Even background TV is bad for a child’s health
July 19, 2008 by Grace Ibay
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
So now, new research says it’s not just watching too much television that is bad for a child’s mental health.
When a television is on, it interferes with a child’s ability to focus on an activity, scientists reported in the July/August issue of Child Development.
It seems that TV becomes a background noise and toddlers get so distracted by it that it reduces the length and focused attention of their play, even when they are not actively watching TV. The authors add that “these findings have implications for subsequent cognitive development.”
Unfortunately, I do notice this in my own home. My daughter likes to turn the DVD on, but would not really be watching it. And yet, she can’t totally concentrate on playing. Come to think of it, she doesn’t pay attention to me either when I call to her. Hmm.
Maybe I should really lock the TV and remote away.
