Is it possible for a baby to watch TV: Komarovsky’s advice

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.

Dangers

Of course, the desire of parents to turn on the blue screen is understandable. They have a lot of things to do around the house, meetings and friends, problems that need time to solve. However, every day the time that the baby spends in front of the TV becomes more and more. A two-month-old baby can lie all day long and watch images flash on the screen while his mother runs errands. As a result, normal communication with the baby is reduced to a minimum, that is, limited to hygiene procedures and feeding. The situation is far from being as harmless as it might seem at first glance. The child grows up deprived of communication, which means his development lags far behind the age norm. The baby does not develop motor skills and speech is delayed.

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 .

Pediatricians' opinion

Very often, each doctor has his own view on a number of issues related to prevention and treatment. However, when talking about whether a baby can watch TV, they show amazing solidarity. Before one year of age, it is not recommended to turn on a blue screen in the room where the baby is. Try to do your business while the baby is resting, and watch your favorite TV shows in the evening when the baby is sleeping in his crib. However, mothers often do not follow these recommendations and, at every opportunity, offer their child to watch a bright cartoon. Why you shouldn’t do this, we’ll talk to you now.

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.

What are the dangers of sitting at a computer for a long time?

The main danger of prolonged sitting at the computer is that during this process the child’s posture deteriorates. Even if he plays PC not behind a regular chair, but behind a special gaming chair, the risk of spinal problems remains quite high.

The child will not be physically able to keep his back straight during the game. He will slouch. This means that over time his posture may worsen. He will develop scoliosis.

In addition to problems with posture, excessive use of a PC by a child can provoke:

Complete loss of vision. Or its partial deterioration after several years of active use of the computer.
The appearance of physical inactivity.
Mental problems. They can occur if a child plays horror movies. And also games that contain violence and blood.

To prevent this from happening, we recommend limiting your child’s access to the computer. Let him play only for a few hours a day. And also refuse games with scenes of violence.

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

You or from your IP have already voted.

Recommendations for parents

Of course, many are not ready or do not want to completely eliminate TV from their child’s life. By following the simple rules that we will tell you about, you can minimize the negative impact of TV on your child.

Do not give the TV a significant place in the apartment; if possible, make it as little noticeable to the baby as possible.
Limit your child's TV viewing time.
Make a schedule showing what time your child can watch cartoons.
Try to spend less time in front of the TV yourself.
Do not show your child cartoons before bedtime or during meals.
Choose quality programs.

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!

How to make watching TV safe?

You should not place the TV in the children's room. Let it not compete with games, creativity, and reading. Adults often have the TV on in the background. And children quickly pick up this habit. Therefore, first of all, adults need to educate themselves and set an example.

It is imperative to monitor the time your child spends in front of the screen. After all, self-control in children is still poorly developed; it is difficult for them to tear themselves away from the TV.

A great way to control the quality of the content your children watch is to watch with them and then discuss what they see. During a conversation, it is important not only to express your own opinion, but also to listen to the child’s opinion and show respect for his tastes and interests.

When watching TV, you need to be at least 2-3 meters away from the screen. An acceptable distance is measured by 3-5 diagonals. The larger the diagonal of the TV, the further it should be located from the eyes. Do not watch TV from the side, in the dark or in too bright light. Medium-intensity lighting that doesn't strain your eyes too much is best.

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.

After a year

The child is growing, he is already in his second year, and now he is quite capable of using the remote control himself. However, wait to hand over control to him. After a year, pediatricians allow children to be shown cartoons that are intended for children of this age. These are usually short stories, not too bright and not overloaded emotionally. Almost all of them contain short songs. Often, high-quality educational material includes demonstrations of pictures of animals and birds, letters and numbers, and objects of the surrounding world. A two-year-old, as well as a two-month-old child needs constant communication with his mother; he should feel the warmth of hands, a gentle voice every day, and not from time to time.

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.

conclusions

You can argue a lot about the benefits and harms of TV. On the one hand, with its help you can easily distract the child, stop the hysterics and free up time for household chores, but, on the other hand, almost all experts note its negative impact on the psyche and health of children. Therefore, it is very important not to neglect the opinion of doctors and to properly organize the viewing of cartoons in order to prevent overload on the child’s nervous system.

Even if you're confident in your PC manufacturer, don't trust that it's safe to use.

Modern computer manufacturers assure users that they create high-quality screens. with a safe coating that is not harmful to the eyes. However, this is not entirely true.

Remember that absolutely any wrong action can harm a person’s vision. Even a book that a child will read in poor lighting.

Even if a child uses the highest quality PC, there is a possibility that he could damage his eyesight. Therefore, we do not recommend giving him the opportunity to play computer games too much. This can have serious consequences.

How to prevent posture problems while playing on the computer?

To prevent your child from having problems with posture, we recommend adhering to the following recommendations:

Buy your child a special chair for the computer. It has a structured back and armrests that allow the child to sit upright. And they prevent his back from bending while playing computer games.
Make your child keep his back straight while playing. This is necessary so that he does not have problems with posture.
The child's legs should not hang. Make sure he places them on the floor during play.