bush speak - he even invented words - strategery - and he could even read the text on his teleprompter without stuttering. By the time he finished a speech, you weren't even sure what he was trying to say.
What, do you just sit around and add your little stinging comments to every board no matter what it is about? You are lame.
7-25-2009 @ 10:37PM
Merrily said...mewsaman
was that a political statement? If so, then you never heard george w. bush speak - he even invented words - strategery - and he CORRECTION - could not - even read the text on his teleprompter without stuttering. By the time he finished a speech, you weren't even sure what he was trying to say.
What, do you just sit around and add your little stinging comments to every board no matter what it is about? You are lame.
7-26-2009 @ 3:36AM
marsha said...LMAO, yeah i agree , i was wondering what his problem was. at this point and time i think he's doing more spending than he is stammering . Shame, what a dirty rotten shame, we must suffer to makr him happy so he can really show off his pearly whites, (grinning like a possum eating sh-t) he really makes me want to puke!
7-25-2009 @ 8:41PM
Hoganbeg said...You wrote:
...and therefore might ultimately effect, "the architecture of the mind," ...
I correct word is affect, not effect; check it out.
Reply
7-26-2009 @ 2:10AM
sidney said...Thank you! I realize most people do not care about grammar, but it is difficult to decipher comments by readers who cannot spell and do not use correct grammar. It is even more frustrating when the author of an "article" (or blog) makes similar errors. In this case, the author incorrectly used the word "effected" rather that "affected" ("...because experts could not offer a reason for how TV effected language development.") and, as you noted, incorrectly used the word "effect," instead of "affect" ("...and therefore might ultimately effect, "the architecture of the mind"). Since this mistake was repeated, it is unlikely that it was the result of a typographical error. These types of errors are extremely distracting.
7-25-2009 @ 8:45PM
My Thoughts said...Get a freak'n life. Kids have been watching TV for years and society hasn't suffered. Every new generation of parents has some self riteous "we're going to make our children perfect little robots" syndrome. Jesus. Get a grip.
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7-25-2009 @ 8:49PM
K said...I have to disagree with this study, and say that it the delay of those children are just based on coincidence. When my oldest (who is now 15 years old) was an infant/toddler, I was one of those parents that limited the tv watching, as I wanted to be the best mother that I could. I played with her, read to her, she had friends to play with, etc. Yet, she was in a speech program until she was in the 1st grade. (It was so severe, that I wasn't able to understand what she was saying until she was five, and she didn't start speaking in full sentences until she was about six.) Other than the speech program she was in, she grew into a normal healthy teenager that has become a gifted celloist. (Her mouth also became gifted a couple years ago with all the charming things that teens say in angst-- but that's for another article!)
My 3 year old child, however, was brought up on Spongebob and the Sprout Channel, and I am utterly amazed how intelligent she comes across. She began speaking first sentences at 1 1/2 years old, and was even potty trained at the same time. (Her older sister was 3 1/2.) Nowadays, she has conversations with me about how a show like Caillou taught her that it's nice to share, the names of certain animals that she learned about on Zaboomafoo, etc.
Therefor, I think it's all based on where the child's mind is at, and not the amount of television that is watched.
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7-25-2009 @ 9:37PM
J said...I completely agree! The children's programming is designed to help children develop. My 14-yr old is now a gifted all-A student, and she was raised on Barney and Sesame Street (she still loves watching Barney with my 3-yr old on occasion). My 3-yr old has amazing vocal skills and loves diving herself into the different worlds she sees on the children's programs she views. They help her express her emotions, and improve her spelling and math skills, she is developing beyond her 3 yrs dramatically. I definitely think TV viewing is a personal decision based on each child's and parent's unique situation.
7-25-2009 @ 9:43PM
Suzanne said...This study in no way proves that television is the culprit or at least the only culprit. A parent reading a book or surfing the internet or talking on the phone may talk to their child even less than when they are watching television. It's all just a matter of the interaction time the child has with their parents.
