Maybe TV's Not Completely Evil After All... Phew!

toddler watching TV television

Photo by JayGirlsMom

The Baby Einstein debate, and Disney's refund — you've probably heard a lot of talking about babies and kids and the "big bad TV" lately.

Well, here's an interesting perspective from Julia Pimsleur Levine. Julia actually makes an educational DVD series for tots, but she's also a mom. And she makes a very valid point about the importance of promoting media literacy rather than "demonizing" the television altogether.

When it comes to toddlers watching TV, it doesn't have to be all or nothing, does it?

Recent Disney Controversy

I am the mother of two young boys under the age of five, and for full disclosure, the creator of an educational DVD series for tots, Little Pim, which introduces babies, toddlers and preschoolers to a second language. Although I have mixed feelings about the Disney refund, I believe the ban-TV-for-tots frenzy that has ensued is misguided.

Let us contemplate the following:

  1. Studies show that 74% of all kids in the U.S. under two watch SOME videos or DVDs*. So either nearly 3/4 of the parents in this country are bad people, or letting your child watch a show while you make dinner isn't as big a deal as some advocacy groups would have you believe.
  2. There is a BIG difference between a baby or toddler watching a few minutes of an educational DVD and the 2-3 hours of viewing per day that the American Academy of Pediatrics found to be potentially unsound for young minds and prompted them to issue a warning against ANY screen time kids under the age of two.
  3. We are now living in a digital era of YouTube, 500 cable channels, and videos on our cell phones. Our kids will be surrounded by media from their earliest days, whether we like it or not. The question we should be considering is “what” and “how much” screen time is right for them? Parents need to make their own decisions about when the right time is to expose their kids to media and then be encouraged to make thoughtful decisions about what that media is. Media literacy should be the issue of the day, not media abstinence.
  4. Most parents engage with their young children in a variety of ways — reading to them, talking, singing, playing, dancing AND allowing them watch a DVD from time to time. Most of us do it all. I have yet to read a study that shows there are negative side effects of limited screen time, when it's part of a verbally rich environment and healthy family interactions.

So even if the secret is "out" that we sometimes use DVDs as a babysitter, we also know that sometimes we watch WITH our children. We share in their delight at making new puppet friends, learning new words in English, Spanish and Chinese, and acquiring social skills by imitating kids or animated characters on screen. These are moments we can celebrate and cherish; the watching may not make them smarter, but it may help them learn about making healthy viewing choices that will carry over when they are old enough to control the clicker.

- Julia Pimsleur Levine, Mother and President, Little Pim Co.

* source: PBS

What do you think? Can TV play a positive role in our children's lives? Do you have a TV-inclusive balance of activities set up for your kids? What's that balance for you?


Related posts:

Baby Einstein Offers Refund for Not Making Your Tot a Genius

Duh! Study: TV Doesn't Help or Hurt Toddlers

Do You Let Your Toddler Watch Cartoons?

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