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I've been reading these posts, and I find it very interesting. My children were young during the "Barney Years." They watched it. They are teenagers now, and really don't watch the stuff - but they do play video games, which is my current bugaboo.
I guess the point is there are challenges all through our children's lives, and we have to meet them in the best way we can, chosing individually how best to guide them through.

For whoever said they weren't being "holier than thou", simply stating an action and "the result", you don't know that keeping your child from TV boosted their language development.
My son never watched TV until age 2 (and we didn't in his presence either), beyond that is limited to an hour or less of benign video (Beatrix Potter, Elmo) per day.
Nevertheless, he is turning out to be a 'late bloomer' in the language department.
So, any parents out there are feeling guilty or defensive, don't worry. Kids develop at different rates and turning off TV is not the single key to having a child with advanced verbal skills.

That said, what is crucial is not to let 'screen time' get out of hand to the point where the TV becomes the caregiver, keeping the child occupied in one place so the parents/babysitters can get on with their agendas for the better part of each day. An hour here and there isn't a big deal, but if you find you are not interacting with your children or involving them in your activities most of the time, that probably will create many problems later on.

I've got three kids under the age of four and we made the decision not to watch TV with them after I noticed how, when my twins were infants, they would stop playing and fixate on the TV if it were on. I'm lucky that my kids are close in age and can play together. We do lots of painting, play doh, reading and going to the park or pool when the weather is good. Of course, we have tough days, but it really doesn't occur to me to put on the TV then.

One thing I didn't understand from today's guest was his discussion of why these videos and shows are supposed to be so great for pre-reading skills. What about just sitting with your child and sharing a book or exploring the library?

Regarding Jean Michel's point about PBS and other toddler programming not having commericials-- these shows are commericials unto themselves. PBS's Seasame Street may not have traditional commercials, but it is the launching pad for all of their products, such as the myriad Elmo dolls. If you think you can control how that sort of indirect advertising affects your kids, good for you. Or if you don't mind spending money on the character merchandise, good. But it bothers me, so I try to control its affect via abstinence.
Finally, "step off your podium" added nothing but unpleasantness to your argument.

Leonard Lopate: "Did you find yourself buying Elmo dolls?"

Dade Hayes: "It is hard not to. It is hard not to get drawn into at the toy aisle. . . That to me is a tragedy. There is no imagination in play."

The author admits that letting his toddlers get drawn into the crass consumerism and no imagination of TV watching is a "TRAGEDY".

I do NOT buy the author's thesis (he does not seem very convinced by it either). And will not be buying any baby tv dvds.

We will continue to follow the American Association of Pediatricians recommendation: NO TV UNTIL 2 (or later!)

"Age compression" or "getting older faster" is truly creepy. So is the "0 to 2 market" and "kid-dult".

My child plays outside lots and reads plenty of books. And yes, despite the previous poster naysayers, I feel confident about this decision, as I believe that is good parenting.

Jean Michel

I guess I'm just lucky that I find time for myself or to get things done while my child is either napping or entertaining herself while playing with her toys or books. I too enjoy napping along with her. I also have her father who spends time with her when he comes home so I can get some more stuff done.

Wake up people! Obviously from the view of both sides (parents that do or don’t let their kids watch TV), kids can turn out just fine with or without TV. So what makes a kid unimaginative or rude or throwing temper tantrums in public places? Bad parenting. Yes it does exist and there seems to be an epidemic these days. If you don’t pay attention to or take the time for your kid, you get what you pay for and you deserve your unruly kid. If you just don’t have the time, you shouldn’t have had kids. Kids require a lot of time and energy. I think this is commonly overlooked fact that might be causing this epidemic of unruly kids….

We do not let our daughter watch TV. I am not particularly worried about the content of TV, but the physiological effects of it, particularly in infants and toddlers. At so early an age, kids need to be exploring their preliterate, 3-D world, not trying to find meaning in a symbol-ridden, 2-D one.

Regarding content, especially for kids' shows: these things are mostly branding efforts to get kids to associate certain characters with buying certain products. Oh yeah, and they may learn a little something, too.

I'm mainly worried by the Pokemon Effect in which infants/toddlers who are overtired are more likely to have seizures. Everyone is on less sleep these days. I think we should all listen to Stephen Covey and live more Quadrant 2 lifestyles (doing important and not urgent stuff). We'd be better off. I'm also concerned that since infants sleep 8% to 16% less on their backs than they do on their stomachs about that. I definitely think if a parent puts their child to sleep on it's back TV should be avoided as much as possible.

