Toddlers learn their first words better from people than from Teletubbies, according to new research at Wake Forest University. Children younger than 22 months may be entertained, but they do not learn words from the television program, said Marina Krcmar, associate professor of communication at Wake Forest and author of the study.
“With the tremendous success of programs such as ‘Teletubbies’ that target very young children, it has become important to understand what very young children are taking away from these programs,” Krcmar said. “We would like to think it could work, that Teletubbies and other programs can teach initial language skills. That is not true.”
The results confirm the recommendation of the Academy of Pediatrics to avoid television for children under 2 years old.
Sadly, even folks who can afford better still find it “easier” to rely on the TV to babysit their kids – instead of spending productive time with them.
This is just anti-TV propaganda. Name one thing a person less than 22 months old can do? Silly article. Good americans are supposed to be at work, don’t deserve a living wage to support childcare, tv is all there is.
Stupid people. TV is great.
i can’t believe they spent money doing research on this.
Shit…. there goes my whole parenting/home schooling strategy down the drain….. bummer…. now what I am going to do ….
Toddlers learn their first words better from people than from Teletubbies…
All depends on the role model…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9MGFDw4wJ4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McD1TG7hR9w
I think we first need to teach parents to turn off TVs. See, even when they’re off they’re on. *
Try this:
1) Connect TV/DVD/Cable box/Stereo and whatever else has a remote control and is close together in your home entertainment area to a power strip.
2) When you’re not using any of the aforementioned items, turn off the strip.
It’s that easy. Now you know how to turn off your TV.
* When items with remote controls are “off” they still consume some level of power. This is just so they can be ready when you click the on button on the remote. The power level in use is called “vampire power”. Today, 5% of the nation’s total electricity usage is vampire power. Yecch!!!
Here’s another suggestion. Plug your cable modem and wifi transmitter into another power strip. When not in use, turn off that strip. Why have a radio transmitting all day if you aren’t using it?
I strongly disagree on this issue. TV (DVDs) is a wonderful educational tool to have at your disposal. It’s important to stress that this is only one tool and must be use in conjunction with many hours of one on one time. It is not to be used as a substitute for interaction with parents and other children and it’s important to schedule active playtime at a playground, or similar, for physical development.
Through the DVDs, our son is exposed to images of many of the plants, animals, and geological wonders of our planet that we are unable to expose him to at this point in our lives. The little guy is learning to dance and sing as a result of watching DVDs. He also has a vocabulary of ~200 words (no bad for a 22 month old, the average is about 20 words), many learned from the DVDs but most he learned from the wife and me. I’ll sit with him as he watches and interact with him asking if he knows what the different animals and plant are. It’s great fun for both of us.
My wife is a stay-at-home mom. There is no way she would be able to get through the day with out one to two hours of DVD distraction. She needs time to do housework and time for herself. I’m able to let her sleep in for an extra 1/2 hour while I shower and the little guy watches a DVD. Children his age are not yet comfortable playing by themselves for much time at all.
We only allow our son to watch commercial free TV and DVDs (I’ve ripped the DVDs to my Xbox, so he’s not exposed to the advertising). There is no TV/DVD viewing allowed at snack or lunch times.
We make sure to incorporate what he watches on DVD into day to day conversations and activities to reinforce the learning. The interaction after the DVD is the important part.
I think the problems arise when people use this as their only child development tool and neglect to spend time with their children. . When I return from work in the evenings, we don’t watch TV (the kid or the parents); we read, play games, sing, dance, color and have fun family time. TV, as almost everything, in moderation is OK.
Teletubbies is NOT there to teach children language skills.
The other part that bothers me is the methodology. The word first appeared on Teletubbies then was spoken by an adult. So the non-understandable word comes then comes the reinforcement. I call BOGUS study.
So parents, park that rug rat right back in front of the TV and go out for another drink at the local bar.
Oops. No TV at dinner either.
Rasco:
If you think TV is a good distraction, try a couple of big yogurt containers and a pile of pebbles!
Cheers,
Ben.
I don’t think there is anything worse than the sound of a screeching hyperactive child.
If I was unfortunate enough to have any of the creatures living in my home I would be sure to park them in front of the TV (or the power saw if it would keep them quiet).
Silence is Golden!
I think a part may be the quality of kids shows today. If you compare Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers Neighborhood to Barney and Teletubbies, you see the gap. The first two are smart, educational, and friendly. The second are condescending, dumbed down, and don’t really try to challenge their audience.
in fairness to the teletubies, they are for 2 years and less where Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers is more for the 2 – 6 ages….
my kid’s first learned words:
mama
dada
ball
taxes
While the following isn’t a “scientific’ study, it was convincing enough that I will not let my children watch any TV until the can speak, and even then no more than half an hour in one day.
A little background: I’m a hobbyist computer programmer, amateur writer and voracious reader (3-6 books per month).
2 years ago I was assigned to a position that required VERY little work, but involved a 12 hour shift confined to a small office with a TV (basic cable) and heavily filtered internet connection (6 days on, 2 days off). I could not bring anything in with me to entertain myself on this shift. Thus, my default became TV. Almost 12 hours of TV 5-6 days a week.
After only 3 weeks, I could no longer focus long enough to finish one page of any of the books that I was reading. I couldn’t focus long enough to do ANY coding on any of the projects that I had going at the time. Neither could I pay enough attention to write anything at all.
This shift work lasted about 8 months, and now, 2 years later, I am finally able to enjoy a book (John Piper’s “Don’t Waste Your Life”).
Yeah, this is an extreme example, but it demonstrated to me that TV can control my behavior and my productivity; negatively, in fact. An external influence that changes my behavior… sound like drugs anyone? I’m not saying that TV is a drug or that it should be outlawed or controlled in any way, but rather that parents should protect their children from something that is going to control them.