June 08, 2018
Averyanova Sveta
Can a baby watch TV? Perhaps every parent asks this question sooner or later. Pediatricians, since the 1990s, have unanimously spoken about its dangers. The warnings are not only recommendations based on personal experience and common sense, but are also supported by numerous studies.
Peculiarities of vision in infants
- Weak eye muscles are a feature of all newborns. This is why the baby cannot focus his gaze, his eyes either run away or even squint. This is a physiological phenomenon that goes away on its own.
- The vision of infants adapts to the outside world gradually , and in the first year it is not so acute. Children of one month of age at a distance of up to 40 centimeters see only blurry silhouettes, cannot yet distinguish colors, and beyond 60 centimeters they do not recognize objects at all.
- The rapid change of pictures on the TV screen strains not only the fragile eyesight , but also the immature nervous system of the baby. This flickering is especially dangerous at night, when the contrast between light and darkness is most noticeable.
- Vision formation occurs before the age of three . Until this time, physiological farsightedness can be observed in children.
Tip for parents: know that children under one year of age no longer react to videos on TV, but to loud sounds. If you can’t calm down a naughty baby, then turn on an audio story or white noise.
Distance calculation
There are several ways to calculate the optimal distance from the viewing point to the television receiver. The first is the five diagonals rule.
It means that the distance to the device is equal to five screen diagonals and is more suitable for cathode-ray television receivers. So, for a 26-inch (66 cm) TV receiver, you need to move the sofa or chair back about 3.3 meters. The second way to determine the appropriate distance is suitable for LCD television receivers.
This is a special formula L=D*P, where: L – Distance to the device in meters; D – Screen diagonal in inches; P – Value that allows you to calculate the minimum and maximum allowable distance for safe viewing (set in the range from 3 to 6 units). For example, for a television panel with a diagonal of 40 inches, this value ranges from 1.2 to 2.4 meters. All these values are approximate, because you additionally need to take into account the monitor resolution (the lower this parameter, the further away the monitor should be so that the picture does not fall apart into squares), signal source, etc.
At what age can you watch?
The World Health Organization provides data on the age at which a child can watch TV and how long they can stay in front of the screen.
- Newborns and children under 3 years old are strictly prohibited from watching TV.
- Preschoolers are allowed to spend no more than 30 minutes a day .
- Primary schoolchildren from 6 to 10 years old are allowed to watch TV for no more than 1 hour
- Acceptable time for high school age is from 1 to 3 hours .
Preschoolers and brands
Nowhere is the persuasive power of television more effective than with children and teenagers.
Thus, American children from eight to thirteen years old spend 3.5 hours a day in front of TV and watch about 40 thousand commercials a year. Professor James McNeil of Texas A&M University estimates that advertising and marketing costs specifically targeting children reach $15 billion. The average American child recognizes logos by age 18 months and asks for certain brands by age three. By their third or fourth birthday, “kids begin to believe that brands convey their personal qualities—for example, that they are cool, strong, and smart.”
By the time children go to school, they have hundreds of brands in their minds. By the age of six, girls often demand the latest fashions, wear nail polish, and are familiar with the songs of popular artists. By age eight, boys begin to enjoy beer commercials (a firm favorite among this age group) and begin playing violent video games.
What makes them adopt these adult habits is largely the persuasive power of television advertising.
Possible consequences
Television appeared in our lives relatively recently. Over time, not only the broadcast format and image quality change, but also the TV itself - from simple lamp screens we have come to the era of liquid crystal screens. In this regard, parents have questions: is the blue screen really dangerous? Let's figure it out in order.
- Vision. For a long time, ophthalmologists have been saying that if a child watches a lot of TV, it worsens vision and contributes to the development of myopia.
