May 2007

Local Pediatrician Advises Parents to Take Control of ‘The Elephant in the Living Room’

by Wenda Reed

Television is not a monster responsible for all of the obesity, attention problems, aggression and anti-social behavior in today’s children.

Nor is it a harmless pussy-cat, sitting benignly in the corner of our living rooms – and family rooms and media rooms and bedrooms.

Rather, it can be considered an “elephant in the living room” – a “massive presence in childhood” that is seldom discussed, write Drs. Dimitri Christakis and Frederick Zimmerman, directors of the Child Health Institute at the University of Washington and co-authors of The Elephant in the Living Room (Rodale, 2006). “It’s like alcoholism; no one likes to talk about,” added Christakis in a recent interview.

The Seattle pediatrician became interested in the subject of children and television nine years ago when he spent a month of paternity leave at home with his 3-month-old son. Alexi was colicky and needed to be held a lot of the time. Christakis often turned on the TV for his own distraction and entertainment. “I noticed that Alexi was mesmerized by it, even though he was too young to understand the content.”

As a result of research he and Zimmerman compiled, Christakis and his wife, pediatrician Danielle Zerr, did not have their two children watch TV until they were older than 2. After that, they practiced what Christakis calls “mindful viewing” by picking and choosing education and nature shows, instituting a fun Family Movie Night every Friday evening and maintaining a “no TV on school nights” rule.

Christakis and Zimmerman wrote the book to find a middle ground between those who abhor TV as an absolute evil and those who feel guilty about overusing it, but think there’s nothing they can do about it. With children watching an average of three hours of television a day, beginning as early as 6 months of age, the authors expressed a need for a dispassionate and careful discussion to inform and empower parents.

Striking a Balance

“There’s no question there are lots of risks associated with TV,” Christakis says. The book outlines many of them, including:

· Shortened attention spans and less readiness for school if children watch a lot of non-educational programs and watch any TV before age 2;

· A moderate and statistically significant association between watching violent television and behaving aggressively, especially in young children;

· Interruptions and disturbances in sleep patterns, especially if children watch television right before bed.

· Exposure to sexual promiscuity, alcohol use and risky behavior as a norm; and

· Exposure to the marketing juggernaut peddling toys, junk food, clothing, alcohol and more.

The reaction of some parents is to remove TV completely from the home. “It works for some parents, and that’s good, but for most parents it’s not realistic to kill the TV,” Christakis says.

“Our message is that you can make television a positive experience for kids by taking control of your child’s viewing and being careful about what they watch.”

After age 2 or 3, quality educational shows, like Sesame Street and Blues Clues, have been shown to improve children’s reading, vocabulary, attitudes toward school, acceptance of differences in others and cooperation with other children. Repetition and interaction helps children learn with enthusiasm, especially if a parent is actively watching with them – or even if he or she stays in the same room and works on something else.

In the book, Christakis and Zimmerman suggest choosing shows that engage preschoolers through challenging and interesting content, rather than ones with flashy graphics or noisy soundtracks. Parents should also make sure young children have plenty of “real-time cognitive stimulation,” such as reading, singing or playing with blocks, to offset the TV time.

By the elementary grades, there are fewer age-appropriate educational shows. However, quality shows can be a great resource – along with books and real-life observations – for encouraging a child’s interest in nature, animals, cooking or other subjects. As school age children watch TV for entertainment, much of the programming is not age appropriate – “it’s a failing of the industry, a huge dead zone for middle childhood,” Christakis says.

At that age, parents should actively select what their children watch and watch with them whenever possible. “We can discuss the negative aspects with them,” Christakis suggests. “The TV program can be used as a segue to talk about sex or violence. It’s often hard for parents to bring up certain topics – they lack context and they feel embarrassed. TV can help. It’s an opportunity to let your children know how your values relate to what they’re watching.”

With violence, especially, it’s important to discuss real-life consequences. “Virtual violence is worse in a way than real violence because it doesn’t have a sense of consequences. You start to think of it as not even being risky,” Christakis adds.

Television is often cited as one of the culprits for the obesity epidemic, “but the data doesn’t support that TV is the cause,” Christakis asserts. “It replaces other sedentary activities, like reading comic books, listening to the radio or going to movies outside the home.”

The problem is that we don’t create enough active things for children to do outdoors, he adds. “Children are indoors, so TV becomes the default thing to entertain them.”

