Q and A:

Why Television Compromises Academics

www.flickr.comphotosjameswyse212839887tv.jpgYou imply on your site that children who watch TV won't develop as readers.  Isn't that a little extreme?

Yes, it is.  I do take an extreme position on TV compared to most people in the U.S., where TV watching is so constant in most households. 

But TV does get in the way of kids developing as readers.  Research shows that as kids get older, the more TV they watch, the less likely they are to read.  Time spent on the one activity precludes the other.  And once kids develop the habit of TV,they are less likely to seek out books of their own accord. Books -- which are more work -- just can't compete with the lure of the screen.

Do you mean that kids should never watch TV?

My view is that kids should watch as little as possible, so that it is a special occasion, like going to a movie, rather than a daily habit.  My wish for every child is that reading should become a daily habit.  Once the habit of reading is ingrained, it can compete with electronic media and it's ok to introduce TV sparingly, so kids have some clue what their friends are talking about.

But when children are little, before they can read,TV is ok?

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under the age of two not watch TV or videos at all, and that older children watch only one to two hours per day AT MOST of nonviolent, educational TV without advertising.

My own view is that 2-8 year olds should watch only occasional TV, so it doesn't become a habit.  TV actually changes the way kids' brains develop, and shortens their attention spans for other activities.  It also changes our brain chemistry, at least temporarily, and for some people that can be addictive. Kids have lots of developmental tasks, from playing with other kids to building block towers, and TV can keep kids from those tasks.

I don't think any parent would disagree that children under the age of eight should not be watching any violent TV.  There is substantial research confirming that the more commercial TV children watch, the more likely they are to exhibit aggression with other children.

Isn't public television ok? 

I know there's some very good programming on public TV.   But even public TV sets up the passive habit of watching and starts the addiction.  By the time he's eight, if not much earlier, he won't be watching only public TV anymore.  44% of children and teens report watching different programs when their parents are not around.  Most parents have given up trying to control what their kids watch by the time they're ten.  And while ten year olds should have some control over their own viewing, most parents of ten year olds agree that they want to set some limits. 

Also, habitual TV, even educational TV, limits the child's own innate imagination.  Preschool teachers always know the kids who watch a lot of TV, because those kids don't seem capable of making up original stories -- their internal world is populated by TV heroes and plots.

So if you need an occasional babysitter, is public TV ok?  Of course.  But if you set up a regular relationship with it, remember that your child isn't just developing a relationship with public TV, but with TV in general.

Doesn't Sesame Street teach children to read?

I know that kids can learn their letters from Sesame Street.  But kids whose parents read to them daily actually learn to read earlier than kids who have the poor substitute of Sesame Street.  Kids learn vocabulary mostly from the conversations they have with us; it's an active usage learning rather than a passive learning.

So of course I will read to and talk to my child.  But doesn't Sesame Street help?

Is Sesame Street bad for kids?  There is some evidence that the quick cutting that toddlers get used to as they view it is bad for their attention spans, but in the general scheme of risk factors, I wouldn't rank Sesame Street very high!

Bottom line, though, in my view, is that the downside of the addiction isn't worth it.  I don't know a single child who started with Sesame Street and did not go on to "harder stuff,"  and that stuff -- commercial TV -- has been proven to be a risk factor, because of the violence, the sex, the destructive messages about what's a permissable way to look, and of course the ads. Just the habit of watching TV at all is a risk factor.  But I do know many children who never watched Sesame Street, because TV watching just wasn't something their families did.  Every one of them is a precocious reader and an excellent student. 

But how awful to constantly have to tell your kids they can't watch TV.

Actually, if it has never been part of their world at home, younger kids are unlikely to ever ask, even if they see TV at friends' houses. I personally decided it would be worse for me to have the constant struggle of setting limits around TV watching, than to simply leave it out of our lives. In our family, that was the right decision and we didn't miss it.  Of course, every family is different.  And kids change as they get older, some kids will ask to watch what their friends are watching when they reach age ten or so, and you may decide to let them watch at that point.  

What do I do without TV to occupy my child?  I can't imagine. 

