‘Educational TV’ for Babies? It Doesn’t Exist
TIME:
If there was any doubt that television is not a good use of toddlers’ time, consider the findings of one study that drilled down into babies’ understanding of what they were watching on TV. When groups of 6-, 12- and 18-month-olds watched cartoons played both forward and backward, so that the characters were doing everything in reverse, only the oldest babies showed a preference for the correct order.
It’s not that they’re less discriminating. But until about age 2, studies show that young children can’t cognitively comprehend what’s being said and retain that information. Dozens of studies affirming that finding were what prompted the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to update its policy statement on media use for kids under 2 on Tuesday. The upshot: there is no such thing as educational TV for this bunch.
Read the whole story: TIME
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