A baby watching TV might look amusing, but it isn’t something they should be doing. Avoiding television in today’s world is almost impossible when almost every house has at least one television in it. Then, parents and caregivers often place the babies in front of the television to keep the baby engaged while parents do tasks such as feeding or changing diapers. But as convenient as it seems, babies staring at television can be harmful. Babies can easily get attracted to colorful, bright images of the television and might also get addicted to it. Besides, watching television is likely to make them stare at the screen, which is a no-use activity for the baby. Keep reading to learn the effects of watching television on babies and alternatives to lead the baby away from the device.
Is It Okay For A Baby To Watch TV?
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends no screen time for babies younger than 18 months (1). Thus, infants should not watch television and even other devices with a screen, such as smartphones and tablets. Television-watching is not recommended for older babies and toddlers, too. Toddlers between 18 and 24 months may use high-quality educational apps on smartphones or tablets with their parents for a few minutes a day. Children older than two years may try high-quality apps for no more than an hour a day.
Effects Of Watching TV On Babies
Several studies and experts indicate that regular watching of television may have detrimental effects on the baby’s healthy development in the long run. Television-watching may have the following effects on the baby.
1. Affect brain development
Watching television offers no benefit to the baby since they are too young to understand the images seen on the television. Babies watch TV because they find the bright and colorful images attractive. They cannot understand and identify the real-world equivalent of the TV’s images. For instance, a baby may see a TV advertisement of a toy, which they already have. However, they will not realize that it is the same toy they have in their hands. Regular television-watching may cause the baby to focus predominantly on the television content, causing them to overlook real-world activities. It may affect brain development in the long run. Research indicates that television-watching offers no cognitive benefit to the baby, and there is no reason to let your baby watch television (2).
2. Speech and language delays
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, on average, a parent speaks 940 words per hour when playing with their toddler. However, the number decreases to 770 just by switching on the television in the background with no one watching it (3). Therefore, the number of words you speak to your baby could significantly decrease if your baby is engrossed in watching television. The effect could be multi-fold if your baby spends a major part of their waking hours watching TV. Babies learn the best when they interact with their parents and other caregivers. However, TV could take away the time, which could have been used in improving their language skills, affecting the baby’s speech and language skills eventually.
3. Affect healthy vision
Children tend to blink less often than adults when watching television (4). Constant staring at the TV may cause eye pain, eye redness, and blurred vision. Your baby’s eyes are also constantly focused on TV images closer to them. It may make it difficult to focus on distant objects immediately, and the eyes may take several hours to re-adjust (5). Regular television-watching could exacerbate all the short-term eye and vision problems. It may increase the risk of the baby developing myopia (nearsightedness) early in life, making it imperative to wear prescription glasses (6).
4. Interfere with beneficial activities
According to Frederick Zimmerman, Associate Professor of Health Services, University of Washington, “Exposure to TV takes time away from more developmentally appropriate activities such as a parent or adult caregiver and an infant engaging in free play with dolls, blocks or cars.” The more your baby watches television, the less time you get for games and activities that exercise and improve a baby’s developmental milestones. Your baby will learn a lot more from your facial expressions, tone of voice, and body language than they can learn from television (7). Also, images on TV are no replacement for real-world activities. For instance, a rolling ball on the floor will provide a three-dimensional view than a two-dimensional view of a rolling ball video on the TV. The rolling ball in real life will stimulate a baby’s vision, eye-hand coordination, speed-distance judgment, and even social skills, which television can never stimulate (8).
5. Influence eating habits
Research indicates that eating while watching TV may interfere with the brain’s ability to realize satiety, causing overeating. However, some children may eat less than needed due to the distraction caused by a television (9). Although there are no specific studies on babies, it may lead to similar results, especially in older babies who rely more on solid food. Television-watching may interfere with healthy eating habits, increasing the risk of malnutrition (overweight or underweight) in the long run.
6. Affect sleep
Watching television regularly could interfere with a baby’s healthy sleep patterns and bedtime routine. The issue could be profound if the baby watches television, usually in the evening. It may reduce the number of sleeping hours at night. The reason behind sleep interference could be the television content, which may keep the brain in an active state even after TV-watching is suspended. Some television screens emit blue light, which may suppress the secretion of melatonin, a hormone that regulates the sleep-wake cycle (10).
Alternatives To TV-Watching For Babies
Parents can try alternatives to TV-watching to distract the baby and indulge them in activities that can benefit them (3) (8).
Does TV-Watching Cause Autism?
There is no conclusive evidence that regular TV-watching by babies could directly cause or increase the risk of autism (12). A study found that exposure to longer screen time at 12 months of age was associated with the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder at 3 years of age, and the incidence was more among boys. However, autism may have several causes and further research is required to specifically prove any such claim (13) (14).