You wouldn't let your child do other self-destructive things just to keep him busy.  So why TV?  But actually kids who have never watched TV are much more resourceful about keeping themselves entertained, because they are used to it.  I have never seen a toddler who wasn't busy.  And busy toddlers who don't watch TV grow into busy preschoolers who are engaged with the world and don't complain about being bored.

The kids I know who didn't grow up watching TV learn to structure their own time.  They don't only read, of course.  They run around more.  They tend to be more creative, whether writing stories or building animal zoos.  And they certainly don't need entertaining all the time, because they haven't gotten used to being entertained. 

This may all be true, but sometimes I need to put my toddler in front of the screen while I tend to the baby. There is no other option.

Of course. Some moms tell me they use it every Sunday morning so they can have sex with their husbands. We've all used the screen to occupy our children sometimes.  But occasional use is very different than a daily habit.

One option is to keep a stash of movies that you feel good about. That way, the child doesn't get used to TV episodes, and because he sees the movies over and over, usually he doesn't find them so appealing that he will give up building towers to watch.  Of course, given the nature of addiction, toddlers can still howl for the same movie over and over.

I watched TV and it didn't hurt me.  

This is not your mom's TV.  Seriously, the level of violence is up dramatically.  The constant commodification of sex now was unthinkable in the relatively prudish days of our childhoods.  The commercial messages are developed with extensive research to be as insidious as possible.

I love TV, and I always have.  I watch it, and I watch it with my child.

One of the most positive things I can say about TV is that it is a bonding experience for many parents and teens or middle-schoolers, and I am not against using it that way. 

But I was appalled by recent research showing that half of all American adults would not give up TV for under a million dollars.  The other half wouldn't give it up at all. (I guess the rest of us are so few as to be statistically insignificant!) That to me is the essense of addiction: the unwillingness to give up a behavior that puts bad stuff into your body or mind, and uses up resources (time or money) you would like to use on other things that would help you to flourish.

I guess I am not convinced that TV is so harmful to me, or my kids, if used judiciously. 

Obviously, commercial TV is what is really harmful, not public television. And the more TV, the worse the effects. So there is no question that judicious use is a whole lot better than daily use.  But since TV is addictive, usage increases over time.  And we all lie to ourselves about how bad our addictions are.

And let's face it: even moderate TV use can't be considered GOOD for your  child.  We've already discussed the fact that preschoolers who watch TV are rated as less creative by their teachers. Did you know that elementary school kids who watch TV have more fears than kids who don't, and that the same is true of their parents?  That middle schoolers who watch TV are much more likely to be sexual with other kids?  That the more TV teens watch, the more likely they are to be sexual earlier, and the more likely they are to have body image issues and eating disorders? 

It sounds like you're lumping two year olds in with teenagers!

Most of the time, two year olds who get used to watching TV become eight year olds who like to watch TV who become fifteen year olds who like to watch TV.  I personally would rather have my fifteen year old watch minimal TV, because research shows that the more TV people watch, the less healthy they are physically and emotionally.  But obviously a fifteen year old is deciding what to do with his own time most of the time.  And that's the real point:  kids who start out with the habit of TV usually retain it as an important part of their lives and are influenced by it at each stage.  And the more TV teens watch, the less healthy they are emotionally.  (I admit that this is a chicken or egg dilemma, of course.)

What about computer games?  Those seem different; my child doesn't just zone out, she is engaged and I think she is learning arithmetic!

I feel less strongly against computer games than TV,  because they engage the brain more, because there are no commercials, and because the parent theoretically can control which games their children use.  However, kids may start out with a Harry Potter game at age six and end up with Grand Theft Auto when they're twelve.  And computer games are, if anything, even more addictive. 

Certainly they aren't physically addicting, you must mean kids just love them? 

Very sophisticated testing is done on games to insure that they are physically addictive.  They're designed to stimulate the user's adrenalin and other neurotransmitters.  Your body is bathed in chemicals as soon as you sit down to enjoy them.  That's physical addiction.  Often, people crave time in front of their computers with a physical craving akin to a food craving.  So typically, kids' usage of games increases as they get older and they're in front of computers for homework.

I have heard that kids can develop carpal tunnel.

