Media Effects on Infants and Toddlers

THREE recent studies of media impact on young children bear reading and study by those who raise or educate today's children. The evidence shows a correlation between early heavy viewing and abnormal behavior, as well as later attention problems.

October 1, 2007—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Childhood TV Viewing a Risk for Behavior Problems

Timing of Media Exposure Plays a Vital Role in Outcomes

Daily television viewing for two or more hours in early childhood can lead to behavioral problems and poor social skills, according to a study of children 2.5 to 5.5 years of age conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The Hopkins researchers found that the impact of TV viewing on a child’s behavior and social skills varied by the age at which the viewing occurred. More importantly, heavy television viewing that decreased over time was not associated with behavior or social problems. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under age 2 watch no television while children age 2 and older are limited to no more than two hours of daily viewing. The study is published in the October 2007 issue of Pediatrics.

“A number of studies have demonstrated negative effects of heavy television viewing. However, timing of exposure is an important consideration as reducing viewing to acceptable levels can reduce the risk of behavioral and social problems,” said Kamila Mistry, MPH, lead author of the study and a doctoral candidate in the Bloomberg School’s Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health.

For the study, the research team analyzed data for 2,707 children collected from the Healthy Steps for Young Children national evaluation. Parents were surveyed about their child’s television viewing habits and behavior at 2.5 and at 5.5 years of age.

Sixteen percent of parents reported that their children watched two hours or more of television daily at 2.5 years of age (early exposure), while 15 percent reported that their children watched two hours or more of television daily at 5.5 years of age (concurrent exposure). One in five parents reported that their children watched two hours or more of television daily at both 2.5 years and at 5.5 years of age (sustained exposure). Sustained exposure to television was associated with behavioral problems. However, early exposure that was subsequently reduced was not a risk for behavior problems. Concurrent viewing was associated with fewer social skills, while sustained and early viewing had less of an impact on social skill development.

The study also found that having a television in the child’s bedroom at 5.5 years of age was associated with behavioral problems and poor sleep. Forty-one percent of the children included in the study had a television in his or her bedroom.

“Children who reduced their viewing by 5.5 years of age were not at greater risk for behavior and social problems,” said Cynthia Minkovitz, MD, MPP, senior author of the study and associate professor with the School’s Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health. “It is vital for clinicians to emphasize the importance of reducing television viewing in early childhood among those children with early use.”

“Children’s Television Exposure and Behavioral and Social Outcomes at 5.5 years: Does Timing of Exposure Matter?” was written by Kamila B. Mistry, MPH; Cynthia S. Minkovitz, MD, MPP; Donna M. Strobino, PhD; and Dina L. G. Borzekowski, EdD.

"ZERO TO SIX: Electronic Media in the Lives of Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers"

from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and its Program for the Study of Entertainment Media and Health Publications division.

   In order to help understand the implications from the explosion of TV and computer viewing done by children under the age of six, the Foundation conducted a national study of more than 1,000 parents of children ages six months through six years. The entire report can be found online, along with the webcast announcing the study's findings at Media-Infants. Minnesota Public radio devoted its "Mid-Morning" program to this report and its ramifications; the program can be heard with RealAudio at Media-Infants-MPR. No organization in the nation has devoted as much effort and funding to the study of media and family as the Kaiser Family Foundation. All of its media reports for the last decade can be found and read online at Kaiser Reports.

"Early Television Exposure and Subsequent Attentional Problems in Children," a study reported in the April 2004 issue of Pediatrics, showed that for 2,500 children at ages 1 and 3, the hours of television viewed per day in those early years were associated with attentional problems like ADHD at age 7.

   The study urges limits to children's viewing time. The entire article can be read online (or downloaded) as a PDF file at Pediatrics-TV, and a four-minute NPR story on the research can be heard online at NPR Ed-TV.
    The American Academy of Pediatrics also offers a concise, definitive guide for parents on how media should be used within the home. Go to "Media Guidelines for Parents" to find the guide. If you are a school district wishing to distribute the guidelines to parents, here is the procedure for securing permission for school districts: