A couple of weeks ago, Time Magazine published an article about research conducted at the University of Washington suggesting that 40% of children are regular consumers of video products by the age of three months. A whopping 90% of children two years old spend two to three hours a day in front of a television screen.
As one would expect, the article goes on to describe how unchecked consumption could cause developmental setbacks, particularly in the area of language skills. Quick scene changes and editing creates a series of images that stimulates the brain, but does little to challenge and develop vocabulary.
A separate media study linked in our research area shows that the total hours of consumption will more than double from the levels described in the University of Washington study between the ages of 8 to 18.
What can you do? March to the beat of a different drummer. Anything that can be measured can also be managed.
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Set an appropriate limit: Review the American Academy of Pediatrics list of “10 Things Parents can Do” to create healthy television habits.
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Measure: Log the tube time for a week.
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Analyze: Make a decision about weather or not your measured result is where you want it to be.
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Improve: Adjust from there.