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New report shows kids watch more than a day of TV every week
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Sesame Street is a favorite program among children / credit: Sesame Street
Children aged 2-11 are watching more than 24 hours of TV every week, according to a report released by Nielsen. The report is based on children viewing both live and recorded TV, including DVDs and game console usage.
"They're using all the technology available in their households," said Patricia McDonough, Nielsen's senior vice president of insights, analysis, and policy. "They're using the DVD, they're on the Internet. They're not giving up any media -- they're just picking up more."
Children aged 2-5 had the highest consumption, viewing more than 32 hours a week on average. Children 6 to 11 watched an average of more than 28 hours.
McDonough blames video on demand and DVR use as the reason for the high viewing hours. "When I was a kid, I had Saturday morning cartoons, and now there are programs they want to watch available to them whenever they want to watch them."
Previous reports have shown that children that watch a large amount of television are at a higher risk for high blood pressure.
The LA Times reports:
When kids are plunked in front of a screen, they're also missing out on critical opportunities to learn from their parents and develop imaginative play, experts said.
"I think parents are clueless about how much media their kids are using and what they're watching," said Dr. Vic Strasburger, a professor of pediatrics at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine and a spokesman for the American Academy of Pediatrics.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children younger than two have no screen time, and those older than two should only view less than an hour of television a day.
Dr. Strasburger also said that "the biggest misconception is that it's harmless entertainment. Media are one of the most powerful teachers of children that we know of. When we in this society do a bad job educating kids about sex and drugs, the media pick up the slack."
The director of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, Susan Linn, noted that "once you start hooking babies on media, it's harder to limit it...If we start children early in life on a steady diet of screen time and electronic toys, they don't develop the resources to generate their own amusement, so they become dependent on screens."
As single moms, it might be a simple solution to put your children in front of the television in order to gain a few moments to get things done for yourself. The TV might distract your young ones long enough for you to take a shower, make dinner, or make a phone call. The findings in the report should not make you feel guilty about using the TV when necessary, but should rather make you aware of the total screen time your child has a day. If you are aware of it, you will be able to limit it as much as possible.
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