...and for thos of you who are stepping on the soap box of averting your children's eyes from consumerism and branding as it would be; PBS and most other toddler based programming have NO commercial interuptions. So you can step down from your podium now.

Jenn,
Nap time is definately not a "time to yourself" especially when you have to limit the things you do for fear of waking the baby. If I wash the dishes while Diego is napping, he wakes up for some reason. Whereas I could vacum and he continues snoozing, not to mention a lot of the time, when he takes a nap, I'll join him.

I believe it is my job to help my children to negotiate a world that includes TV, junk food, consumerism, and video games. Helping them navigate these goodies with moderation and perspective may help them to approach larger temptations when I am not there to guide them. Personally, I could not instill this lesson with abstinence -- it becomes too much of the forbidden fruit.

I knew the discussion would be inspire defensive attitudes, since our childrearing practices represent our own values and beliefs.

As the executive director of the leading nonprofit looking at the impact of electronic screened media on health, education and family, I have a great deal of problems with what your guest is saying. Does he know that the Sesame Street paid for a study that demonstrated that for those under 3 years of age who watch the show (with or without a parent) they are likely to suffer learning delays. When the company was asked why they didn't put some kind of warning on the program they said, "Nick is killing us in the Nielson ratings so we are skewing younger."

As for Baby Einstein and the like, there is no data to show that it works and the only data that exists shows that it is potentially harmful. When the University of Washington released its findings, none other than Bob Iger himself asked them to pull the study.

Because so many children are being raised with screens there is now software that teaches people how to read facial expressions and body language, things we use to learn from real people.

We have a 10 month old and are not letting her watch tv until she is at least 3. We are not doing this in thinking that when she is older that she will not want to watch TV and will only read and be this wonderful creative kid. We are doing this because babies and young toddlers don't need to be watching TV. We know she will become screen obsessed when she is older. It's just how the world is now. there is nothing we can do about it.

For the parents who let their kids watch TV so they can have time to themselves. I get time to myself all the time. Nap time. .this was all said in a very happy tone :)

When I was a kid, I watched the original Three Stooges films, the old Warner Brothers cartoons, Popeye, etc. How would these the "age-appropriate" ratings of these forms of entertainment be determined today?

In response to Denise, I think the reason us "Boob Tubers" get so defensive is because encountering many of the non-tv fams, they tend to get very self-righteous and preachy. Like non-smokers to smokers. I'm a non preachy non-smoker.

My son is 3.5 years old and loves SuperWhy.
I noticed he has learned a great deal from it.
He enjoys saying: "Daddy state your problem".
I think the interaccion of this cartoon is excellent.
Could Mr. Dade please elaborate more about this cartoon? I learned SuperWhy was created by the people who created Blues Clues.

I think it's a significant sign of the change of cultural tastes when The Muppet Show now has a R rating in its DVD format because of muppets being depicted as smoking.

I think the guest is missing the point. Why in the world do we feel that preschoolers need "education" Television?

There are no studies that show that kids who watch Sesame Street are better students later in life, or get into a better college or get a better job.

Why is our society so obsessed with our young children learning facts at an early age?

Kids will multiplication, reading and spelling in school. I'd much prefer to have my child being active and engaged in creative play and activities in their non-school hours rather than the passive learning promoted by television.

as someone who spent plenty of time in front of the tv growing up, i can say that i wish i'd spent less time doing that. and as i spent part of my career marketing goods of various levels of "necessity", i can sympathise with those would like to keep their children away from "branded" characters whose appeal can guarantee a strong desire for useless plastic things, as well as crappy packaged food products, and other targets that dazzle an impressionable child--and they're all impressionable, aren't they? pre-recorded fare like dvds are a help in selecting good programing, but i agree with the sentiment that parking kids in front of a screen indiscriminately is mis-guided. they will be staring at screens (computers, tvs, games) the rest of their lives. why start them on the glassy-eyed habit so early?

Yo Gabba Gabba is one of my girlfriend and my favorite shows to watch with our son.

