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40 children's TV hits
This is what happens to your baby when they watch TV
17.1.2024
Translation: machine translated
"A little bit of television won't harm my child." Oh yes it will! Researchers have found that too much screen time leads to behavioural problems.
Children under the age of three shouldn't actually watch television at all. Nevertheless, it happens - to me too: my two-and-a-half-year-old son automatically looks at the telly when the older one is allowed to watch an episode of Paw Patrol in the evening. And sometimes there's no babysitter around and you park the child away from the TV. Most parents intuitively realise that this is not good for the little ones.
Researchers at Drexel's College of Medicine in Philadelphia (USA) have now investigated the effects of television on children under the age of three. The possible consequences are worrying, as I find as a mum of two.
Screen time can lead to behavioural problems in one-year-old children
For example, the researchers found that any screen activity in one-year-old children led to a 105 per cent higher likelihood of displaying strong sensory behaviours instead of typical behaviours. Sensory behaviour means that children are more sensitive to stimuli and may have problems processing information through the sensory organs.
In two-year-old children, each additional hour of television viewing resulted in a 20 per cent higher likelihood of developing high sensory-seeking or pronounced sensory avoidance after 33 months. In plain language: these children are looking for intense stimulation or are overwhelmed by stimuli such as loud noises or bright lights. The scientists also suspect a connection here with other developmental disorders such as sleep disorders, attention disorders and autism.
The strong sensory perception was already associated with a perceptual disorder in children just three years old. These can manifest themselves in different ways: for example, they do not realise when they are cold or hot, when they should blow their nose or when a wound hurts after a fall.
The authors of the study advise parents not to let children under two watch television at all.
How do you feel about this? Has your baby or toddler ever been allowed to watch TV or not?
A true local journalist with a secret soft spot for German pop music. Mum of two boys, a dog and about 400 toy cars in all shapes and colours. I always enjoy travelling, reading and go to concerts, too.