Computers are a huge public health risk for today's children, who are being subjected as guinea pigs to computer use on a huge scale.  There is some evidence that they are laying the foundation of carpal tunnel type injuries, and that too much screen time impacts their eyes.  But we don't know enough yet to issue comprehensive warnings and most parents are unaware of these things.  

Ok, let's go back to TV.  I am concerned that if I deny them TV, my kids will be pariahs in their peer group.  They will have no way to relate to other kids.

I know lots of kids who don't watch TV.  They find ways to relate to other kids.  Hopefully, TV does not completely dominate kids lives, does it?  Some of them do find it challenging within their peer group not to know much about TV, although usually those kids make up for their lack of TV knowledge with their extra creativity and their well-read minds.  However, once reading is established, I am not against small quantities of TV, such as watching a specific popular weekly show just so they'll know what the other kids are talking about.  

My own daughter never watched TV until she was ten, unless she was home sick from school.  At that point, she began to feel left out when kids at school  discussed TV, and I gave her carte blanche to watch on weekends once her homework was done, as long as the shows seemed appropriate for her age.  She does tape shows from during the week, and watches occasionally on weekends, but since she never got into the habit, she generally prefers to do other things. 

So your daughter did ask to watch TV when she got to be ten? 

Yes, I think kids that age start being more concerned with what their peers are discussing, and it's hard for them to be different.  My fifteen year old son, however, never got to the point of being interested in TV,except for ball games.  We finally got cable, so he could see the ballgames he wants, and also Jon Stewart. I think he ended up watching Jon Stewart once.  But he's a movie fan.  And I have to admit that he loves his computer games -- he moonlights on a web team designing a game -- and limiting his time on them is our biggest source of conflict.

If your son is a movie fan, he must be watching movies on TV?

Even when he was young, if he requested to see a movie, we took him. And we have always rented movies and watched them together as a family.  It gives the parents control over which movie, and the opportunity to talk with kids about whatever comes up during the movie.  Of course, now my son is 15, so he goes with friends to movies, and he rents movies, including movies I find overly violent.  But he is capable of deciding what he can handle. 

Reading is great.  But I don't want to raise a nerd.  I want my kids to be well-rounded.  Depriving kids of TV seems like such a hard line position.

I know it seems that way if you love to watch TV.  But my kids say they never felt deprived, or like they were "not allowed" to watch TV, just that it wasn't something our family ever did. They're known as kids who read a lot, but they also play sports, act in the school plays, etc, so they're hardly social outcasts. Well rounded, in my view, means developing their bodies, intellects, social skills, spirituality, and emotional intelligence.  I don't think watching folks bump each other off on TV would help them be any better rounded than they are. In fact, I think it would cut into their athletics and creative pursuits.

But what do you do when you're watching and they're around? 

It may sound strange, but I have never turned on our TV unless there's a news crisis or someone I know is being interviewed. I always have too much else I'd rather do. If I just want to chill out, I read.  Or I sit and meditate, which always rejuvenates me.  I realize that wouldn't work for everyone, but our house is a lot more pleasant without TV.  I am grateful to be able to minimize the violent and manipulative images that go into all of our minds.

Do you mean no one at your house watches the news?

My husband and I read the daily newspaper, and various magazines.  My fifteen year old has started reading the newspaper this year.  We listen to NPR. We only watch the TV news for a reason -- election returns, a major crisis.  And even now that my daughter is eleven, I shield her from the worst crises.  I still have images from Hurricane Katrina in my memory that I'm glad she doesn't have in hers. 

Surely 11 is old enough to know what's going on in the world?

We talk all the time at the dinner table about what's going on in the world.  What would be gained by her watching sensationalistic news reports about  people hurt or dying?  Studies show that kids who watch TV news are harmed by it -- they become more fearful.  Actually, studies show that even adults who watch TV news believe the world is a more dangerous place than it actually is, but that's a different discussion.

We began this discussion with the question of why TV has been proven to be bad for kids' academic performance.  But we're gotten into the question of TV as a lifestyle. Do you recommend that people throw out their TVs?

