TV and children

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), forty percent of three-month-olds are exposed to television or videos for an average of forty five minutes per day, and at two years of age, ninety percent of children are spending an average of ninety minutes per day in front of the TV. It is smart however to keep children of this age away from screens of any sort. When children are exposed to screen so young, there is a greater chance of problem arising as a result. Attention spans could be shorted, for example. Experts are beginning to question if it is smart to replace interactive toys with television programs and video recordings.
TV is not a bad thing, however. A lot of TV programs are merely entertainment with no negative side effects. Of course, TV watching should be carefully monitored by the parent. A parent needs to know what a child is watching. For young children the TV shows should not have commercials. These will only help to break up the program and the child’s attention span may suffer. While the child is watching, a parent should talk with him about what he is watching. For the young children, these conversations help to accentuate the point of what he was watching as well as helping him recall details. When a child gets older, he may have question about the program that should be explained. A parent should be careful not to allow a child to fall asleep while watching TV. This could cause them to be dependant on the TV for sleep.
Products such as Baby Einstein help children learn. Unfortunately, parents believe that if they don't use these things that they child will not have the same skills as those who do. However, there is nothing to show that any one show or toy is necessary to the development of a child. These shows do help parent to interact with their children during or after their watching of the show or tape. Their value should not be denied, but they are not necessary.
An important thing to know is the need to keep such things simple. It is possible for children to learn more from simple shows and toys. If they are presented with too much information, they will not take any of it in. Children learn best by exploration. Because of this, toys that require imagination are better than those who do not. The most effective educational tools are those that promote such imagination.
Parents will always look for ways to use technology to teach and experts will continue to debate the use of such things. The best learning tools however, are simple and cannot be bought. Interacting with and showing affection toward the child are better learning tools than anything with a price tag.