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Does Background TV Make Kids Lose Focus?

July 30, 2008 - 14:27 — Alenka

Since we had our firstborn join the family watching TV became an impossible feat. Meanwhile, many parents find it comfortable enough to watch their favorite show while their little ones are playing nearby. Is it a safe practice?

In a news release, researcher Marie Evans Schmidt said "background TV, as an ever-changing audiovisual distractor, disrupts children's efforts to sustain attention to ongoing play behaviors."

Schmidt is a research associate at the Center on Media and Child Health at Children's Hospital Boston.

"Background TV is potentially a chronic environmental risk factor affecting most American children. Parents should limit their young children's exposure to background television."

Read more in WebMD article Does Background TV Make Kids Lose Focus? - Having Television On in the Background Can Disrupt Playtime, Study Shows.

Comments

July 31, 2008 - 10:47 — Art K (not verified)

I would not use strong words

I would not use strong words as "chronic environmental risk factor"; but TV on the background is clearly a distracting factor. A child will get less things done and will do them with lesser quality. Especially if the TV volume is cranked high up, rest assured that the homework will have more mistakes. Personally, I do not believe in “multitasking”. If you are doing 2 things at once, both of them will be done with 50 percent quality.

Thanks!
Art


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