(darn 1500 character limit)

im not aiming that at anyone specific here. ive just seen a pattern with the television naysayers as not exactly sitting around reading Shakespeare and watching Fellini films while listening to Brahms. It just makes me wonder-why is TV always the thing that gets people's feathers in a ruffle more than anything else? it is no better or worse than any other form of media. but it sure gets branded as enemy #1 more often as not. why is that?

I tend to agree with Jean Michael and Jeff that there is an aire snootiness to some of the posts. While no one is coming straight out and saying, "my child is better than your child because i never let mine watch TV", there is a definite tone of self-righteousness to the many posts here. You can take or leave that for whatever you want, I just tend to see it too.

As for TV-i find that a lot of people, especially the high-and-mighty "kill yr television" types tend to be awfully shortsighted and hypocritical. most of you probably watched tons of TV as kids. are you brain damaged for it? did it destroy your life? then whats the problem with letting your kids watch some?

secondly-i often find it is the case that while TV (despite the fact that their are more quality shows and programming options than ever before)gets tarted up as being the devil incarnate for our nation's illiteracy, a lot of the anti-TV folks spend an inordinate amount of time watching mainstream movies, listening to top40 music and, oh i dont know, wasting tons of time online. often on message board forums. like this one. bragging about how they dont watch TV or even own one.

I have a 2 1/2 year old and a 6 month old and I do not let them watch any television, with the exception of a baseball game on in the room. I absoluetly believe television is an assault on their emotions, senses, and eventually self-esteem. I teach middle school and I see the effect television has on children and it is real. Many of my friends will argue with me bitterly about my stance on this, but I know my son's intelligence and vocabulary and his interest in a wide variety of things is supported by the absence of television.

I used to be like some of the parents here and religiously kept my first son away from TV. He became a great reader, but also now, at 12 years old, a boy who hungers for a screen (TV, Gameboy, Wii) whenever/wherever he can get it. It was the forbidden fruit and that cast him in the other direction.

Now I have two more kids, and I let them live a little more freely. If my husband and I need to sleep in on a Saturday after a full week of work and parenting three, why shouldn't they (ages 12, 7 + 3) watch cartoons? It's all about balance. Too much or too little of something - particularly when raising kids - rarely works.

I have two children ages 3 and 4. They go to an excellent pre-school where I know they are interacting with other children, playing and being stimulated with a lot of different activities. By the time they come home they are tired, is it wrong to let them watch PBS Kids in the evenings while I prepare dinner?...
Also, when they were babies they watched Baby Einstein on occasion and LOVED it, that's how they learned about all kinds of animals and some sign language!
Carla

My 29-month old daughter has never watched TV and neither have her closest friends. Their imaginations are wide, they love books, they are able to occupy themselves for long stretches of time if needed without the input of an adult. I do not want my daughter exposed so early to images that will interfere with the creation of her own images and inner characters. In this culture we are assaulted by commercial images everywhere, and it takes an effort to try to ignore them. I don't want to call my daughter's attention to the images of Dora or Elmo that are plastered everywhere, because right now they are simply background visual noise to what's happening in her head. She will become aware soon enough of what they are, and I hope she will have little enough affection for them that they will not take up precious room in her psyche. I think most WNYC listeners would agree that an important virtue for a citizen is the ability to question and think outside of the box. Feeding children the mass/crass culture with a spoon early on does not seem to me to be useful for the development of independent thinking.

My husband and I have an almost 3-year old and a one-year old. We don't own a TV, but do have a computer and use it for entertainment. This was a conscious decision since, when we were kids, we watched way too much TV. Although it's still possible to watch too much even without a TV, we like that we are able to decide exactly what the kids watch, how much, and not be exposed to advertisements. Baby Einstein, Dora, and Sesame Street are among our pre-schooler's favorite videos. Ideally, I would like to limit even more how much she watches, but sometimes I just need to get things done! It serves as a good distraction if I need to cook or tend to the baby. It could be worse, she could be watching something with absolutely no educational value. She actually has learned quite a bit, and I love that Dora supports (sort of...) the Spanish I'm teaching her. Despite her video-watching habit, she's loves to be read to and "reads to herself." I don't think the two have to be mutually exclusive.

After seeing our friend's kids sitting like zombies in front of the TV we decided to have our son wait until he could at least understand what was going on. Of course our friend's kids all turned out fine and I know that I grew up watching a lot of TV and I think I'm OK, so it might not have been such a big deal. But thinking about all the activities he's interested in because he did not have access to TV we feel we made the right decision for us.

