At those times, it seems straightforward: plop your baby down in front of a TV or a phone screen and let the child be entertained for a while.
Is this a good child activity, though? Is it true that it’s bad to let a baby watch TV, or is that just a myth that won’t affect anything? How much TV is too much?
You are free to ask your pediatrician this when you bring your child to PAK Pediatrics for a well-child visit. But for now, check out this overview of everything you need to know about the correlation between babies and screen time.
Watching TV Should Depend on the Child’s Age
When it comes down to it, the fact is this: the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that children begin to watch TV and use screens only after reaching 18 months.
It’s worth mentioning that few parents adhere to this suggestion. The AAP also reports that survey results show that 92% of one-year-olds have used mobile devices such as phones or tablets to view videos or apps. We also know that many parents let their babies view TV screens from even younger ages, sometimes at only four months old.
How TV Viewing Affects Children’s Brains
So, what is the magic of being 18 months old that suddenly makes viewing some TV all right for young children? Negative impacts on language skills and a lack of human interaction are just a few of the negative effects that too much screen time can have on a child’s brain development.
Screen Time Can Affect Brain Development
Studies indicate that children aged 3 to 5 who viewed television for more than an hour a day had less microstructural brain organization. The brain functions that support language and reading were not quite what they could have been.
From this, pediatricians have determined that if TV viewing can affect older children in this way, it can also negatively affect children under 18 months since a great deal of brain development occurs in this period.
Watching TV Could Delay Language Skills
Children 18 months old can undoubtedly talk at a basic level, but be aware that too much TV around this age can delay the development of the child’s language skills. This is because children watching TV often are transfixed by those colors and movements. They take in the information being put out to them but cannot actively engage with the show.
It’s like nutrition. Think of too much TV as junk food that can take away from a person’s good health. Conversely, if the child were not watching a screen, they would be doing (or eating, for the sake of the analogy) other, healthier things, usually with family.
Watching TV Cannot Replace Human Interaction
Real person-to-person interaction is vital for any child’s development because it allows children to participate in the world. Children learn how to be people from what they see adults doing. What to say, how and when, what tone to use, and what facial expressions to make are all things children learn from parents and others.
This cannot happen when children watch TV programs. In addition, children interact with their parents much less when a television is on. That diminished interaction removes quality time with your child and leaves less time for critical behavioral learning.
