There’s a new warning from the nation’s pediatricians and it may surprise a good many parents who think those baby DVD’s, even educational television can benefit even their youngest kids. The pediatricians say children under two should NOT watch ANY television or videos.
The CBS Evening News reported that the policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says “parents should cut back on viewing as well.”
CBS News medical correspondent Jon LaPook, MD, explained, “Research also suggests television watched by adults can distract children playing in the same room. … It’s unclear if television directly harms the developing brain. But the panel of experts says at the very least it takes away time better spent interacting with the real world.”
The New York Times reports, “The new report … estimates that for every hour a child under two spends in front of a screen, he or she spends about 50 minutes less interacting with a parent, and about 10 percent less time in creative play. It recommends that doctors discuss setting ‘media limits’ for babies and toddlers with parents, though it does not specify how much time is too much.”
Here are some of my blogs on “screen time” from the last year:

• ‘Screen-free’ environment best for toddlers
• SpongeBob in hot water from study of 4-year-olds
• Cartoon characters prod kids to nag for unhealthy foods
• TV ads for kids still heavy on unhealthy foods
• Too much TV increases cardiovascular risk for kids
• TV Viewing Linked To Increased Heart Risk Factors In Young Adults
• Kids’ use of electronic media at night linked to problems
• Study Shows Risks for Kids Who Watch TV or Use Computers More Than 2 Hours a Day
• Screen Time May Consume Nearly 1/3 of Day for U.S. Kids
• Study: Mental Health Deteriorates With Increased Television
• Too Much Screen Time Can Threaten Attention Span
• Parents Beware: Cartoon Characters on TV Sell Kids on Unhealthy Foods
• Too Many Tots Watching Too Much TV: Study
• Long-term harm seen with too much TV for toddlers
• More TV for toddlers equals school trouble later
• TV, Computers Linked to Weak Relationships
• New analysis reasserts video games’ link to violence
• More TV for toddlers equals school trouble later
• Daycare May Feed Your Kids’ TV Habit
• Time spent watching television may be linked to increased risk of death
• New analysis reasserts video games’ link to violence
• TV, Computers Linked to Weak Relationships
• TV watching is linked to aggression in kids. Ya think?
• Television Viewing Linked to Blood Pressure Increases in Children
• Yet another study suggests television viewing may impair children’s language development
• Study links teen pregnancy to sexy TV shows