Regarding Jeff's "shut up" comment and similar sentiments: Why to some parents who let their toddlers watch TV get so defensive over parents who do not. Aren't the anti-tv folk just giving anecdotal evidence to support their choice just as the TV folk say my kids watch TV and they are fantastic students too. I don't allow TV for several reasons. For one, I want to avoid the ugly scene at the store where I deny my child yet another plastic (fill in the character) thingamabobber to add to her toy chest. Unlike some of her TV-watching friends, my toddler does not throw fits in the store over a toy. That's my anecdotal evidence. I don't think that I am a better parent than anyone else. I realize that I may be too extreme, and that my method may backfire in the end. But don't criticize me for trying my best.

well, I know it is not good for my children to watch tv. (who does not know about it?) however, when my mother-in-laws babysitted my older child(33month old), she watched too much. the moment she wake up, she turned on the tv until she went to bed. and she did to my daughter. i did not like it. she said, she only showed her "educational" programs. but it is too much!!

now, she is gone and i showed her tv about a hour becuase i need to prepare the dinner for the family. well, i know it is bad but i do not have a choic. nice excuse?

is there a difference between education television and the other junk on TV?

sesame street and wildlife programs and the like, set the stage for learning.

Jeff - nobody "bragged" about their kids, just stated a choice and a result. That's the starting point for a discussion. Go back and reread the tone of those posts and then consider your own. Jean Michel managed to get his point across politely (even apologized for dismissing the opposing viewpoint as "snarky"). Why are you so angry?

Congratulations on being the first person to bring name-calling ("Whackos"? Seriously?) into an otherwise civil conversation.

I'm turning 40 soon and am finally weaning myself off a lifetime addiction to television (WNYC has been a great help). I had my head in the TV from Day One, and I wish my parents didn't let me have a TV in my bedroom growing up. Instead of reading "Anna Karenina," I was watching "Happy Days" (not Beckett's), "Three's Company" and every other moronic sit-com of the '70s and '80s, and that was reflected in my academic record. Television today is vastly different (and worst) than when I was growing up. When I have kids, there will be NO television for them in watch in my household. Instead, they will be reading "Anna Karenina" on their Amazon Kindles.

It'll be Matilda who asks for as many playdates as possible at the houses of friends who DO watch TV. It's like candy. They'll go find it.

My kids watch TV, they did all the Baby Einstein videos and so forth. Guess what? They're fine. They read a lot AND they have high verbal skills AND they play outside AND they play with friends AND they do chores AND they do homework AND they love music AND they watch some TV AND...

Chill out. And all you bragging whackos cooing "ooh we NEVER let Matilda watch TV and now she reads at a second grade level, OOohhhh, aren't we WONDERFUL PARENTS"...shut up.

I apologize about the "Snarky" comment

PS- If I am allowed to "PS" let me also add that my son Diego watches TV at 19 months since he was about 5 or six months and he turns it off himself after a half an hour to an hour and then walks over to his book shelf and picks out a book that he either looks at himself or he brings it to us to read to him. He can also imitate 20 different animal sounds when asked what specific animals say. He knows colors and he can tell you what pictures are on his flash cards.

To me the true gauge of whether you have a happy healthy child is the amount that they laugh and giggle throughout the day.

All that "New-Agey" snarkiness about TV being bad for kids is just another mechanism for people to point their snobby noses in the air at others.

There is a funny scene in an episode of Malcolm in the Middle where Dewey the youngest child is obsessed with getting a Barney-like toy that he's seen countless advertisements for. In his mind he sees himself clearly and calmly telling his mother why he needs this toy and how good he'll be if he gets the toy. He's very rationale about how the toy will make everything in his life better. However he really is whining and crying on the floor tugging at his mother's pant cuffs screaming please, please, please... I imagine this scene is not too far from the truth. My sympathies go out to parents with toddler children.

I'm 32 years old. My girlfriend (30) and I have a 19 month old boy.

We definately let our son watch television, but you have to be selective. Diego (my son) watches and loves Sesame Street, The Backyardigans and Yo Gabba Gabba. All very educational and yet each very different in style and technique.

As a young parent who can't afford day care or a nanny, you really do need something that can give you a half an hour or an hour to yourself. If you don't then you begin to resent your children while at the same time giving them the impression that your time is not important.

The problem is that many parents abuse this and subject their children to TV for hours on end, instead of reading and singing or even just taking their child outside in to the yard.

