Early exposure to television and electronics; bad for babies?

04-08-2009, 08:01 PM

So I was watching the Mike and Juliet show this morning and they had some doctors on there and a Man asked a question. " Does early exposure to t.v. and other screens / electronics contribute to ADD, ADHD, Obesity, and etc? " They doctors said, Yes of course..

I have said this before and I know they have done / are doing studies on it.

80% of my friends with kids who watch t.v I would say are some kind of ADD / ADHD and eat more junk food ( I believe because of watching the crap commercials then begging for it ) then my friends kids' who don't watch t.v.

I am not using my own because, they are only 10 months and don't watch t.v. They could possibly be at the age to see affects but I am using mostly older kids.. compared to kids their own age.

So those are my findings. I believe it is true... although I really do believe if they watched two cartoons a week ( 1 hour total in a week ) it probably wouldn't kill them..

So I want to know moms - Do you let your kids watch t.v? Play video games? How old are they? Do they have ADD/ADHD? or just a little more hyper than normal? Do you believe that t.v can lead to this? Or do you think that is stupid? Also, I would like to know your education background.. if you would like to share. Just out of curiosity. If not that is fine too.

Anyways Im not trying to start a debate either... hopefully everyone can answer respectfully and respect everyones answers! Thanks moms

04-08-2009, 08:01 PM

I am against tv for children under two and children over two should only watch it sparingly. My children don't watch tv, but they are still very young. (nine months) I don't think it's good for them. Actually it's not good for anyone, even adults. Adults can just as easily see a commercial for chocolate or something then have the urge to eat chocolate. I don't even have tv in my home and I don't plan on ever getting it. My nephews are tv addicts. They are ages four and two and they would much rather watch a DVD or cartoon then play outside. The four year old is autistic, although I'm sure it doesn't have any relation to him watching tv. I am in college pursuing my bachelors degree in education.

04-08-2009, 08:01 PM

My son is 2 and we watch movies together as a family, but no tv, and when he gets older no video games, mostly because they are a waste of time.

I do believe that watching excessive amounts of tv can contribute to a child developing ADD and ADHD symptoms as well as becoming obese. They are so used to the fast shift in scenes from tv and from all of the excitement, which can make it difficult for them to focus their attention in the real world when what they see doesn't change every 10 seconds. And, any time they spend watching TV is less time they are getting the physical exercise they need to stay healthy. Throw eating while watching tv into the mix and they end up at a high risk for obesity.

04-08-2009, 08:08 PM

My daughter is almost 16 months old and she watches a little bit of tv daily, less than an hour I would say, she is average height and weight, she is very active in her playing, loves to run around but she is not overactive as a problem, she plays so much she burns off all the energy I believe.
I am a high school grad, I work in a medical office, my husband is a college grad and works in upper management.

**Paula Christine** · 04-08-2009, 08:09 PM

My daughter is 4 months old and looooves watching Blues Clues, Dora the Explorer and Sesame Street!!! I think all the colors really draw her attention. I will let her watch until it gets boring for her. They say that talking to your baby is the best way to improve his or her communication and verbal skills so by watching those shows she is hearing all sorts of new vocabulary. All these shows are on the "Noggin" channel so there aren't any commercials or other bad things she can view.

I think that you just need to restrict the amount of TV and how long it's watched. You can have perfectly normal children that watch some TV.

**Willow O** · 04-08-2009, 08:15 PM

i let my son (11mth) watch PBS.. he will sit on our lap and watch all of Sid the Sicnce kid and Seasme street, but will only glance while playing at shows like dragon tails, caiou, george.....

I think that it really dosent hurt them to watch TV.... we need to go back to "old school" tv... like when i was a kid...

wake up watch a few cartoons... while eating breakfast.... then when it warms up a bit (or before it get to hot... go outside to play... come back in when your favorate shows on and eat lunch.... then play somemore.....
and all this snaking while TV is on is Bul.. if you dont have junk to eat in the house your kids wont eat it... we ate banannas, nuts, pinapple, apples rasins.... we didnt snack on chips and soda... like people give there kids today...

so the DRs can spout whatever they want... but if you LET you kid sit for hours watching mindless programs while drinking soda and eating chips or candys... your goin to get a lazy fat kid...
but if ou LET your kids watch a TV while breaking it up with high activity outside and snaking on healthy foods while sitting youll get a well rounded kid (and not rounded like fat)

same with games you let you kid play 8 hour of nothing but games on a console your just neglectful.... even if there 13... shove them outside

EDIT by the way my 11mth old son walks and talks (5words) and signs (8signs) and LOVES to play with his toys and explore... so Tv isnt all bad :P

04-08-2009, 08:21 PM

I heard that it's not good to allow kids to watch until the age of 2. Even after that it should be limited. My son is 8 months old and when he was younger he would be distracted by the TV and I never let him watch, I would always turn him away from the TV and turn the tv off. Now he is 8 months and he has no interest in the TV, only in his toys.
But, I honestly am not 100% sure that babies watching TV will develop those things you've mentioned. I makes sense that their "paying attention" would suffer though.

**Denise G** · 04-08-2009, 08:21 PM

I fully agree with you and I find it laughable when people think it is perfectly okay to let their baby or 1 year old watch t.v. Who could possibly think it is okay to let a child, whose brain is still developing, watch t.v., play computer games, etc???? I think it is lazy parenting and people will use any excuse to make it out like it is perfectly fine.

My baby is 5 months old and hasn't watched any t.v. at all. We rarely have the t.v. on while he is awake. If it is on and he happens to turn and start looking at it (which he has recently started doing), I turn it off immediately. There is plenty of time where he will be watching t.v. and sitting at computers! I don't need to let him start doing that at 5 or 6 months of age! I may let him watch 15 minutes here or there when he is 1 year old or older, but I don't plan on letting him watch t.v. on a regular basis till he is at least 3 and then, only for about 30 min or 1 hour a day. Children should be using their creativity and their motor skills to play - not vegging in front of a t.v and watching mindless crap!

I have even read of mothers on here writing how "cute" or "funny" it is that their 1 year old likes to watch CSI or some of these other shows.
I think that parents need to be responsible and even though it is time-consuming and tiring, should NOT let their children watch much t.v or use computers on a regular basis!

I do believe it can lead to ADD/ADHD and was recently reading an article about how it also teaches them that violence doesn't have real consequences.

I have a BA.

04-08-2009, 08:21 PM

my almost 6 month old doesn't watch tv really. Just sesame street occasionally. she likes baby einstein though, which we have on dvd

04-08-2009, 11:19 PM

My kids are 6, 5 3 and 22 months. My 6 year old is at school all day so no he doesn't watch tv much. My 3 girls usually get 1/2 hour in the mornings, while I start laundry or clean up the kitchen. That is all until after my son gets home for school then they get another half an hour to an hour while I cook dinner. The rest of the time they are playing. My son is the only one that is really into video games and he is allowed to play on the weekends but never on school days. It works for us, I have very active kids who pretty much live outside and have great imaginations!