“The worst thing is to have the TV running all the time or in the child’s bedroom,” Christakis says. “Watch it selectively. Turn it on to watch something specifically. Don’t turn it on and look for something – anything – to watch.”

The Danger of Starting Too Young

All of the benefits of television for children begin when they are 2 to 3 years old (depending on the developmental stage of the child).

Watching television, including Baby Einstein videos and others aimed at infants and toddlers has NO benefit for children under 2, write Christakis and Zimmerman, in response to extensive research studies at the University of Washington and around the world. “In fact, it is harmful to their brains,” Christakis adds. It interferes with cognitive development, language acquisition and ability to attend.

“Preschool age children, 3 to 5 years old, can benefit from a host of great educational shows, but children under 2 may suffer by watching the same shows,” he and Zimmerman write. “Between ages 2 and 3, there is a gray zone in which some kids benefit from some shows and others are harmed.”

As a pediatrician, Christakis stands by the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics to avoid all television (and video) viewing for children 2 and under. He advises his patients not to use baby videos.

“In 1961, the average age at which children began watching TV was 3,” Christakis says. “Now it’s 9 months. That TV is good for baby’s brains is something we’re told today. The marketing creates social norms and expectations for starting early.

“The question parents should ask is ‘Why am I having my baby watch?’ If it’s for 15 minutes so that the mother can shower or do something and come back refreshed, that’s OK. If it’s an hour or more, it’s harmful. Parents don’t find alternative strategies. It creates a dependency on TV.”

Getting Past the Guilt

Should parents feel guilty if they’ve let their babies and toddlers watch TV or allowed their older children to watch more than a couple of hours a day?

“There’s no benefit to feeling guilty,” Christakis says. “Most parents feel ashamed. TV is kind of a family value. When families get together, they have different TV rules. Some parents get alarmed and defensive when they find that they allow more TV viewing than others do.

“The important thing is to now take control,” he adds. “It takes a little more time and effort to be mindful, but it’s worth it.

“TV is a major influence, but it’s not inherently good or bad. It depends on how it’s used. It’s a tool. We should use it wisely, given that it is such a big influence.”

Recommended Educational Television Shows

Preschool

Animal Jams (music, dance)
Arthur (literacy, problem-solving skills, prosocial behavior)
The Backyardigans (music, dance)
Barney & Friends (imagination/creativity, nutrition/health/safety, prosocial behavior)
The Berenstain Bears (prosocial behavior)
Between the Lions (literacy)
Blue’s Clues (problem-solving)
Boohbah (music, dance)
Caillou (prosocial behavior)
Clifford the Big Red Dog (prosocial behavior)
Clifford’s Puppy Days (prosocial behavior)
Dora the Explorer (problem-solving, cultural diversity)
Dragon Tales (problem-solving, imagination/creativity, prosocial behavior)
Franklin (prosocial behavior)
Go Diego Go (problem-solving, science and nature, cultural diversity)
Higglytown Heroes (prosocial behavior)
It’s a Big Big World (science and nature, geography)
Jack’s Big Music Show (music, dance)
The Koala Brothers (prosocial behavior)
Little Einsteins (music dance)
The Magic School Bus (science and nature)
Max & Ruby (prosocial behavior)
Miss Spider (prosocial behavior)
Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood (imagination, creativity, prosocial behavior)
Peep in the Big Wide World (science and nature)
Sesame Street (literacy, math skills, nutrition/health/safety, prosocial behavior, cultural diversity)
Timothy Goes to School (prosocial behavior)
The Wiggles (music, dance)
Zoboomafoo (science and nature)

Grade School

All Grown Up (prosocial behavior)
Arthur (literacy skills, problem-solving, prosocial behavior)
Beakman’s World (science/nature)
The Berenstain Bears (prosocial behavior)
Between the Lions (literacy)
Bill Nye the Science Guy (science/nature)
Clifford the Big Red Dog (prosocial behavior)
Croc Files (science/nature)
Cyberchase (math skills)
Hey Arnold (prosocial behavior)
The Magic School Bus (science/nature)
Maya & Miguel (prosocial behavior, cultural diversity)
Nature (science/nature – preview content)
Nova (science/nature – preview content)
Postcards from Buster (geography skills, cultural diversity)
Sagwa (prosocial behavior, cultural diversity)
Zoboomafoo (science/nature)
Zoom (science/nature)

From The Elephant in the Living Room, Appendix 1

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