Switch off TV to help your child

Published on Monday 1 June 2009 22:06

CHILDREN of TV-addict parents are slower to learn how to talk and develop language skills.

A study published yesterday showed that in households where the television is regularly on, there is little interaction or conversation between adults and young children.

For every hour parents spend in front of a TV, they speak fewer words and infants are less likely to talk back.

The US researchers also said that an increasing number of children are being exposed to TV during their early years. Some childcare experts say children under two should not be allowed to watch TV or videos, saying parents should focus on interactive play to foster development.

Important tasks during this time include language acquisition, which is promoted by interacting with adults.

Researchers studied 329 children aged between two months and four years for the study. The children wore digital devices on random days for up to two years that recorded everything they heard or said.

The recordings were analysed by computer software that categorised the sounds and counted adult words, vocalisations by the children and conversations between adults and children.

Each additional hour of TV exposure was associated with a decrease of 770 words the child heard from an adult during the recording session.

The research, published in the Archives of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, concludes:

"Whether parents talk less or not at all during some types of programmes or at some times of the day may be as important in this age group as what is being watched."