As a stay at home mom I spend most of my time playing and talking to my 10 month old baby but if that were all I did the entire day I would go crazy. Of all the things you could be doing to entertain yourself while at home with the kids, television might be the one that allows the most interaction. I can easily tune out the TV and interact with my child. If I'm doing any of the other activities I mentioned it's a lot more difficult.
Of course I'm not advocating constant television watching or using television as a babysitter. I just think that the culprit is not the television as much as it is the parent who constantly pays attention to something other than their child.
7-25-2009 @ 9:40PM
Jessica said...My children ages 2 and 4 are HUGELY verbal. The Dr. even comments on how much they talk. They also watch a lot of t.v. I guess they are never just stuck down in front of it. It is on in the background while they are playing or while we are playing with them, but it is on. I don't think that watching t.v. is terrible for kids.
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7-25-2009 @ 10:05PM
Holly said...Another bogus study to dictate to parents how to raise their kids. I have 2 sons. The oldest is 40, has a bachelors degree in business from the University of Alabama and very successful in his career which necessitates the ability to communicate effectively. The youngest is 24, serves in the US Navy on a nuclear submarine, and is working on his degree. Both have never had a problem making friends easily or expressing their opinions. This must truly be a miracle if this stupid study is to be believed. How could my 2 sons be so successful in life when I let them watch all the television they wanted. They even did their homework with it on. Considering that both of them were somewhat slow to talk understandably until approaching 4 when I began to wish that they would please shut up, neither has ever had a problem expressing themselves. Raise your kids as you see fit. Just because they're not spouting Einstein's Theory of Relavitity at age 2 doesn't mean there is anything wrong with them.
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7-25-2009 @ 11:45PM
eviemylove567 said...Being the mother of a 26 month old little girl that doesnt stop watching tv, ill tell ya this, she was counting to 20 in english and 10 in spanish when she was 18 months and i didnt teach her that and she doesnt go to daycare...shows that teach her are what she loves to watch like blues clues, dora, sesame street and so on, the more your child watches these shows the more they will learn...why would anyone want to hinder their childs development...now spongebob is a different story i limit that to 1 episode a day ...btw she can say and recognize the alphabet and each letter and was counting in the 50's the other day...THANK YOU CARTOONS!!!
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7-26-2009 @ 1:19AM
bosco said...I knew my son didn't fit the "social norm" and now I know why. He can have the television on all day long and be doing other things (i.e. be on his computer, reading a book ....) and his vocabulary is astounding (according to his latest assessment) and when he gets to talking...it's non-stop. He can be on the phone w/one of his buddies for hours-at-a-time if I let him..and all the while he has the tv on, the computer up ...and sometimes even playing on the computer. Well, there are exceptions to all these absolutes we read in ao-hell...who'd have thunk it? DUH
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7-26-2009 @ 1:35AM
Wolfster said...Man it's annoying when people use a single anecdote that may or may not be true to try to refute studies. There are always exceptions. So what? One exception does not negate the facts.
I suspect the problem is TV is not interactive; people are not interactive when the TV is on; and when the TV is used as a babysitter - intentionally or not - interaction is actively discouraged.
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7-26-2009 @ 2:39AM
barbara said...First, children growing up now have much more access to glowing screens because of dvd's and children's programing. When most of us were growing up, there was very little to watch during the day. What the article fails to mention, is that while very young children are glued to a screen, what they AREN"T doing is THINKING! Young children need lots of time for inner thinking. Inner dialogue grows connections in thier young brains. You know, that inner chatting that you do when you are in the shower or washing dishes or working in the garden. Too much time in front of glowing screens robs children of all the rich thinking they need.
Let's face it, SAT scores have continued to drop as the time spent in front of a screen increases. Children no longer want to imagine and play. They need entertainment. They don't read. They watch. Brain development is changing. Their brains are not wired the same as those of us who did not spend hours in front of a television. Sad, but true.
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