Television Is Bad for Children
It has been suggested that watching television may do more harm than good to a child's developmental skills. But a new study says that it all depends on what children watch — some educational programs on TV can actually enhance children's intellectual development.
Until now, television viewing has been blamed consistently for having a negative effect on children's developmental skills. But the authors of a new study, which was published in the September/October issue of Child Development, argue that not all television programs are created equal.
"All TV is not alike," says co-author Aletha Huston, PhD, professor of child development at the University of Texas at Austin. "Educational television can have a very positive impact on young children."
For the study, researchers recruited more than 200 children in the Kansas City area who were from low- to moderate-income families. About 40% of the children were African-Americans, and the rest were Hispanic and Caucasian Americans. During the 3-year study, which followed children from ages 2 to 4 years, researchers tested the children and visited their homes every year. The tests included reading, vocabulary, math, and school readiness.
"Children who watched educational programming — particularly at age 2 and 3 — performed better on tests of school-related skills than children who did not watch educational television," says Huston. "Watching a lot of general audience programming was related to poor skills."
After controlling for the family environment, which included parents' education and family income, researchers found that watching educational programs on television may indeed translate to better skills.
Daniel Anderson, PhD, professor of psychology at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, says that the findings highlight the importance of the type of content that is viewed.
"What children watch on television is the key," says Anderson. "When the television programs are designed to teach, children learn
Until now, television viewing has been blamed consistently for having a negative effect on children's developmental skills. But the authors of a new study, which was published in the September/October issue of Child Development, argue that not all television programs are created equal.
"All TV is not alike," says co-author Aletha Huston, PhD, professor of child development at the University of Texas at Austin. "Educational television can have a very positive impact on young children."
For the study, researchers recruited more than 200 children in the Kansas City area who were from low- to moderate-income families. About 40% of the children were African-Americans, and the rest were Hispanic and Caucasian Americans. During the 3-year study, which followed children from ages 2 to 4 years, researchers tested the children and visited their homes every year. The tests included reading, vocabulary, math, and school readiness.
"Children who watched educational programming — particularly at age 2 and 3 — performed better on tests of school-related skills than children who did not watch educational television," says Huston. "Watching a lot of general audience programming was related to poor skills."
After controlling for the family environment, which included parents' education and family income, researchers found that watching educational programs on television may indeed translate to better skills.
Daniel Anderson, PhD, professor of psychology at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, says that the findings highlight the importance of the type of content that is viewed.
"What children watch on television is the key," says Anderson. "When the television programs are designed to teach, children learn