I can't give advice for other families.  But I personally see limiting TV use as simple protective parenting.  TV is a powerful teacher, and I don't like what it teaches, or the effect it has.  TV is not neutral.  It is designed to manipulate and exploit.  I probably don't need to remind you that the folks who make TV, even the news shows, are not doing it for our benefit, but to get viewers so they can sell those viewers to advertisers.  That's their product -- the viewers they attract and sell.  

I did not want my growing children -- or myself -- exposed to infinite numbers of murders, constant urges to buy, and unlimited  inappropriate sexual and sexist messages.  I read the research, and it convinced me that TV has a bad effect, and the younger kids are, the worse the effect.

Can you tell us about the research?

A 17-year-long study found that teenaged boys who grew up watching more than an hour of TV each day are four times more likely to commit acts of violence than those who watched less than an hour a day.

A 22-year-long study found that watching lots of TV violence at age eight was linked to more aggressive behavior at ages 19 and 30 years.

91 percent of children say they feel "upset" or "scared" by violence on television. In a random survey of grade school kids, 37% of the kids said they were frightened or upset by a TV story in the previous year.  Their symptoms included bad dreams, anxious feelings, being afraid of being alone, withdrawing from friends, and missing school.

Former US Surgeon General David Satcher has stated that "repeated exposure to violent entertainment during early childhood causes more aggressive behavior throughout a child's life."

The American Psychological Association says that children who regularly watch violence on television are more fearful and distrustful of the world, less bothered by real-world violence, and slower to intervene or call for help when they see fighting or destructive behavior. After watching violent programs, the APA reports, children are more likely to act out aggressively, and children who are regularly exposed to violent programming show a greater tendency toward hitting, arguing, leaving tasks unfinished, and impatience.

And if the violence and dulling of creativity aren't bad enough, there are the self esteem issues. Every child who watches commercial TV is bombarded with advertising messages that have been designed, sparing no cost, to convince us that we need to buy a product to feel good about ourselves and have a good life. We all know that ads are effective in getting kids to pester parents for products, what we don't see directly is what they do to self esteem.

Many studies have shown that girls who watch TV feel worse about their bodies and have lower self esteem in general.

In a study that looked at 155 elementary school children, Caucasian kids who watched more violent TV programs believed that African-American kids were less competent and less obedient.

There are health effects, too.  Many TV ads encourage unhealthy eating habits.  Two-thirds of the 20,000 TV ads an average child sees each year are for food, and most are for high-sugar foods.

While watching TV, the metabolic rate seems to go even lower than during rest.  This means that a person burns fewer calories while watching TV than when just sitting quietly, doing nothing. 

A long-term study found a link between television, MTV, and alcohol consumption among teens. Other research has shown that those who watch more TV are also more likely to smoke cigarettes and marijuana

One survey revealed that 76% of teenagers indicated that one reason young people have sex is because TV shows and movies make it seem more normal for their age group.

      Here are some additional facts from the National Institute on Media and the Family:

    • American children, ages 2-17, watch television on average almost 25 hours per week or 3+ hours a day. Almost one in five watch more than 35 hours of TV each week (Gentile & Walsh, 2002).

• 28% of children's television shows contain four or more acts of violence (Woodward, 1999).

• One in five E/I (educational/informational) designated children's programs was found to have little or no educational value (Woodward, 1999).

• 99% of American families have TV sets, with the average family owning 2.75 sets (Annenberg Public Policy Center, 1999).

• 44% of children and teens report watching different programs when their parents are not around (Strasburger & Donnerstein, 1999).
  
    • Twenty percent of 2- to 7-year-olds, 46% of 8- to 12-year-olds, and 56% of 13- to 17-year-olds have TVs in their bedrooms (Gentile & Walsh, 2002).

• During the 1998/1999 television season the prime time evening hours was the most popular time slot for children ages two to eleven to watch TV.  (Barron's, 1999).

 For more info on TV and computer use, check out the National Institute on Media and the Family, http://www.mediafamily.org/ 

The University of Michigan is the source of many of these studies,  check out their web site to see more, and for tips on how to  havea healthy family relationship with TV.  http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/yourchild/tv.htm 

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Photo: James Wyse