It is especially dangerous for children under 3 years of age. But in 2000, Lee Duffner, a doctor of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, after a series of studies, proved that watching television does not cause physical damage to the eyes, but their overstrain and fatigue. If your child watches TV sideways, sits close enough to the screen, and begins to blink or squint frequently, this is because vision problems already exist. There is no point in delaying your visit to the doctor for advice. - Speech. In 2008, Dimitri Christaxis, a professor at the Seattle Institute and the University of Washington, after years of research, proved that children who regularly watch television during infancy are six times more likely to suffer from speech development disorders. This is not at all connected with the meaning they carry, since the baby is not yet able to perceive and analyze information, but with the fact that the connection between mother and child is lost. The time that could have been devoted to playing and talking, developing the baby’s vocabulary, is spent watching videos that have no meaning. Accordingly, the perception of oral speech is impaired.
- Nervous system. When an infant's immature nervous system comes into contact with television, it can react in different ways. Overexcitation, especially with a low temperature or mild malaise, becomes the cause of whims, hysterics, uncontrollable fears - all this gives rise to problems with sleep. And sleep is undoubtedly important for children; it affects harmonious physical and psychological development. Some neurologists note a correlation between seizures in children and screen flickering. Dr. Christaxis notes that watching TV has a cumulative and delayed effect, which can manifest itself already at school age with hyperactivity and attention deficit.
- Decreased interest in reading. Don't be surprised if your first grader shows no interest in reading if the TV in the house is on in the background all day long. An adult is able to control the flow of information coming to him from a liquid crystal box and is able to abstract from unnecessary information. A small person is not capable of such actions; he will watch TV as long as he works, because he does not need to waste energy on this, as when reading.
- Obesity. Low activity is always accompanied by excess weight gain and muscle atrophy, and it doesn’t matter whether a person is 40 years old or 11 months old. It’s better for your baby to learn the boundaries of the apartment and study the contents of the drawers than to sit limply near the TV.
Is it harmful for a child under 3 years old to watch TV and educational programs on a tablet?
Gadgets and vision
Let's start with sight. And the point is not so much that it “spoils”, but that it is not formed correctly at all.
Binocular vision (the ability to clearly see an image of an object with both eyes at the same time) and visual acuity develop around the age of 4 years. And fine motor skills, which control the eye muscles, are fully developed by the age of nine.
The eye learns to search and highlight objects. But he needs to do this in 3D space, when there are all three dimensions and objects are three-dimensional, plus they can be in motion. A situation in which the eye has focused once at a certain distance and no longer moves (as happens when watching TV) obviously does not contribute to the development of these functions.
Have you ever seen a picture where a ball is thrown to a child (even one much older than 3 years old), but he stands there, motionless and does not understand at all what is happening until the ball hits him? One of the reasons is that children are attracted to screens that are flat, so that visual functions are not formed properly and the child gets a wrong idea of reality, because the reality on the screen is two-dimensional.
But in order for them to develop correctly, it is important to switch the child’s attention from objects that are close to those that are far away and vice versa. So, instead of screens, there are walks, where you can point out the sky, and that cat or car, and the bug under your feet, etc. Well, at home you can at least look out the window, and then at what’s nearby. By the way, ophthalmologists also recommend this exercise to strengthen the eye muscles.
By the way, weakness of the eye muscles, the inability to dilate the pupils, then affects the development of reading: children often lose a line or cannot understand the meaning of a long word, and quickly get tired of reading.
Violation of eating habits Next: violation of eating habits, which can lead to obesity in the future. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for parents, just to feed their child, to sit him in front of the TV or tablet.
Unfortunately, the effect of Pavlov’s dog is triggered: a child who has been stuffed with semolina porridge in front of the TV since childhood very quickly connects with the screen and the habit of absorbing food, regardless of his desire. And we get a situation where I eat, not because I’m hungry, but because the screen is on... There is already a lot of research on this topic. By the way, have you noticed that a significant part of advertising aimed at children is food advertising?
Health problems When you abuse screens, the following problems arise:
- with the spine (osteochondrosis, scoliosis); - poor circulation in the cervical spine, headaches; - damage to the wrist ligaments (even a special term has appeared; those who hold smartphones and tablets in their hands too much are beginning to suffer from this disease); - violation of fine motor skills (in children it simply does not develop, despite the fact that he seems to be pointing his finger at the screen).
