Under 2's and TV

Apricot

angelil wrote: »

I've heard there is to be NO screen time for under 2s full stop. This not only includes TVs but also smartphones, Nintendo DSs etc. It equally extends to even being in the same room as a parent using one of these devices.

Sounds extreme, but I've also attended seminars on the subject and given the effects that screen time can have on children that I've heard about during these, I'd be inclined to follow this advice.

Have you got a link to some of these effects angelil? I'd be interested in reading it. My DD is only 10 months old and I try not to have the tv on in the daytime as otherwise I'm quite likely to sit there and do nothing. She does love watching videos of herself on my iPhone though & I downloaded an app of flashcards which she looks at occasionally too.

Metranil_Vavin

My little boy far prefers to look at a book, or be read a story. I also have nursery rhyme CD's that we (I) sing along to, and if I am in during the day I tend to listen to the radio rather than have the TV on anyway.

It literally is just every now and then I'll stick Baby TV on if he is particularly gripey.

mildred1978

angelil wrote: »

I've heard there is to be NO screen time for under 2s full stop. This not only includes TVs but also smartphones, Nintendo DSs etc. It equally extends to even being in the same room as a parent using one of these devices.

Sounds extreme, but I've also attended seminars on the subject and given the effects that screen time can have on children that I've heard about during these, I'd be inclined to follow this advice.

Last seminar I went to concluded that some screen time is actually beneficial.

My son gets 30-40 minutes a day, 3-4 times a week. I don't allow programmes that talk rubbish (night garden, baby jake) but he loves the ones based on numbers and talking.

He has several apps on the iPad and can also use Skype!!

jellyhead

I still have fond memories of that bedtime thing they do on BabyTV with the little chick. My teenager loved it too

BabyTV in small doses occasionally won't do much harm, surely? It's not as if you're using the TV as a babysitter. Some parents don't seem to talk to their child (too busy on their phones) let alone read books with them or sing nursery rhymes. Screen time can be harmful, yes, but a tiny bit now and then with a parent who is interested and involved is completely different to just dumping them in front of the screen all day.

Metranil_Vavin

I find that my son is less interested in the nonsensical programmes..Night Garden etc, and actually prefers the Baby TV counting/shapes/colours programmes instead.

mildred1978

Metranil_Vavin wrote: »

I find that my son is less interested in the nonsensical programmes..Night Garden etc, and actually prefers the Baby TV counting/shapes/colours programmes instead.

Yes, mine too.

milliebear00001

Many of the programmes we as adults aee as 'nonsense' or 'rubbish' have actually been meticulously researched and designed by child psychologists and speech therapists. They are written to develop children's verbal skills!

The research does tend to suggest TV (and other screen time) may affect under twos adversely, but to be honest, this will really depend heavily on how long they're watching for, what they're watching, what else they spend time doing, whether they watch with an adult etc etc. Too many variables to make most of the research meaningful to most ordinary (i.e. good) parents. I would be OK with moderate amounts as long as the child was getting plenty of quality input elsewhere in their lives!

mildred1978

milliebear00001 wrote: »

Many of the programmes we as adults aee as 'nonsense' or 'rubbish' have actually been meticulously researched and designed by child psychologists and speech therapists. They are written to develop children's verbal skills!

I'm 36. I don't recall anything similar from my childhood (it was all Playschool, Rainbow and Button Moon back then). And we now have 16/18/21 year olds leaving school/university unable to speak, spell or follow simple maths properly. Could be a big coincidence, or it could be that the likes of the Tellytubbies and In the night garden aren't actually doing kids any favours.

dizziblonde

mildred1978 wrote: »

I'm 36. I don't recall anything similar from my childhood (it was all Playschool, Rainbow and Button Moon back then). And we now have 16/18/21 year olds leaving school/university unable to speak, spell or follow simple maths properly. Could be a big coincidence, or it could be that the likes of the Tellytubbies and In the night garden aren't actually doing kids any favours.

...which they all now admit they were stoned off their faces making!

Personally, although she's far too young to be interested in it - I try to not have the telly on much during the day at all (tend to have the news channel on in the background if anything or mostly the radio)... of course then daddy comes in from work and it's incessant Simpsons for hours.

Used to go out with a guy who did a stint working at CBBC... wouldn't nick me a Blue Peter badge and wouldn't kidnap Gordon the Gopher for me either!

angelil

nickyhutch wrote: »

Where did you hear that? Do you have a link?

I don't I'm afraid I'm pretty sure I read it in the Times a couple of years ago when I still had a subscription. Subscribers could probably do a search to see if it comes up.

Apricot wrote: »

Have you got a link to some of these effects angelil? I'd be interested in reading it. My DD is only 10 months old and I try not to have the tv on in the daytime as otherwise I'm quite likely to sit there and do nothing. She does love watching videos of herself on my iPhone though & I downloaded an app of flashcards which she looks at occasionally too.

This information came out of a seminar I attended earlier this year in March called "The Flip Side of the Flat Screen" (it was part of my training at work - I'm a secondary school teacher but our school goes from age 2-18 so some of the seminars were more general or aimed at specific age groups, including younger children). I wouldn't want to paraphrase too much as I'm not the expert but over-exposure to screens (note: not exposure full stop) is noted for affecting children's coordination and decision-making skills in a negative way (and these are only two of the effects discussed).

The abstract can be found on this link, page 17:
http://www.elsa-france.org/Connectionsfullprogram2501.pdf
As noted in the document the speaker was Frances P Ryan.

And the full presentation can be downloaded here:
http://rapidlibrary.com/files/the-flip-side-of-the-flat-screen-ppt_ulcz9bexywi89on.html

(It doesn't cite the sources she used though...I'll have to dig out the paperwork she gave us for that. Trust me though when I say that I and many of my colleagues are seeing the symptoms she describes within our classrooms regularly! We do recognise though that these could be caused by a whole host of things, including - as several of you mention - parents simply not spending enough time with their children, which is a common problem in our school.)