Uh oh! Study urges TV ban for tots

THE primary colours, cuddly bodies and nonsense dialogue transfixed toddlers as much as they outraged many educationalists. Now the Teletubbies - and the imitators they spawned - are at the centre of a new row over children’s television.

Researchers claim that under-twos should be banned altogether from watching TV, and that viewing should be strictly rationed to no more than a couple of hours a day for under-fives.

The recommendations, which are bound to dismay many hard-working parents, follow one of the largest ever studies of the effect of TV viewing on children’s behaviour.

The researchers claim that children who are exposed to television before the age of two are more likely to suffer from attention disorders, learning difficulties and behavioural problems.

But before filling the bin with dozens of Disney videos and episodes of Bob the Builder, guilt-wracked parents might like to consider the response to the research from film producers and some child psychologists.

They argue that a moderate amount of well-chosen television is unlikely to harm anyone, and could increase household harmony by giving busy parents an hour or two to complete essential chores, or even - heaven forbid - relax.

The study, which was conducted by the American Academy of Paediatrics and published in the Journal of Paediatrics, examined the viewing habits and the behaviour of 2,600 American children.

It found that by the age of seven it was already apparent that youngsters had been affected by the amount of TV they watched.

Those who had watched the most television were more easily distracted and confused, more impulsive or restless, and more prone to obsessive behaviour.

Young children who watched just one hour of television daily had a 10% higher risk of developing attention problems by the age of seven than children who watched none at all.

Those who viewed three to four hours of television had a 30% to 40% increased risk of attention problems compared with children whose parents banned the box.

The authors called on doctors to advise parents and those planning to have children to ban television until their offspring turned two.

They said children between two and five years old should be rationed to between one and two hours a day of supervised TV, and televisions and video games should be banned from children’s bedrooms.

The experts did not make any distinction between what kind of programmes the children had watched and said the question of whether educational programmes were any better for the children’s attention span than ordinary programmes was still controversial.

Doctor Dimitri Christakis from Seattle Children’s Hospital and the lead author for the TV research, said: "The newborn brain develops very rapidly during the first two to three years of life. It’s really being wired. TV can cause the developing mind to experience unnatural levels of stimulation."

He added that the effect was made worse by the rapid image changes that television makers used to keep young children interested.

Professor Frederick Zimmerman, of the University of Washington in Seattle, another of the authors, said it was impossible to say what a "safe" level of TV viewing would be for children between the ages of one and three.

He said: "Each hour has an additional risk. You might say there’s no safe level since there’s a small but increased risk with each hour."

But David Main, a psychology lecturer and expert in personality and development at Paisley University, questioned how realistic it was to expect parents to keep the TV switched off, given the temptation to use it as an electronic babysitter.

He said: "We are very far removed from the world where one of the parents could remain at home and look after the children full-time.

"You will have the most basic issue of a parent needing to make a meal or deal with any number of issues. But this is a fascinating study. The subject does need more research. And it is without question the case that young children are very much affected by what they see around them when they are very young."

Greg Philo, professor of communications at Glasgow University said: "This is a classic middle-class dilemma. Parents want to do everything they can to make sure their children grow up as well as possible, but the stresses and strains of life mean they are under pressure to plonk them in front of the TV while they get on with something. "The researchers are right to advise a ban on television in bedrooms. If children have a TV in their rooms then any kind of limit, and especially any control on what they watch, is completely impossible."

Very young children have become an important audience for TV producers, with the BBC’s Teletubbies being the best known of the shows specifically designed for the youngest viewers.

TV companies last night claimed that their programmes could benefit children if they were watched sensibly.

A spokeswoman for the BBC young children’s channel CBeebies, said: "We absolutely understand the importance of tailoring programming to the age groups watching.

"Our programmes have been developed to aid children’s development. We are looking at the needs of the child at different stages."

A spokeswoman for Children’s ITV said: "CITV are more than happy that all of their programmes, not just pre-school content, are suitable viewing for children of the relevant age group. We are confident that they have no detrimental effects on their viewers."

A spokeswoman for Fox Kids said the study was concerned with children outwith its target market, which she described as being children of six and over.

Watching how much they're watching

Jackie Gee, who works for British Airways as a cabin crew member, said that she tries to be strict about the amount of TV her 15-month-old daughter Carla watches, and to ensure that she does not watch the TV alone and that programmes are strictly vetted.

Gee, who lives in Edinburgh, said: "This research certainly makes me think about how much TV I will allow her to watch. I have thought a lot about it before and we do try to make sure she doesn’t get too much.

"But I must admit, it is very tempting for parents to just plonk their children in front of the TV.

"I think for many parents it is a matter of having to put them in front of the television or there will be no dinner. You might also need to use it while you read a story to another child while you put them to bed, any number of things."

She added: "I think some academics do not have a real understanding just how things are for parents who have to juggle all manner of things."

On the suggested limits, of no TV for the very young and then rationing thereafter, she said:

"I think there has to be more than just a straightforward ban on television. You have to offer alternatives, a walk in the Botanic Gardens, games, books and so forth."