Gadgets and brain development The first and decisive stage of brain development ends at three years. If at this stage the range of possible actions of the child was limited, then many connections in the brain simply do not form and its volume remains 25 - 30% smaller.
By the age of four, the baby should have time to master the ability to stand upright, walk and coordinate the movements of his hands. If this does not happen, then until the age of 10 you can still develop motor skills with the help of special exercises, then this opportunity disappears.
Disorders of emotional and volitional development Have you noticed how a child becomes excitable after watching TV or a tablet? And this is not just like that. Visual and auditory overstimulation occurs, plus stress hormones are released into the blood - and now we are ready to run or fight. Instead, we continue to sit quietly in the chair.
This mechanism of body mobilization was developed by nature for exceptional cases, but here such an event occurs once every few seconds. Naturally, the body is gradually oversaturated with these hormones, and overexcitation occurs. And, firstly, the body needs to somehow relieve this stress, and secondly, it becomes the cause of many diseases.
In addition, screens affect the brain at low A-waves, which makes a person less critical and more suggestible. When people talk about screen addiction, it’s not an exaggeration. While watching, the brain releases two substances: endorphin (natural opium) and dopamine (which causes pleasure, love and affection).
If dopamine is released constantly, it becomes a habit. Under their influence, the structure of the brain changes. Studies were conducted in Germany and South Africa, as a result of which it was found that children under 3 years old, as a result of constantly watching TV, became addicted and susceptible to any kind of programming. The experience of many mothers confirms this.
In addition, there is a delay in emotional development. Instead of faces, children see a screen, and it becomes the child’s main guide to the world. He dictates laws and offers models of behavior for children who do not yet have a critical attitude towards the world. The education of preschoolers is based on imitation and direct copying of what they see in front of them. And the behavior of the heroes of most cartoons and films is somewhat exaggerated and grotesque.
Children, again, treat what is happening uncritically, taking many things at face value, even what is impossible or dangerous in real life.
The first story that attracted public attention to this fact occurred back in 1969. The boy gouged out his brother's eye while trying to repeat a gag from a comedy show. “When they do this on TV, no one gets hurt,” he later explained. Now you won’t surprise anyone with such cases.
Gadgets and speech development Nowadays, 25% of five-year-old children suffer from severe speech development disorders. In the mid-70s, speech deficits were observed in only 4% of children of the same age. Over the past 20 years, the number of speech disorders has increased more than sixfold. The TV is a “point” source of sound, but in reality sounds are “surround”, so children do not learn to concentrate on the sound.
Interestingly, just the sound of the TV on slows down the development of a child’s speech. Specialists observed 49 children aged 1–3 years for 2 years, whose parents interacted with them on average about 5.5 hours a day.
During the experiment, television programs intended for adults were turned on in the background when children communicated with their parents. Researchers have found that, despite the content of the dialogues and their duration, such “accompaniment” leads to a slow development of speech skills in children. Moreover, it does not matter at all what and for how long the conversation takes place between the child and the parent. So it is best to turn off the TV during your games and communication.
Another example: during another study (scientist from England Celia Ward), the results were obtained: 20% of the studied children at the age of 9 months had developmental delays if they watched TV or listened to receivers, records, that is, any electronic devices.
If they continued to watch TV until they were 3 years old, they were one year behind in their speech development and there were deviations in motor and sensory development. If parents removed electronic equipment in favor of direct communication with the child, then literally within 4 months the child returned to age-appropriate standards.
In order for a child to acquire human speech, he needs:
1. Hear.
2. Have a developed speech apparatus.
3. Have the desire and need to speak.
And the third point is only possible through live communication with another person. That is, with us, adults, first of all.
A few words about “educational” programs for tablets and smartphones Manufacturers very colorfully describe how your baby develops when he plays these games. But we remember that at this age a child needs a variety of sensory experiences - only then the brain receives the necessary food.
