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Three-month-old babies are too little for solid food. They can't sit up by themselves and many can't sleep through the night. But 40 per cent of them are already watching television, according to a study published today.
The University of Washington study, which appears in the May edition of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, is the first to identify how early in infancy babies are becoming TV viewers.
The researchers also found that by the time they're two, a whopping 90 per cent of the soother set are tuning in.
The huge number of baby viewers reflects the fact that parents are buying into TV as education, says pediatrics professor Frederick Zimmerman, one of the study's authors. But despite what parents believe, “there's no evidence that [viewing] has any educational benefit,” says Dr. Zimmerman, who is also the co-author of a book on children's TV habits.
Young babies now have more viewing options than ever.
Over the last decade, since Teletubbies broke the taboo of gearing programs to children under three, programmers have been targeting younger and younger viewers.
Last year, the creators of Sesame Street spurred controversy in the United States when they launched Sesame Beginnings.
The series of DVDs, aimed children under two, featured baby versions of popular Sesame Street characters including Big Bird and Elmo.
Canadian babies will soon have more television choices — and at all hours of day and night. A U.S. company plans to launch a 24-hour cable channel for babies, BabyFirstTV, in Canada by the end of June. Britain's BabyTV channel, now available as a specialty pay channel in Toronto for some cable subscribers, has won approval from federal regulators for broader Canadian distribution.
Although experts such as Dr. Zimmerman argue that TV viewing could damage infant brain development by eating up valuable brain-wiring time, providers of baby programming say their shows can be educational. “We do see that little babies are like sponges,” says Sharon Rechter, founder of the Los Angeles-based BabyFirstTV network. “They learn.”
BabyFirstTV features shows such as Brainy Baby, in which children interact with animals and toys accompanied by music, nursery rhymes and instrumental classics. The U.S. channel also airs an I Can Sign baby sign-language program, along with animated shows including Rainbow Horse. The British channel, which airs in more than 45 countries, has shows such as Popiz, which stars two blobby characters who discover various emotions, and Vegimals, in which animated veggies morph into animals.
Some parents admit they use television more as an occasional babysitter than as a tutor. Toronto mother of two Susanne Langlois says she's been getting the odd break ever since her now-six-month-old daughter Macy started watching baby DVDs at 4½ months. Before that age, Ms. Langlois says, Macy wasn't really content to be put down in her infant seat.
“Now she'll watch about 20 minutes before she gets bored,” says Ms. Langlois, who says she's not really watching with her. Instead, she uses the time to get things done around the house.
Perhaps in an effort to assuage their guilt, parents cite baby programming's purported educational content as the top reason for letting their babies watch it, Dr. Zimmerman says. But he questions whether there's any real benefit. Since children under three learn by experimentation with cause and effect — they do something and see what effect it has on a person or an object — TV by itself is an unreliable playmate.
“The process of wiring up the brain happens in response to this kind of interaction. That's what learning is all about at this age. The synapses between the brain cells are developing rapidly,” says Dr. Zimmerman, who surveyed 1,000 Washington State and Minnesota families for the study.
“TV is something you can't experiment on because it never responds.”
Since most parents are unlikely to turn off the TV, Dr. Zimmerman and his colleagues suggest a possible mitigating influence: encouraging parents to watch with their babies.
“What is potentially educational is the interactive component,” he says. “So, to the extent that these shows promote interaction, that could be a good thing.”
Dr. Zimmerman says some programming does seem designed to help parents get involved. On the BabyTV website, parents can read a quick synopsis of the attributes that programs explore, such as colours, shapes or emotions. The site also offers tips to parents on how to reinforce the concepts.
And, in moderation, TV for babies isn't the end of the world, Dr. Zimmerman says.
“If it's a half an hour and it gives the mother or father a bit of a break, okay, fine,” he says. “A half an hour is not going to kill anyone.”