There's a thin line between molly coddling your children and ignoring them.

Talk to your infants and toddlers about your day even if they don't understand you. If you don't wanna read Dr Seuss, then read that John Grisham novel to them in a funny voice. Sing those cheesy 80's rock songs to them.
SPEND TIME WITH YOUR CHILDREN AND MODERATE TELEVISION WILL NOT HARM THEM!!!
PARENTS NEED TO STOP BEING AFRAID OF BEING PARENTS!

when I was a toddler in the late 1950s, we were lucky enough to have a television. the family story goes that watching tv helped me to learn to read at an early age. there was a tv commercial for "tires incorporated", and when we were driving in the car, I saw a billboard for this product and said "look - tires incorporated". I was the only kid in my kindergarten and 1st grade class who could read, and I credit it to a steady diet of tv. we allow our kids to watch tv without a problem - we sing songs from tv shows in the car, while going for a walk, in the playground, etc. (fyi - I had a business client who wouldn't let his kid watch anything except PBS and the Simpsons - go figure).

My son is 17 months old, and we're another family that chose not to expose him to television until he's older (turning it off if he's in the room, etc.). Similar to Jeannine's experience, we have seen our son develop an impressive vocabulary, and are happy to see him going for books and toys, and having a great time using his imagination. We're just not comfortable with the idea of the electronic babysitter, and we are fortunate enough that our lives offer us the space not to have to resort to it.

That said, my son does see the occasional video clip (often of himself) on my computer, but it's interesting to note that if he (or another family member) isn't on the screen, then he loses interest.

I personally do not have kids, but many of my friends that are married and do. It seems very sad to me how many times I notice that they'll just turn on the TV for the kids to 'hush them' because at a young age of less then 2years they're already associating with the Young Einstein shows and many more. From car rides to just getting them to sleep at night- they'll have DVDs or songs from Sesame Street playing. Its like a BAD version of a babysitter. There's a fine line in actually saying something to these couples, because I really think its wrong- buy what do I know when I don't have kids-right? What I do know is the families that DO NOT let the little ones watch TV endlessly- they've developed speech faster and have an imagination those kids who have watched plenty of TV seem to NEED it each day to get by. Can I REALLY suggest to my friends what to do with their children?

put up a sign for an at-pool babysitter at the swim club last year that read in part "no tv." (also, "high pay.") .

not one call, despite being surrounded by teenagers, moms etc.

When my daughter was still an infant we made a concious decision to strictly limit her access to television and she did not watch any TV until she was over two years old. We also stopped watching TV around her. She is 5 now and has become a great reader. She will start Kindergarten in the Fall and already reads at a 2nd grade level. We do allow her to watch some TV now and I find myself worrying if she's watching too much sometimes. It is hard to find that balance. I feel confident that our early TV limits had a big part in making her the bright, creative and inquisitive child she is today.

There is a commercial for the Baby Einstein videos airing currently. It features a testimonial from a mother of an infant and she talks about how she let her older son watch the videos and now she's so pleased to have her infant son watch them as well. This commercial just depresses me. The final shot shows the mom making happy faces down at her child but as the camera pans down you see that he is not returning her happy gaze - he is staring off at a screen. We should not be teaching our children to seek stimulation and interaction from screens!

I have a 21 month old girl. I do not let her watch any television. Children have an entire lifetime to watch TV and it doesn't make sense to me to start them on it as infants. Their brains are still developing and the I believe the quick flashing from scene to scene at this age is detrimental to their development and well being. Instead, my Daughter listens to music, reads books and plays. She's too busy exploring and playing to watch TV. By the time she was 15 months old, she could say @ 200 words and now at 21 months she speaks in full sentences and sings many songs. She's very interested in the world and the things around her. I think that if she watched TV her development would be delayed. Of 'course, there are few occasions that she has watched a little, i.e. the Super Bowl. In the past month I have let her watch a 2 minute video clip on my laptop from the sesame workshop of Elmo or cookie monster singing or of Paula and Carole from the Magic Garden singing, but that is only for a few minutes and only 1 or 2 times a week. She's an extremely happy child and she's very creative by inventing her own play rather than mimicking TV characters and cartoons. I love to watch TV and always have and to tell you the truth it really has not been difficult at all to keep it off during the hours my child is awake. I wouldn't have it any other way.