The more external stimuli in childhood, the more active and formed the brain. That is why it is so important that the child physically, and not virtually, explore the world: digging in the ground in search of worms, listening to unfamiliar sounds, breaking objects to understand what is inside, disassembling and unsuccessfully assembling devices, playing musical instruments, running and swimming raced, was afraid, admired, surprised, puzzled, found a way out of the situation, made decisions...
This is exactly what growing brains need today, just as they did a thousand years ago. He needs food - experience. Therefore, create the right environment and conditions for the development of your baby, and then TV and gadgets will not be needed for a long time. Their time will also come when the child is ready for it.
So watching cartoons and generally accessing screen technology is definitely after three and in very measured doses! Choose cartoons with realistic plots, good characters, preferably without excessive action. Many Soviet cartoons, for example, would fall under this description. But there are also good modern cartoons, just watch them yourself before showing them.
Myths about the benefits
The new generation of parents is different in that, firstly, they themselves have found themselves in the era of all-consuming television, and secondly, they consider this activity not without benefits. Is it really? Let's look together at some of the myths that have taken root in our lives.
- Using a running TV as white noise when going to bed . It has already been noted that quickly replacing bright pictures on the screen not only do not contribute to falling asleep, but, on the contrary, give rise to overstimulation. Getting ready for bed should take place in a darkened room, without extraneous noise, in a calm environment.
- Early psycho-emotional development .
Not a single educational cartoon, or especially a program, will influence the development of a child in the way that loved ones can do, using songs, nursery rhymes, fun games and walks. Watching such programs is just a way to reassure parents who believe that their one-and-a-half-year-old baby is supposedly learning new things together with “Little Kids” or “Fixies.” Only after two years is a child able to isolate at least some useful information and generally understand the meaning of what is happening in the frame. - Newborns, due to their development, do not respond to television . In fact, if you take a closer look at your baby, you will notice that in response to a loud sound or a bright flash, the baby turns its head towards its source. Frequent exposure to irritants of this kind is fraught with neurological disorders in the future.
- Irradiation . The story of radiation exposure dates back to the distant 1960s, when one batch of General Electric televisions, when examined, showed radiation exceeding permissible standards. Modern TVs, regardless of brand, price, number of inches of screen, are absolutely safe from the point of view of radiation exposure; there is none.
How much time a day does your child watch TV?
- Less than 1 hour 30%, 272 votes
272 votes 30%272 votes - 30% of all votes
- Doesn't watch at all 25%, 234 votes
234 votes 25%
234 votes - 25% of all votes
- I do not control 19%, 178 votes
178 votes 19%
178 votes - 19% of all votes
- 1-2 hours 13%, 124 votes
124 votes 13%
124 votes - 13% of all votes
- 2-4 hours 12%, 114 votes
114 votes 12%
114 votes - 12% of all votes
Total votes: 922
08.06.2018
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Safe distance from TV to eyes
Buyers regularly ask whether watching TV at close range is harmful and what distance is most suitable for viewing. The optimal space between the TV receiver and the viewing position depends on the production technology of the device. Cathode ray television receivers are very bulky and have a large display that flickers unnoticed and causes eye strain.
This technique also creates an electromagnetic field. This explains why pregnant women should not be near them. You need to be located at least five diagonals away from such TVs. Plasma and liquid crystal television receivers are safer for human health. They do not have flicker, which causes eye strain, and do not emit dangerous fields.
For such television panels, a special formula is provided that allows you to calculate the optimal viewing distance. In addition to safety, the choice of distance to the television receiver is influenced by the display resolution and the quality of the signal entering the device. Thus, TVs with Full HD resolution can be viewed from a closer distance than equipment with a picture in HD format.
From what distance can you watch 4K TV?
TV panels with 4K resolution display an image containing 4 times more pixels compared to conventional TV sets. You can look at such devices up close and not notice the pixel dots.
Also, a location close to the screen will allow you to see even the smallest details, invisible from a distance, or with greater convenience to play, use applications and a browser on a Samsung Smart TV or any other TV with Internet access.
