Depends how long they are watching the program for and what type of program they’re watching. If they’re watching educational TV there’s no harm as long as they’re not watching too much of it. If they’re watching noneducational TV isn’t that harmful but they shouldn’t watch more than an hour on a school day.

Yes it is going to affect a child’s development. And so are a lot of other things. The times spent in front of the TV is a big thing to look at here. Also the content of what the child is watching. Educational programs are great, but the children need you to back it up with using the materials they learn from these programs. Don’t use TV as your babysitter. If your child is watching an educational program you should be watching it with them. When you are done watching the program ask your child things that they just learned. Keep re-enforcing this by asking them these things as well as other things they learn day by day. Children are sponges and they soak up a lot more than we realize. I had a maternity shirt with the alphabet written on it. Every day (some days I was wearing the shirt and other days she got it out of my drawer) my 2 year old daughter would say “mommy, what does that say?” I would then sit down with her and we would point to each letter and say each of them, at first she repeated me, but by the end of a week she was saying them with me or before me. By the end of the second week she was saying her whole alphabet by herself. 😉

Greetings! Yes, I’m afraid that watching television does affect a child’s development….negatively.

Children learn by play. Their style of learning is by immersing themselves in their acivity. They also learn by imagination. An old pie tin filled with mud could be a well designed birthday cake. For them it is their hard work and their love when they hold the cake and sing to you. Painting and rolling playdough allows the child to create all kinds of things. A tricycle can be a car for them to pretend to go to your local supermarket to shop.

Television is passive. It tells a child what is going on, and by the image you can see what they are doing. This diminishes the ability to pretend. It also does not allow room for the child to ask questions that are important for them. It shows images, but it lacks the feel of your arms around them when you read.

Worse yet, the violence on television teaches children it’s okay to hurt. It’s okay to karate kick like the Power Rangers.

It’s okay for Batman to speed up and down the street. It’s really cool for Superman to fly, so children will try their flying powers by leaping off climbing structures, not paying attention that someone may be playing below them, or that a tricycle was left just beneath where the child lept from. And if there are “Good Guys”, there has to be “bad guys”.

Think of the children singing Britney Spears songs or some Rap from MTV. Cringe if you like, but I have heard children singing Britney Spears as loud as they can from the top of the slide. It’s sad that they have no idea what their words are.

A child can learn so much more without television.

There is so much you can do with your child. A little goes a very long way with young children. We don’t have television and videos in our classroom. We allow the children to explore their world. They learn through the questions they are asked.

I hope this helps you. Take care.

Watching TV does affect child’s brain

First, see Dr. Armstrong’s article concerning watching TV

Second, Waldorf Schools do not recommend their students watching TV or playing computer games until they are 10 years old

And Finally, according to my observation, TV and Video Games introduce too much excitement and are not healthy even for older children and may be for us as well.

I teach “Math & Logic” inrichment classes. My students’ brains do not work with their full capacity if they are sick. Same happens if they watched TV or played video games.

Most of TV programs, including the educational ones, bring child to the level of excitement that is higher than the excitement of everyday life. It might be the reason why children who watches TV could not concentrate on their scool work. The excitement level of school work is uncomparably lower than the virtual TV life.

We turned off TV and Video Games in our home. No religious reasons. We understood (including my son) that it is harmful for the brain. We watch TV about 1-2 times per Month trying to select really good movies.

It can have a positive and negative effect. Watching an educational programme designed for that age group will have a positive effect if talked about afterwards with a parent or other adult. Too much viewing can cause lack of social development and obesity.

absolutely, too much t.v. with lack of social interaction can be harmful. Also, considering what it is that they are watching can cause more harm than good. The child is like a sponge…..they absorb everything around them……..good modeling behavior is definitely necessary.

Depends on if they are watching sesame street and barney or R rated movies.