| If you think your kids' habit of watching TV 3~4 | | | | improved their chid learning ability significantly. I'm |
| hours daily is acceptable and believe that they're | | | | sceptic on such recommendation as their |
| just fine with it, you might be wrong. | | | | assumption based on their own experience may |
| My advice is better be safe then sorry, be | | | | not well suited for general public or assumption |
| sceptic and critical on what others and experts | | | | itself might constituted flaws. |
| are saying about impact of watching TV because | | | | In a case study, Dimitri Christakis at the |
| your kids would be only the victims whose are | | | | University of Washington in Seattle, US, and his |
| sitting ducks at the receiving end. | | | | colleagues contacted about 500 families with a |
| Do not draw assumption of your own by | | | | child born in the previous 16 months. |
| experimenting on your kids or your friends' ones | | | | During telephone interviews - which each lasted |
| just to prove that watching TV over the hour | | | | around 45 minutes - parents heard a list of about |
| daily basis is just fine. Because sample size | | | | 90 words, such as "truck" and "cookie", and |
| (number of kids) you watching will be scientifically | | | | indicated which their 8- to 16-month-old children |
| inadequate for an experiment and definitely you | | | | understood. They also gave other details, including |
| don't want your kids to be guinea pigs. | | | | how much they read to their children, and the |
| A team lead by Bob Hancox [ ] of the University | | | | amount and type of television their youngsters |
| of Otago in New Zealand, studied long-term habits | | | | watched. |
| and behaviours of more than 1000 children born in | | | | After controlling for other factors, such as |
| Dunedin, between April 1972 and March 1973. The | | | | parents' educational status and the number of |
| children aged 5 to 11 watched an average of 2.05 | | | | children per household, the analysis revealed that |
| hours of weekday television. From age 13 to 15, | | | | for every hour per day spent watching baby |
| time spent in front of the television rose to an | | | | DVDs, toddlers understood an average of six to |
| average of 3.1 hours a day. | | | | eight words fewer than those who did not view |
| The first long-term study of the impact of | | | | them. On average the children recognised about |
| television viewing on attention skills reports that | | | | 25 words, although the number varied according |
| the more television children watch between the | | | | to age. |
| ages of 5 and 11, the more likely they are to | | | | And Christakis is unconvinced that television is |
| have attention problems between the ages of 13 | | | | appropriate for children under two years of age. |
| and 15 (Pediatrics, vol 120, p 532). | | | | He says the onus is on manufacturers to show |
| What might be the right hours you can allow kids | | | | that their baby DVDs improve children's cognitive |
| to watch TV? Take note of what Erik Landhuis | | | | development. |
| said; | | | | The new study demonstrates that watching |
| "Those who watched more than two hours, and | | | | special television programmes does not |
| particularly those who watched more than three | | | | necessarily "jumpstart a child's communication |
| hours, of television per day during childhood had | | | | systems", says language disorder researcher |
| above-average symptoms of attention problems | | | | Mabel Rice at the University of Kansas in |
| in adolescence," Erik Landhuis of the University of | | | | Lawrence, US. |
| Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. | | | | I would not say watching TV or show of |
| Young children who watched a lot of television | | | | education programs is totally bad for kids. What I |
| were more likely to continue the habit as they | | | | do believe is parents need to get involve in the |
| got older, but even if they did not, the damage | | | | programs and asking sensible questions and let the |
| was done, the study said. | | | | kids to articulate of what they have learned and |
| "This suggests that the effects of childhood | | | | discussion about moral of stories. |
| viewing on attention may be long lasting," Landhuis | | | | TV watching should not replace the chore of |
| notes. | | | | baby sitting or should not be used as a tool to put |
| Certainly, since TV viewing is just passive | | | | a bunch of kids to be quiet while parents enjoying |
| interaction and may supplant other kids' activities | | | | their good time. And definitely, parents shall put up |
| that promote concentration, creativity and abilities | | | | weekly TV watching time-table, dictate the |
| on reading, games, sports and play. | | | | program/channels for them to see and enforcing |
| I noticed some articles advocating the use of | | | | disciplines by setting example ourselves. |
| well-programmed education DVD for toddler, | | | | |