It is believed that for equipment with Ultra HD resolution, the most suitable distance is 1.2 - 1.7 times the diagonal size of the TV. It is also necessary to take into account the individual characteristics of each person.
Safety regulations
The safety rules are quite simple. If they are followed, the health risk is minimal.
- The distance to the screen should not be less than three meters, otherwise your head will start to hurt before the allowed time limit for viewing has passed.
- The habit of watching your favorite TV series or cartoon in the dark is fraught with excessive tension in the eye muscles. The nervous system is under tension.
- To avoid unnecessary tension in the muscles of the neck and back, you should not lie in front of the TV; it should be located at face level.
Question to ask: Why is it worth weaning your child from watching TV while eating?
Advice to parents! Watching cartoons and eating should be separated, otherwise you will develop the habit of binge eating.
The day is not far off when a child will completely refuse to eat without an episode of “Masha and the Bear,” and weaning off a harmful association will be accompanied by a river of tears. Remember that there is no place for a TV in a children's bedroom either!
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What to watch
Before turning on any program, remember that the main way a child learns is through imitation. Everything that a child can see on a children's TV channel, he will definitely try to translate into reality.
Even a one and a half year old child is able to depict what he saw a couple of months ago, let alone children three to four years old and older. Take a closer look at yourself, you are probably using parenting techniques that your parents used, or repeating phrases that you swore off saying in childhood.
Constantly filter what your child watches. All knowledge and skills acquired from the outside shape your child’s life principles and influence his perception of reality. A person who grew up reading Russian folk tales will always be more attentive to others than a person who has seen enough of crime chronicles. So what can the younger generation watch?
- Children under three years old pay their attention mostly to bright colors, dynamic movement, and a cheerful melody. The best options for family viewing are fairy tales with a simple plot: “Ryaba Hen”, “Teremok”, “Turnip”. Modern cinema offers such options as “Malyshariki”, “Luntik”. Funny songs from “The Blue Tractor” can be called the favorite of all children.
- From three to five years old, children are already able to show empathy and draw parallels between the behavior of a cartoon character and their own. Lay the right foundations of upbringing with the magical cartoons “Cinderella” and “Aladdin”, go to visit with “Winnie the Pooh”, smile with “Little Raccoon”. Eliminate all scenes with violence and bad habits, avoid watching advertisements with their intrusive slogans, discuss everything you see, comment on all incomprehensible situations, build a dialogue with your child.
- After five years, a child is already able to independently distinguish bad from good, is able to follow the plot, and identify useful information for himself. Instructive cartoons are well suited for this age, for example “The Lion King”, “The Fixies”, “Arkady Parovozov”. You may be interested in programs about animals, ancient civilizations, and travel to other countries. Such video materials are usually called developmental, but they are such only when what they see is spoken out and discussed together with adults.
Memo: TV has an entertainment function, and only by choosing the repertoire wisely can you add a little educational and developmental meaning to it.
Teenagers and TV
For most people, especially girls, adolescence is a period of self-doubt and feelings of insecurity. The human brain matures only after the age of twenty, and teenagers are subject to peer influence and inexperience in the commercial world. They are more vulnerable to the seductive power of television advertising than people at any other time in their lives.
Many commercials are designed to exploit a teenager's feelings of insecurity and need to be accepted by their peers. Media specialist Nancy Clark explains:
“Advertising goes out of its way to make you feel like you're a failure without this product. Children are very sensitive to these moments. You advise them to buy something and run into resistance, but by saying that “anyone who doesn’t buy this is just a sucker,” you get their attention. You tap into emotional vulnerability, and that works great with kids.”
It works? Without a doubt. Is this ethical? Decide for yourself.
What is forbidden to watch
In the first place, which is completely clear and understandable, is watching TV shows or films that contain elements of aggression and violence. We remember that a child is essentially an imitator; it is possible that the model of behavior of the bad hero will be transferred to real life.
Many parents note that a child can be absolutely indifferent to the TV being turned on, but when advertising starts, the baby drops everything and turns his gaze to the blue screen.
So, advertising should also be excluded. Firstly, it does not contain any useful information. Secondly, it only clogs your head with stupid phrases and images. Thirdly, it influences the subconscious and instills in the child a “culture of consumption.”
News programs should be excluded until the age of seven . Stories about terrorist attacks, accidents, and armed conflicts can traumatize a fragile child’s psyche, leading to neuroses and increased anxiety. If such a news story comes to your attention, then reassure the child, tell him that he is always under your protection.
Advertising toys for girls and boys
Advertising aimed at children is usually based on extensive psychological and neurobiological research. As a result, videos are directed, lit, filmed, scored and edited to best target the sensory and cognitive abilities of children's audiences. In The Story of a Real Toy, journalist Eric Clarke explains:
“Advertising is done differently for girls and boys. Girls prefer light, airy music, female voices, pastel colors and soft images... Boys fall for music that evokes thoughts of adventure, loud sounds, strong images and rich colors.”
The toys are filmed and photographed in such a way as to ensure maximum psychological involvement. For example, doll advertisements almost always begin with the doll looking directly into the camera and, therefore, into the eyes of the child. The goal is to create an emotional attachment between the child and the doll. Typically, the doll has a disproportionately large head, wide eyes, and plump limbs, which act as nurturing biological stimuli. The message hidden here is: “I want to be your friend. I want to play with you."
Advertising for boys contains fighting and violence because advertisers know that aggression attracts young men and tailor their product accordingly. “Rollers for boys are usually aggressive, victory-oriented,” admits commercial director Leo Zann. “They are constantly being attacked and destroyed.” The depiction of aggression is reinforced by the way the video is edited: the rapid cutting of shots creates a fast pace that emphasizes action-oriented stereotypical masculinity.
Stop-motion, computer graphics and other film technologies are also often used; they create the feeling that the doll is moving, that it has its own life.
Mandatory factors for a safe holiday
However, the organs of vision are exposed to external influences of people at any age, and three factors are mandatory for the prevention of vision loss. They include:
– Healthy and nutritious nutrition. The body must receive the entire complex of vitamin composition. Foods such as carrots, blueberries, spinach, garlic and onions, pumpkin, and cottage cheese are good for the eyes. The daily diet must include vegetables and fruits rich in vitamin B, keratin, Vitamins A, E, C.
– Mandatory eye exercises. This is especially important for schoolchildren and adults engaged in mental work and spending the maximum amount of time in front of a computer monitor.
– Watch TV, observing all safety rules and compliance with the norms of location from the screen and duration of stay at the screen.
Watching a series or movie against an emotional background falls into the category of everyday recreation, but if we consider this moment from a medical point of view, doctors call this action a strain on the eyesight.
Rest and tranquility
For many people, watching TV is not only an opportunity to while away the evening or watching a favorite series, but also to obtain a wide range of information resources. A huge number of channels find their consumers, offering films, scientific debates, historical facts, sports and political programs.
One of the famous parental techniques that allows you to “occupy your beloved child” and plunge into the routine whirlpool of home life, in peace and quiet, is to search for channels of fairy tales or cartoons.
Every person, as a child, was faced with comments from adults regarding the prohibition of close proximity to a television screen. This aspect takes place and does not lie unfounded.
Recently, medicine has paid great attention to the problem of early vision loss. Astigmatism remains one of the serious diseases of school and preschool children.
Your own doctor!
In addition to the problems associated with eye diseases in children, experts advise parents to carefully monitor their favorite viewing topics. Modern cartoons are not always aimed at educational aspects; they do not have enough coherent dialogues. In children, speech underdevelopment develops, and in older children, difficulties are identified with the formation of a specific thought or verbal communication. It is important to pay attention to the child’s position while watching cartoons or fairy tales. An unnatural position causes scoliosis, poor posture and curvature of the children's spine.
It is almost impossible to isolate people from modern technologies, but it is important to follow the rules that allow you to spend your leisure time not only in a comfortable atmosphere, but also by minimizing the risks of deteriorating health. Basic knowledge and the desire not to harm yourself or your household will help you combine business with pleasure.
